Pew Urges EPA to Expand List of Drinking Water Contaminants for Study, Possible Regulation

On June 5, The Pew Charitable Trusts provided comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the sixth draft of its Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), which identifies known and anticipated contaminants in public water systems that may require future regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Pew’s letter expressed support for the EPA’s inclusion of chemicals and other contaminants with endocrine-disrupting effects, including microplastics, as well as a group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” But the letter also recommended expanding the list to include more bisphenols and nanoplastics, and to broaden the definition of PFAS to cover additional harmful subtypes—particularly trifluoroacetate, more commonly known as TFA—that are increasingly found in drinking water and environmental samples.

Pew urged the EPA to quickly finalize the CCL 6 and commit the resources necessary to gaining a full understanding of the presence and potential health effects of the listed contaminants.