Toxic chemicals used to fight fires and found in a wide range of household and industrial goods for decades have ended up in drinking water across the state. Virginia health and environmental agencies have only begun to measure the scope of the problem. How worried should we be?
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits in drinking water for six PFAS compounds, including GEN-X. If the new EPA rules go into effect, all water systems in Virginia would be required to test for PFAS, and might be required to reduce contamination in their water.
Traditionally, conservation and environmental management might be based on stable or historical norms. But with climate change in the mix, scientists are pooling information as they work toward making forecasts that will help people respond to environmental threats before they happen.