Forever Chemicals (PFAS)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that includes PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe, including in the United States since the 1940s. PFOA and PFOS have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. Both chemicals are very persistent in the environment and in the human body—meaning they don’t break down and they can accumulate over time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has identified the following health effects as potential outcomes from exposure to PFAS: Changes in cholesterol and liver enzyme levels. Small changes in infant birth weight. Changes in the immune system and response to certain vaccines.

Drinking water can be a source of exposure in communities where these chemicals have contaminated water supplies. Such contaminations are typically localized and associated with a specific facility. For example, an industrial facility where PFAS were produced or locations where sludge may have been spread on fields. PFOA, PFOS, and GenX have been found in several drinking water systems due to localized contamination. View the State of Maine’s fact sheet here.

In June 2021, the Maine Legislature established a new interim State drinking water standard of 20 ng/L for the combined sum of six different compounds: PFOA, PFOS, PFHpA, PFNA, PFDA, and PFHxS. For more information about PFAS and the health risks associated with it please visit the State of Maine Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) website.