The analysis of PFAS by EPA 1633A and ASTM D8421 is part of the U.S. EPA’s Methods Update Rule (MUR) Rule 22. The action will promulgate EPA into 40 CFR Part 136. Also part of this action, PFAS method ASTM D8421 is proposed to be codified.
Merit Laboratories will be attending the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Federal Small Business Conference in Dallas, Texas. SAME’s SBC is scheduled for November 20-22, 2019. The SBC for the A/E/C industry brings together federal agencies and businesses servicing the federal marketplace. More than 3,500 attendees are expected to participate in the event, including 350 exhibitors.
The State of Michigan strengthened its lead and copper rules for drinking water in June 2018, making it the strictest in the United States. As a result, sample collection methodology underwent some significant changes that must be adhered to by Community and Non-Community Water Supplies for lead and copper in drinking water.
Four new compounds have been added to the State of Michigan’s minimum laboratory PFAS analyte list, bringing the total to 28. The list is maintained by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) for the testing of drinking water, groundwater, surface water, wastewater, soil, and landfill leachate.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is the recipient of a $1-million grant to investigate the relationship between drinking water contaminated with PFAS and health outcomes. The grant was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) formally recommended to move forward with establishing draft maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for PFAS compounds in drinking water. The recommendation was made by unanimous vote by MPART’s board on September 27, 2019 in Lansing. The MPART board is recommending the following health-based MCLs for seven PFAS compounds.
As the nation’s PFAS contamination problem continues to grow, a report recently released by the Environmental Working Group states that PFAS manufacturers have known about the risks associated with these chemicals for more than 60 years. The report documents studies and internal memos with a timeline that begins in 1950. PFAS manufacturers 3M and DuPont are the focus of the report.
The Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) has released its report detailing a massive state-wide PFAS drinking water sampling program that began in April 2018. The report, PFAS Sampling of Drinking Water Supplies, presents findings of EGLE’s sampling efforts from more than 1,700 facilities.
Groundwater contaminated with PFAS in Marinette, Wisconsin is slated for environmental remediation. Marinette, a small town located in northeastern Wisconsin, is home to the headquarters of the Tyco Fire Products unit of Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI). According to the Wisconsin DNR, the Marinette PFAS remediation will be the most expensive PFAS cleanup in the state. Some estimates place the cleanup effort at more than $140-million.
Moving Michigan forward on PFAS drinking water regulations, the Science Advisory Workgroup recently provided its health-based values to the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART). These PFAS health-based values will be used by the State of Michigan to develop regulatory drinking water standards.
Because soil can potentially contain harmful bacteria, plant viruses, fungi, nematodes, and other propagules, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates the importation of soil for both domestic regulated and foreign soil. These regulations are put in place to protect agriculture and natural resources from the introduction of destructive plant and animal diseases.
