The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) developed and released an interactive online dashboard to show Minnesota residents who receive drinking water from a community public water system if their system’s water has any level of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
According to the MDH news release, the results of statewide testing shows the majority of community water systems in the state have either no detections of PFAS or levels below the current state levels.
The testing and dashboard aims to help “communities manage any changes in PFAS occurrence or health risk understanding in the future,” according to the news release.
MDH began a project in 2021 to test for PFAS in community water systems, and this testing and monitoring will be ongoing through 2022, according to the MDH.
Sampling in systems most vulnerable to PFAS contamination is the priority.
“With this new tool, Minnesotans will be able to see for themselves whether PFAS is a concern for the health of their communities and their families,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm in the news release. “Our statewide testing and dashboard are just two examples of how Minnesota continues to be a national leader in providing safe drinking water.”
“MDH conducts robust testing to make sure that drinking water meets state PFAS guidance,” said Sandeep Burman, manager of the Drinking Water Protection Section at MDH in the news release. “PFAS is a topic of increasing national interest, and Minnesota has taken a proactive approach to addressing PFAS in our communities and our environment. PFAS science and standards will undoubtedly continue to evolve at the federal and state level and as we learn more, we will update PFAS guidance and work with systems to be sure that drinking water stays safe. The dashboard will help us and our community partners manage PFAS in drinking water now and into the future.”
According to MDH, it has completed an assessment in 401 of approximately 900 public systems in the state. The 401 systems assessed serve approximately 75% of Minnesotans who get drinking water from these systems, reported MDH.
Approximately two-thirds of the systems tested thus far have shown PFAS present at some level, most at levels below current Minnesota guidance.
Only one system that has completed testing currently exceeds MDH guidance values, reported MDH. About 1% of follow-up testing is expected to have PFAS at levels above current state health guidance values, however.
“Some PFAS are commonly found at low levels in drinking water, but it’s rare to find elevated PFAS in drinking water outside of communities with known contamination sites,” said Jane de Lambert, MDH environmental research scientist in the MDH news release.
