In Brief: Colorado sampling reveals dangerous chemicals in groundwater, streams as environmentalists protest use of “outdated” standards

Less than a week after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced the results from testing the state’s water sources for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the so-called “forever chemicals,” environmental groups expressed concerns regarding the widespread presence of the toxins. A coalition of pro-environment organizations also criticized the state’s report for using “dangerously out of date” guidelines for public health.

The sampling found four groundwater sources where PFAS measured above 70 parts per trillion (ppt), which is the limit established as a health guideline in 2016 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The groups claimed that Vermont has made 20 ppt its limit for tolerable PFAS toxicity, and Massachusetts is considering the same. If 20 ppt had been used in Colorado’s tests, they claim that 10 locations would have treated drinking water above that limit. Those locations include Frisco, Brighton, Golden, Evergreen, Florissant, Guffey, Boulder, Bailey, and Keenesburg.

Read more in this article from CBS4 Denver.

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