The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released on October 25 a final human health toxicity assessment for GenX chemicals, which are part of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) group.
“Research establishes a foundation for informed decision making and it is one of the central strategies of EPA’s PFAS Roadmap,” said Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “This science-based final assessment marks a critical step in the process of establishing a national drinking water health advisory for GenX chemicals and provides important information to our partners that can be used to protect communities where these chemicals are found.”
In certain locations, GenX chemicals have been found in surface water, groundwater, drinking water, rainwater, and the air. The EPA’s final assessment for GenX chemicals focuses solely on the potential human health effects associated with oral exposure. Issuing the final toxicity assessment gives EPA the opportunity to share and exchange information with the agency’s state and Tribal coregulators who are working with their communities to confront this complex environmental challenge.
The agency’s final 2021 GenX chemicals assessment uses the state-of-the-art systematic review process, incorporates new data available since 2018, and applies revised uncertainty factors. These changes resulted in a lower, more protective toxicity value for GenX chemicals relative to EPA’s 2018 draft toxicity assessment.
The EPA’s release of the final GenX chemicals toxicity assessment is a key step toward developing a national drinking water health advisory for GenX chemicals, which the agency committed to publishing in spring 2022 as part of the PFAS Roadmap.
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NGWA has long been an industry leader in providing PFAS research, education, and resources to the public and scientific communities. In 2017, NGWA published Groundwater and PFAS: State of Knowledge and Practice, which was one of the first PFAS guidance documents to be released. It can be found at NGWA.org/PFAS, which is a complete resource center about the groundwater contaminants featuring a FAQs document, a top-10 facts sheet, a homeowner checklist, and more.