Environmental Industry Updates
The Latest News on Scientific and Regulatory Updates from Merit Laboratories
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) has published a new sampling guidance document for leachate samples. MPART’s Leachate PFAS Sampling Guidance document covers the processes, decontamination procedures, and acceptable materials for sampling landfill leachate for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The U.S. EPA is moving forward on the required next step in regulating PFAS in drinking water by issuing final regulatory determinations. After receiving more than 10,000 public comments, the EPA made the announcement on January 19, 2021, that they would follow the rulemaking processes required by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Updated cleanup standards were announced by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). For groundwater used as drinking water, EGLE has included five additional PFAS compounds to Part 201, making the total number of PFAS regulated in groundwater to seven compounds. Effective December 21, 2020, the compounds PFNA, PFHxS, PFHxA, PFBS, and HFPO-DA
Merit Laboratories recognizes organizational leaders in PFAS science, which includes The Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC). The ITRC is a state-led coalition working to reduce barriers to the use of innovative air, water, waste, and remediation environmental technologies and processes.
Merit Laboratories is now certified for PFAS through the DoD Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (DoD ELAP). As a result, Merit Laboratories has expanded the list of analytical methods, compounds, and sample matrices for which it is accredited through the DoD ELAP, including the DoD’s PFAS method
In what surely will impact environmental regulatory programs across the United States, the EPA is actively prioritizing PFAS in the environment and has taken two recent actions to continue to address contamination. The EPA has issued a memo detailing an interim National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permitting strategy for PFAS.
To support PFAS investigations, monitoring, and scientific studies, Merit Laboratories has expanded its list of available PFAS compounds for environmental laboratory testing. Merit now provides analytical testing for 46 PFAS compounds by LC/MS/MS with isotopic dilution. Results were validated by the laboratory in an October 2020 Method Detection Limit (MDL) study.
The first-ever Great Lakes PFAS Summit has gone virtual. The event will bring together scientists, government officials, regulators, academic researchers, industry, and community organizations on all topics PFAS. The virtual summit is now scheduled for a five-day event, set for October 26th - 30th, 2020.
Significant levels of PFAS have been detected in the blood of Michigan residents in one state county. The results are summarized in the initial report just released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) as part of the PFAS Exposure Study Assessment. This exposure assessment measured serum concentrations of 30 PFAS among a sample of residents in the northern part of Kent County area that previously had validated detectable PFAS levels in their private drinking water.
