How the EPA's new PFAS rules differ from Mass.'s current 'forever chemical' regulations

This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox,, the “forever chemicals” often found in drinking water. Every municipal water system in the country will be required to test for — and limit — five PFAS chemicals within the next five years, according toHow are the new rules different from Mass.’s current rules? For starters, they’re a little stricter.

What’s the plan for making the change? Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Ed Coletta said in a statement the state will readjust its PFAS standards “at least as stringent as the new federal regulatory level,” and complete the regulatory process within three years. But Jennifer Peterson, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Works Association, told Barb it will be costly.

Zoom in: All public water systems in Massachusetts have been tested for six PFAS compounds, and 170 water systems had at least one source over the state limit as of 2023. Since then, almost all systems have found ways to address PFAS in drinking water under the current limits — but it came at a cost.. But basically, they’re chemicals that don’t degrade easily, meaning they stick around in your body and the environment for atime.

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