1166492 - PFAS in Air: Emerging U.S. Federal and State Programs

The presence and potential impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment are the focus of a broad group of stakeholders, including academia, federal and state regulatory agencies, industry, and the public. The initial PFAS regulatory programs were generally focused on PFOS and PFOA in drinking water; however, an increasing number of U.S. states have developed either advisory or enforceable limits for perfluorinated alkyl acids (PFAA) beyond PFOA and PFOS. These PFAS programs focus not only on drinking water, but also groundwater, surface water and soil. As of yet, the list of U.S. states with promulgated advisory or enforceable limits for PFAS in air is small but growing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and some states have developed a “Roadmap” or a “Blueprint” to address PFAS in environmental media that includes air. At least one state, Minnesota, has implemented a PFAS air monitoring program to gain a greater understanding of concentrations and identification of PFAS in air at selected monitoring locations. Some sites around the country have been the subject of multi-media PFAS investigations that have included evaluations of and permit conditions for PFAS air emissions. A few other states such as Michigan, New Hampshire, Texas, and New York, have begun or have proposed regulating certain PFAS emissions through concentration standards, effects screening levels and/or air permits. The expectation is that additional air regulation of PFAS is likely as more data are obtained and evaluated, whether through monitoring programs or from annual Form R reporting through the Toxics Release Inventory, for example.

This platform presentation will provide an overview of the various federal and state initiatives around the U.S. to monitor, set standards for, or otherwise regulate PFAS in air. It will provide perspectives on remote atmospheric background in light of the concentrations observed or set as an advisory or enforceable limit. The presentation will include an up-to-date regulatory “heat map” that indicates where these standards, initiatives, or programs are proposed and/or have been developed. References for more information on these emerging PFAS air regulatory programs will also be provided.