The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission finalized a new rule on September 12 that designates six PFAS as hazardous substances under Oregon Administrative Rule 340-122-0115, according to Geosyntec Consultants Inc.
The following PFAS are included in the rule:
- PFOA
- PFOS
- PFHxS
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
- Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA or GenX chemicals)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS).
This designation empowers the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to mandate investigations, cleanups, and remedial actions for these six PFAS. The DEQ is prioritizing sites into two tiers for PFAS-related actions:
- Tier 1 sites include airports, fire training facilities, facilities with known aqueous film forming foam use and/or storage, bulk fuel facilities and refineries, metal plating operations, biosolid application zones, and facilities with known or suspected PFAS use in the vicinity of drinking water sources.
- Tier 2 sites include but are not limited to semiconductor facilities, pulp and paper mills, and coatings manufacturers.
The DEQ stated that closed cleanup sites will be considered for PFAS testing on a case-by-case basis, and in general, the DEQ will not request testing at closed sites unless “special circumstances” are present.
Click here to learn more about the rule.