The US Environmental Protection Agency releases Initial Nationwide Monitoring data on 29 PFAS and lithium

On August 17, 2023, the first set of data collected under the fifth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 5) was released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As part of the most recent effort to implement EPA's PFAS Strategic Roadmap, UCMR 5 will provide new data that will improve EPA's understanding of the prevalence of 29 per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) and lithium in the United States drinking water systems. The Agency will use the lithium and PFAS monitoring data to make decisions about how best to implement the public health protection measures of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in the future. The Administration is committed to stopping PFAS pollution and protecting drinking water for all people. 

Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule  

The UCMR 5 data will help EPA make better science-based decisions and help EPA find out how much of these 29 PFAs and lithium people are being exposed to at the national level, and whether they are disproportionately affecting people with environmental justice issues.  The first batch of data represents about 7% of the total results EPA expects to get over the next 3 years. 

The Agency will make the results available to the public on a quarterly basis in  EPA’s National Contaminant Occurrence Database (NCOD) until the data reporting ends in 2026. EPA continues to look for new ways to measure these and other contaminants and at lower levels. 

PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals’, pose significant risks to public health. The EPA is implementing an extensive monitoring program to address these harmful chemicals, monitoring them in all large and medium-sized public water systems in the United States. 

EPA has proposed regulations in March 2023 to limit the presence of certain PFAS in drinking water, which would allow public water systems to use UCMR 5 findings to meet their initial monitoring obligations and alert communities to potential remedial actions. EPA has established Health Advisories for four of the PFASs included in UCMR 5. The science behind the potential health effects of a variety of PFASs, including many of those tested under this program, is still being developed by EPA. 

Safe Drinking Water Act 

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires EPA to monitor for priority contaminants every five years. Priority contaminants are those that may be present in drinking water but are not yet subject to EPA drinking water regulations. EPA uses the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) to provide the Agency and other interested parties with nationally representative information on the presence of contaminants in drinking water. This data includes the magnitude of potential exposure to the public as well as estimates of exposure levels. These data can support forthcoming regulatory decisions, the development of National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs), and other measures to protect human health.