Lexington water already meets new EPA guidelines on PFAS levels

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its first legally enforceable limits on PFAS or ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. What does this mean for the water in Lexington? 

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widely-used synthetic chemicals that do not break down in the environment for a long time and accumulate in our bodies. Almost all people in the U.S. have these substances present in their blood. According to the EPA, PFAS chemicals have been connected to cancers and other health problems. 

The agency has established a timeline for public water suppliers to monitor for 6 different PFAS (5 individual PFAS and others deemed hazardous when mixed), then develop appropriate infrastructure to keep these chemicals at or below the new federal standards. Water suppliers have to assess and monitor PFAS presence by 2027, and implement the new infrastructure to ensure clean drinking water by 2029. 

Massachusetts is ahead of the game. In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) issued its own limits on PFAS. These levels are not as “stringent,” as the EPA’s 2024 rule according to MassDEP’s website, and MassDEP acknowledges these levels will need to be revised downward.

So what does this mean for Lexington? 

Lexington gets its water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and distributes it to its public water supply. The sources of Lexington’s public water supply are the Quabbin and Wachusetts Reservoirs. 

According to the most recent MWRA tests of water supplied to MetroBoston, including Lexington, as of October 2023, there were “trace” amounts of some of the PFAS that are tested for and no detectable amount for others. Trace amounts are defined as “below the minimum concentration that can be reported as a quantified value,” according to this report.

“That’s not zero” but it’s good, says Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Ph.D., the chair of Lexington’s Board of Health and a professor at Boston University who studies risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. The EPA’s actual goal for two PFAS is zero, but its Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is 4 parts per trillion. Heiger-Bernays says the 4 parts per trillion MCL for those two PFAS is not a “health based” number, but rather one that labs across the country are capable of testing for.

Testing for six of these “forever chemicals” is a good start, but as Heiger-Bernays points out, there are over 13,000 different PFAS, many of which labs don’t have the ability to measure. These chemicals make their way into the water supply through products most of us use every day. Heiger-Bernays said if you look around your home, most textiles, non-stick cookware and even medicines are made with PFAS, or coated with them to promote stain- or water resistance. They’re even in “implanted medical devices,” Heiger-Bernays says. And some that are now being targeted by these latest standards are themselves substitutes for original PFAS. 

David Andrews, Deputy Director, Investigations, and a senior scientist at Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group (EWG) says that though the new rules are a step in the right direction, there still is reason for concern. He notes, “PFAS contamination is incredibly widespread across the country and the world, and directly testing the drinking water is the best way to verify if contamination is present even for systems or wells that may be less likely to have contamination.” 

PFAS accumulates slowly, so the MWRA tests the levels annually. The levels won’t change much year to year according to the Board of Health’s Heiger-Bernays (barring a catastrophic event like a rollover of a tractor trailer full of PFAS). 

For its part, the Town of Lexington’s role is that of distributor of water from the MWRA, says David Pavlik, Water and Sewer Superintendent for the Town of Lexington. However, Pavlik says the Town does have “checks and balances” on the “distribution and compliance side.” For example, David Pinsonneault, Director of Public Works says the Town of Lexington still looks for any changes in MWRA test results.

Long-term action plan

Some may wonder why wastewater treatment plants can’t simply remove these ‘forever chemicals.’ “Can a wastewater plant process and get all of it out? No,” says Stephen Estes-Smargiassi, Director of Planning and Sustainability at MWRA. “It would be much better to not have these substances being used in industry and our homes, and then ending up in wastewater and the environment.”

To ensure the quality of the water supply, MWRA’s Estes-Smargiassi says, “Our strategy is source protection, as it is better to keep out pollutants, rather than having to try to remove them after the water is already polluted.” 

Getting PFAS out of the environment altogether

The EPA’s rule on PFAS6 in water systems is only the first step. Heiger-Bernays says banning PFAS chemicals more broadly is in the hands of state legislatures and the EPA.

None of the sources for this article recommended filtering water here in Lexington, but all agreed if it’s a preference, people certainly can, whether using a counter top pitcher, such as Brita, or in-home filtration systems. 

Despite all these issues, “The new drinking water regulations are an incredible win for public health and these rules will improve drinking water quality across the country,” Environmental Working Group’s Andrews says.

When asked about whether she would drink public water at the tap in Lexington, Heiger-Bernays, says “absolutely.”