REQUEST FOR PUBLIC INPUT
ON THE DRAFT INTERIM SPECIFIC GROUND WATER QUALITY CRITERIA AND DRAFT INTERIM PRACTICAL QUANTITATION LEVELS (PQL)
FOR PFOS and PFOA
| THE COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED |
January 17, 2019
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Department) has developed and is requesting public input for draft Interim Specific Ground Water Quality Criteria (ISGWQC) and draft Interim Practical Quantitation Levels (PQLs) for PERFLUOROOCTANE SULFONATE (PFOS; CAS #: 1763-23-1) and PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID (PFOA; CAS #: 335-67-1). The Department is publishing these proposed values and their technical basis and is soliciting public input in the interest of transparency and obtaining additional relevant information.
The following draft documents have been posted to this website for public input:
The public is being asked to supply input for the following focus questions:
Draft Interim Specific Ground Water Quality Criteria:
- Are you aware of additional data or technical information concerning the toxicology, epidemiology, toxicokinetics, or other topics related to health effects of PFOA or PFOS that should be considered in the development of the interim ground water quality criteria?
- Is the supporting document factually accurate, e.g., are the data sources correctly cited; are the calculations correct?
- Are the studies and toxicological endpoints selected for use as the basis for the Reference Doses appropriate?
- Have the key uncertainties in the assessments been identified and appropriately characterized? Have the uncertainty factors been applied appropriately? Are you aware of any additional data that would inform the uncertainties listed in these documents?
Draft Interim Practical Quantitation Levels:
- Are you aware of additional data or technical information concerning analytical methods to detect PFOA and PFOS that would affect the selected draft Interim PQLs?
Regulatory Background: The New Jersey Ground Water Quality Standards (GWQS) rules establish the ground water quality criteria necessary to support the designated uses of the different classifications of ground water in New Jersey. Specific ground water quality criteria for Class II-A ground waters (most of the State's ground waters are classified as II-A ground waters) are listed in Appendix Table 1 of the GWQS. Since Class II-A ground waters have been designated for potable (i.e., drinking water) use, health-based criteria have been developed to protect public health without consideration of analytical feasibility, treatability, and cost. The health-based criteria reflect the most recent toxicological information to ensure adequate protection of the State’s drinking water.
The GWQS rule at N.J.A.C. 7:9C-1.7(c) provides for the establishment of new ground water quality criteria on an interim basis prior to rulemaking for Class II-A constituents that are not listed on Appendix Table 1 of the GWQS rules when sufficient health-based information is available. If the Department determines that insufficient information is available to derive a health-based interim specific criterion, the interim generic ground water quality criteria provided in Appendix Table 2 of the GWQS rules apply, based on the Department's determination of the carcinogenic potential of the chemical. When the health-based interim criterion is not achievable within current analytical methods, the applicable ground water quality standard for the constituent is represented by the analytical practical quantitation level (PQL). Thus, the higher of the interim PQL and the interim criterion is the numerical standard to be applied in Class II-A aquifers (N.J.A.C. 7:9C-1.9(c)), as well as the ground water remediation standard pursuant to the Remediation Standards at N.J.A.C. 7:26D-2.2(a)1.
See this webpage https://www.nj.gov/dep/wms/bears/gwqs.htm for additional information on GWQS.
Comments on the draft ISGWQC and draft PQLs are requested no later than 5 pm, Tuesday February 19, 2019.
PLEASE SUBMIT ALL COMMENTS via email to: Heidi.Oneill@dep.nj.gov
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