Science Advisory Board Recommends GenX Health Goal of 140 Parts Per Trillion
This week the Science Advisory Board (SAB) released its final draft report* on its review of the provisional health goal for GenX set by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) in 2017. The SAB recommended adoption of the provisional health goal of 140 parts per trillion (ppt).
The report, as written and approved, does not immediately affect CFPUA operations as levels of GenX in finished water from the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant have been below 140 ppt for over one year.
The report reviewed the literature and procedure used by NCDHHS to calculate the provisional health goal. The report also details meetings of the SAB over the past year and discusses studies conducted on the impacts of GenX on public health, the environment, and marine life.
After a thorough review, the authors recommend adopting the provisional health goal of 140 ppt and reviewing it in three years after ongoing studies have been completed. Should the EPA complete its toxicity study on GenX before this time, the authors also recommend reviewing the health goal again in light of that information.
Levels of GenX in finished water from the Sweeney Plant have been below 140 ppt only due to source control efforts by North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ). Should NCDEQ no longer require source control measures at the Fayetteville Works site, however, our ability to ensure levels remain below 140 ppt would be limited because the Plant is currently unable to remove the compound.
The recent report, in addition to the fact that utilities in our area are unable to treat for these compounds, underscores the importance of ongoing source control into the future, preferably through the creation of surface water and groundwater standards for dischargers to the River and Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for public water providers like CFPUA. GenX is just one kind of per-fluorinated compound and is only one of several with health goals or advisories associated with them. Efforts must be made to learn more about other compounds that have been detected to ensure public health is protected and exposure is reduced.
* Note: This is the version of the report that was distributed and reviewed during the Aug. 20 meeting. Changes proposed during the meeting are being incorporated into the document. Once that work is complete, the revised report will be posted to the website as part of the upcoming public comment period. (https://deq.nc.gov)
Most Recent Results for GenX Sampling at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant
CFPUA has received GenX results for July 18, 2018, and July 23, 2018, for the finished water at Sweeney Water Treatment Plant. Levels of the compound continue to be below the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services health goal of 140 parts per trillion.
Most recent test results for per-fluorinated compounds
