“PORTSMOUTH — The Environmental Protection Agency may consider treating PFAS chemicals as a ‘class of compounds,’ rather than as individual contaminants.
EPA Region 1 Administrator Alexandra Dunn raised the idea during an editorial board meeting Monday afternoon with Seacoast Media Group.
She stated that if the EPA addresses each PFAS chemicals individually ‘we could put ourselves on a treadmill of never really catching up with the science.’
‘This is where the conversation may come around to regulating these chemicals as a class of compounds,’ Dunn said.
Dunn added ‘that might be a way to go here. … That’s certainly something EPA may evaluate. What I’ve heard is it’s not as easy as it sounds.’
Jim Murphy, the community involvement coordinator for EPA Region 1, pointed to the way the agency regulates PCBs as an example.
Dunn cautioned even if there are similarities between PFAs compounds and their health effects, there still could be different degrees of toxicity for each chemical.
Dunn noted that “Massachusetts has just finalized an approach where they are adding together five PFAS compounds” and giving them one health advisory level.
She called it a ‘precautionary approach.’ ”
Read the full article by Jeff McMenemy