The Hawaii Department of Health this month updated its soil and groundwater environmental action levels (EALs) for screening PFAS-contaminated sites. Among the updates are a reduction of tap water and soil direct exposure and leaching action levels for PFBS, based on a U.S. EPA-revised oral reference dose toxicity factor, as well as some minor editorial and action level changes for several PFAS. Hawaii regularly updates its PFAS guidance webpage, which includes details on the EALs, a PFAS Surfer (Excel electronic lookup table), and recent webinars describing the guidance. The state plans to develop a work plan for a field study, to start in June, of PFAS in wastewater treatment plant influent, effluent, and biosolids, as well as work with other state regulators on better laboratory tests to assess PFAS leachate moving from soil to groundwater.
Overall, Hawaii regulates 18 PFAS in drinking water, groundwater, surface water, and soil. This information was incorporated yesterday into the ECOS white paper on state processes and considerations for setting PFAS standards, which was originally published in February 2020 and updated in early March 2021. The white paper now details PFAS guidelines for 30 states.
