Everything You Need to Know about EPA’s New Health Advisories for PFOA, PFOS

By Ashley Campbell & Seth Mansergh

The EPA recently announced new health advisories for the two most commonly found forms of PFAS, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), to 0.004 parts per trillion (ppt) and 0.02 ppt, respectively.

Reductions in these levels had been expected since October 2021, when the U.S. EPA, as part of its announced plans for a PFAS strategic roadmap, indicated that the health advisory of 70 ppt for PFOA and PFOS—first set in 2016—would be reduced, potentially by thousands of times. So, while it’s not entirely surprising that the new advisories cut the safe level of PFOA by more than 17,000 times, this news has prompted several questions from water suppliers and their customers.