Clean Water Current

EPA finalized its toxicity assessment for GenX chemicals - the notorious short chain PFAS chemicals industry used to replace the related longer-chain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – on October 25.  The assessment contains hazardous identification, dose-response information, and toxicity values (known as oral reference doses) for chronic and subchronic exposures to GenX chemicals.

EPA’s findings indicate that GenX is more toxic than any of the four already assessed PFAS constituents (see the chart comparison below). This assessment is the result of three years of EPA study of GenX chemicals. 

 

In EPA’s Strategic Roadmap for PFAS, published October 18, the Agency signaled its intent to publish health advisories for GenX this coming spring. Health advisories are non-regulatory and non-enforceable advisories that define a level of drinking water concentration at or below where a lifetime exposure is not anticipated to lead to adverse health effects.

EPA previously set health advisories for PFOA and PFOS combined at 70 parts per trillion. The Agency will use this new toxicity assessment (and the one it developed for PFBS earlier this year) to inform the GenX health advisory.

If members have questions on this toxicity assessment or how it relates to EPA’s short and long-term strategies, please contact Emily Remmel, NACWA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs.