Read the full article by Natasha Blakely (Great Lakes Now)

“PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body.

The chemicals are used in waterproof fabrics, nonstick cookware, food packaging and more. They’ve also been found in sources of water around the U.S.

An interactive map of PFAS sites across the U.S. from the Environmental Working Group and Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University is available online HERE.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a health advisory levels set for PFOA and PFOS. While the agency works on developing other regulations and remediation options for PFAS, individual states have been taking action and developing their own drinking water standards for PFAS.

Illinois

Actions:

As of March 18, 2020, there is no Illinois state government page for PFAS. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency did not respond to Great Lakes Now’s requests for interviews about state policy.

A bill—the PFAS Reduction Act—is pending in the Illinois Senate. The bill would ban PFAS-containing firefighting foam and food packaging containing PFAS and require a survey of fire departments.

Standards:

The IEPA released a set of proposed PFAS groundwater standards in January that are currently being reviewed.

Indiana

Actions:

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has a webpage on PFAS.

Sampling at military locations around the state has not turned up concerning results, according to the website.

Also according to the website, IDEM will also be partnering with the Ohio River Sanitation Commission, which will sample the Ohio River to determine background levels of these contaminants in the river.

Standards:

IDEM has published screening levels for three PFAS compounds—perfluorobutane sulfonic acid, perfluorobutanesulfonate and potassium perfluorobutane sulfonate—listed in Table A-6 of its screening levels guide. The screening levels cover levels for residential soil exposure and residential tap water.

According to the IDEM website, ‘IDEM’s current policy calls for publication of PFAS screening levels following U.S. EPA publication of the same. In 2019, the U.S. EPA provided recommendations on interim cleanup recommendations to address groundwater contaminated with PFOA and/or PFOS and sought public comment on these recommendations in the summer of 2019; they are moving forward with the development of enforceable levels for PFOA and PFOS.’

‘IDEM is also monitoring the U.S. EPA’s progress as they evaluate regulatory standards for additional PFAS,’ Barry Sneed, IDEM’s public information officer, said in an email statement to Great Lakes Now.

Where to get local PFAS News:

Indiana Environmental Reporter

Michigan

Actions:

The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team was created as a temporary entity in 2017. It was then established in February 2019 as an enduring advisory body by an executive order from the governor to coordinate research on, response to, communication on, mitigation of and mediate inter-agency cooperation relating to PFAS.

MPART has a weekly newsletter with updates and press releases that anyone can subscribe to online…”