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The Connecticut Interagency PFAS Task Force (“Task Force”) issued a November 1st document addressing PFAS titled:
PFAS Action Plan (“Plan”)
The Task Force was led by the Connecticut Department of Health and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
PFAS have been used in various industrial applications and consumer products such as:
- Fabrics for furniture
- Paper packaging for food and other materials resistant to water, grease or stains
- Firefighting at airfields
- Utilization in several industrial processes
PFAS properties include resistance to heat, water, and oil. Further, they are described as persistent in the environment and resist degradation.
Several states have initiated rulemaking or issued guidance to establish ambient groundwater standards and federal legislation has been introduced to designate PFAS as a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act hazardous substance.
Connecticut’s Governor established the Task Force on July 8, 2019 to address chemicals denominated as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (i.e., PFAS). The Task Force had been asked to prepare a comprehensive State strategy to:
- Minimize environmental exposure to PFAS for Connecticut residents,
- Minimize future releases of PFAS to the environment, and
- Identify, assess, and clean up historical releases of PFAS to the environment.
The recommendations in the Plan include:
- Testing public drinking water through a phased approach that prioritizes drinking water sources most vulnerable to PFAS pollution or that serve vulnerable populations, and communicating and educating public water systems customers and stakeholders;
- Working to develop a Safe Drinking Water Advisory Council to advise the commissioner of Department of Public Health on potentially setting a maximum contaminant level for PFAS;
- Identifying and evaluating other sources of human exposure to PFAS including fish, shellfish and agricultural products;
- Minimizing occupational exposure to PFAS by identifying workplaces where these chemicals may be used or manufactured and helping employers implement strategies to control exposure;
- Identifying the operations, processes, and consumer products that may be sources of PFAS contamination and establish standards and discharge limits for PFAS in air and water;
- Establishing PFAS cleanup standards for soil, groundwater, surface water and aquatic life and continue to use existing statutory authority to investigate and cleanup PFAS releases;
- Developing an interagency geographic information system (GIS) database that identifies the universe of potential sources of PFAS pollution and the populations that may be most vulnerable to exposure; and
- Establishing a public outreach team to enhance communication with affected communities and other stakeholders.
A copy of the Task Force Plan can be downloaded here.
