The number of PFAS-contaminated sites in Illinois continues to grow. Combined with detectable concentrations of PFAS in drinking water far above the federal screening level, state regulatory professionals and legislators are facing the reality that Illinois has a significant PFAS problem. The toxic compounds have been detected in water systems and groundwater  throughout the state, including sites in Bloomington, Chicago, Galesburg, Peoria and the Quad Cities area. PFAS has also been detected in the groundwater at Scott Air Force Base, Chanute Air Force Base, Naval Station Great Lakes, and the Rock Island Arsenal.

As part of a response effort to regulate PFAS, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has proposed draft amendments to the Class I and Class II groundwater standards, which now include standards for PFAS. Specifically, the standards were set for five PFAS chemicals:

• Perfluorobutane Sulfonic Acid (PFBS) 0.14 mg/l

• Perfluorohexane Sulfonic Acid (PFHxS) 0.00014 mg/l

• Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA) 0.000021mg/l

• Perfluoroctanoic Acid (PFOA) 0.000021mg/l

• Perfluorooctance Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) 0.000014 mg/l

The groundwater standards are currently in the review stage. The IEPA public hearings and comments will be incorporated into a formal rule proposal, expected this year. In addition to the new proposed groundwater standards, the Illinois Senate introduced the PFAS Reduction Act to ban the use Class B firefighting foam that contains PFAS. This is a pending bill in the Illinois Senate.

In 2019, Illinois joined with 22 other states urging Congress to address the public health threat associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Early in 2020, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), which regulates community water supplies (e.g., municipalities, privately owned utilities, etc.).

Merit Laboratories is a leading national PFAS environmental laboratory, analyzing drinking water, soil, wastewater, groundwater, and other sample matrices, including biosolids and sludge. Analytical methods performed by Merit for PFAS include drinking water by EPA 533, EPA 537.1, and EPA 537 rev. 1.1 and soil, wastewater, groundwater, and surface water by ASTM D7979 with Isotopic Dilution.