The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued on April 13 an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public input and data to assist in the consideration of potential development of future regulations pertaining to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund).
This request for input and information follows EPA’s September 2022 proposed rule to designate two PFAS — perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), and their salts and structural isomers — as hazardous substances under CERCLA. The EPA is currently reviewing comments received on this proposed rule.
Through this ANPRM, the EPA is seeking input on whether to propose to designate additional PFAS, including HFPO-DA, sometimes called GenX, and compounds that degrade in the environment by processes such as biodegradation, photolysis, and hydrolysis, to form certain PFAS. The EPA is also seeking information on whether some PFAS compounds can or should be designated as a group or category.
The specific PFAS identified in the notice are:
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), CASRN 375–73–5
- Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), CASRN 355–46–4
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), CASRN 375–95–1
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO–DA), CASRN 13252–13–6 (sometimes called GenX)
- Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) CASRN 375–22–4
- Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) CASRN 307–24–4
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) CASRN 335–76–2.
Comments must be received on or before June 12, 2023, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0922, using the Federal eRulemaking Portal.
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NGWA has long been an industry leader in providing PFAS research, education, and resources to the public and scientific communities. Learn more by visiting NGWA.org/PFAS, which is a complete resource center about the groundwater contaminants featuring a recently updated top-10 facts sheet, a position paper, and more.
Also found there is
Groundwater and PFAS: State of Knowledge and Practice, which NGWA published in 2017 and is one of the first PFAS guidance documents to be released. The Association hosted its second conference last year in Westerville, Ohio, focused entirely on PFAS science and remediation.