TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey has become the first state in the nation to set stringent standards for two chemicals that are found in the public water supply and have been linked to various health concerns.
DEP has accepted the recommended drinking water standard of 14 parts per trillion for PFOA and 13 parts per trillion for PFNA by New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute, a panel of the state’s leading drinking water experts.
Over the years, New Jersey’s water companies and have cooperated in testing for chemicals such as PFOA and PFNA, which are classified as contaminants of emerging concern but are not regulated by maximum contaminant levels (MCL).
These systems have taken a variety of actions to address the contamination, including installing treatment systems, increasing monitoring and taking wells out of service.
A study conducted by the DEP in 2006 found PFOA present at very low levels in a majority of the public water systems that were tested.
New Jersey was the first state to conduct such a statewide study and it resulted in the DEP setting a guidance level for water systems to follow.
This expanded into broader statewide DEP investigations of PFOA, PFNA and related chemicals in water supplies.
The company has installed point of entry treatment systems on dozens of impacted off-site private wells in the area.
Various types of PFASs, including PFOA, have also been used in foams used for firefighting and training, particularly in specialized firefighting foams at airports and military bases.
DEP and Drinking Water Quality Institute are developing a health-based standard for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), another of the chemicals found frequently in these foams.