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The cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia filed suit on November 3rd, against multiple manufactures of PFAS. The cities of Baltimore and Philadelphia join more than 100 other public entities nationwide in bringing litigation that seeks to hold the makers and industrial users of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS accountable for the cost of remediating contaminated drinking water.
Tests of Baltimore treated drinking water performed in 2021 found a combined concentration of 4.93 parts per trillion of two PFAS compounds, PFOS and PFOA, according to the city’s Department of Public Works.
Currently there is no federal limit on PFAS in water; however, the EPA proposed new lifetime health advisories for PFOA and PFOS, along with two other PFAS, indicating that essentially any detectable levels of those two compounds pose unacceptable risks to the public. In addition, the EPA is looking to propose nationwide drinking water limits on PFOA and PFOS at the end of 2022.