Understanding PFAS

PFAS refers to a group of man-made chemicals. They are widely used in commercial and consumer products such as food packaging, water- and stain-repellent fabrics, nonstick products and firefighting foams. They are also commonly used in industrial processes and manufacturing. Because of their widespread use, these compounds are present in household and industrial waste, air emissions and wastewater discharges.

PFAS are often called "forever chemicals" because they don't break down in the environment and can build up, or bioaccumulate, in humans and animals.

Most Americans have been exposed to PFAS. Scientists have identified ingestion through drinking water as the primary pathway for PFAS exposure in humans. Most standard municipal drinking water treatment systems are not built to filter out PFAS and until recently, testing labs were not able to detect them at lower levels.

Some PFAS can accumulate in the human body. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS have been linked to reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women; developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes; increased risk of some cancers; reduced ability of the body's immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response; interference with the body's natural hormones; and increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.

EPA PFAS Fact Sheets for Communities

DEQ has been working with public water systems to prepare for the proposed regulation and assess PFAS levels in drinking water systems across the state. Under the DEQ Action Strategy for PFAS, DEQ is taking a whole-of-department approach to protect communities by identifying, reducing, and remediating PFAS pollution. DEQ is also utilizing federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help address PFAS contamination, including funding designated specifically for small, rural, and underserved communities.

Some public water systems in North Carolina are currently monitoring for PFAS voluntarily. In late 2022, DEQ performed three months of sampling at 50 municipal and county water systems identified in the 2019 PFAST Network study with PFOA/PFOS detections above the minimum reporting level indicated by the 2022 EPA interim health advisories. Those results have been provided to the water systems and are available here.

View DEQ Public Water System Sampling

DEQ is also implementing plans to sample hundreds of smaller water systems to better assess the levels of PFAS on a statewide basis. DEQ recommends that public water systems share their PFAS results with customers.

Beyond public water systems, DEQ has taken a number of actions to better identify PFAS sources and reduce emissions and discharges:

Requiring PFAS information from new facilities and industries;

Developing permit conditions as appropriate throughout the state; 

Identifying and prioritizing locations where these substances may have been manufactured, used, discharged or disposed for additional assessment; 

Adding permit conditions as appropriate to address PFAS air emissions or wastewater discharges and require disclosure of data and additional monitoring; 

Conducting groundwater testing and additional monitoring in areas with known PFAS contamination; 

Requiring all solid waste sanitary landfills to include PFAS analyses of all regular groundwater, surface water and leachate samples (letter distributed March 13, 2023);   

DEQ continues to gather data to support setting regulatory standards and to provide technical assistance to facilities to reduce future PFAS pollution.  

On March 14, 2023, U.S. EPA announced the proposed regulation of six PFAS compounds for public water systems:

EPA is accepting public comment on the proposed regulation and will hold a public hearing on May 4, 2023. More information on the EPA announcement, a Fact Sheet, and how to provide comment is available here.

PFOA and PFOS are two of the most widely used and studied chemicals in the PFAS group. They have largely been replaced in the U.S. by other PFAS, but they persist in the environment.

On March 14, 2023, EPA announced a proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFOA and PFOS. This proposed rule would set a Maximum Contaminant Level, or MCL, for all public water systems at 4 parts per trillion, a level that can be reliably measured by most labs. MCLs are enforceable, regulatory levels.

Once the rule is final, public water systems would have 3 years to meet those levels.

EPA Questions & Answers

If you are a customer of a public water system, contact your water provider to find out whether they have sampled for PFAS and what steps they are taking to address PFAS. Some systems are voluntarily monitoring for PFAS. DEQ has also sampled 50 water systems and will continue to test systems to assess the impacts of PFAS across the state.

View DEQ PFAS Sampling of Public Water Systems

If you have a private well, consider having your water sampled by a certified lab. In most cases, private well owners are responsible for well sampling. The NC DHHS Filtration Options and Sampling Factsheet includes information on how to have your well sampled.

Note: if you are a resident of the Cape Fear River Basin, you may be eligible for well testing related to GenX contamination and other PFAS chemicals attributed to the Chemours facility. Please see the links below for more information:

Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, or Sampson counties

Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, or Pender counties

The first step is finding out the PFAS levels in your drinking water.

If you are concerned about the level of PFAS in your drinking water, whether you are on a well or public water, you may consider adding filtration to reduce the amount of PFAS you consume. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has developed a list of options, from whole house or under sink systems to pitcher of fridge filters with information on their effectiveness.

NC DHHS Filtration Options and Sampling Factsheet

At this time, EPA is not recommending bottled water for communities based solely on concentrations of PFAS in drinking water that exceed the health advisory levels. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not established standards for PFAS in bottled water.

On March 14, 2023, U.S. EPA announced the proposed national regulation of six PFAS compounds for public water systems:

For two PFAS compounds, GenX and PFBS, EPA has issued lifetime drinking water health advisory levels. Health Advisories serve as guidelines but are not enforceable, regulatory levels.

For many PFAS compounds, there is not enough information yet to develop health advisories or regulatory limits.

EPA Questions & Answers

These limits apply to public drinking water systems, but private well users can use the proposed MCLs as a decision-making tool on whether to reduce exposure by adding filtration or seeking public water connections where available.

Scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to:

Human studies have found associations between PFOA and/or PFOS exposure and effects on the immune system, the cardiovascular system, human development (e.g., decreased birth weight), and cancer.

If you are concerned about specific issues with your health, talk with your health care provider. Information about PFAS health effects for health care providers is available from NCDHHS and from the CDC's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

NCDHHS Clinician memo

NC DHHS PFAS Information Site

NC DHHS GenX and PFAS in Cape Fear River Basin

EPA PFAS Analytical Tool: https://echo.epa.gov/trends/pfas-tools contains location-specific information related to PFAS manufacture, release, and occurrence in the environment as well as facilities potentially handling PFAS.

EPA PFAS Information

EPA PFAS Explained

NC DHHS PFAS factsheet (updated July 2022)

NC DHHS GenX fact sheet (updated July 2022)

FAS Water Testing and Filtration Resources factsheet (NC DHHS)

PFAS Clinician Memo: Guidance from NC DHHS for clinicians working with patients exposed to PFAS chemicals

If you are a resident of the Cape Fear River Basin, you may be eligible for well testing related to contamination from GenX and other PFAS chemicals attributed to the Chemours facility. Please see the links below for more information:

DEQ is taking a whole-of-department approach to protect communities by identifying, reducing, and remediating PFAS pollution.

Read the DEQ Action Strategy for PFAS