PFAS Primer: 5 Common Questions About the Changing Regulatory Landscape

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, constitute a complex family of synthetic chemicals that have been used extensively in industrial processes and consumer products since the 1940s. There are concerns that exposure to PFAS can adversely impact human health and ecological communities.

Since the early 2000s, when it became possible to detect these chemicals at low concentrations, PFAS have been found throughout the world—both near discharge locations and far from any known source areas, from the tropics to the poles. Over the last 8 years, there has been significant regulatory activity around PFAS. In fall of 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule aimed at putting two types of PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) on the CERCLA “hazardous substances” list and is expected to release draft Maximum Contaminant Levels in 2023.

5 Common Questions About the Changing Landscape of PFAS

With major changes to the PFAS landscape on the horizon, we wanted to share a few themes that regularly come up in our conversations about these emerging contaminants. Cycle through the following slides to read them all.