PFAS Regulations, Drinking Water MCLs, and What Comes Next with Eurofins Taryn McKnight

The U.S. drinking water MCLs for PFAS remain in effect, but court challenges, proposed deadline extensions, and regulatory uncertainty have left public water systems in a difficult position. Taryn McKnight, VP and PFAS Practice Leader for Eurofins Environment Testing, breaks down the current state of PFAS regulation in the United States, including the legal battles over EPA's drinking water standards, the CERCLA hazardous substance designation, and why the proposed rollback of certain PFAS compounds may be less consequential than headlines suggest.Recorded at the Battelle Chlorinated Conference in Dallas-Fort Worth, McKnight and host Sean Grady examine why utilities are caught between monitoring requirements and investment decisions, how biosolids have emerged as a primary concern for state agencies, and what the UCMR5 occurrence data actually shows about which compounds warranted a national primary drinking water regulation. They also discuss the passive receiver problem under CERCLA, congressional efforts to address it, and why legislation has stalled year after year.The conversation also covers the growing public interest in biomonitoring, Eurofins' direct-to-consumer blood testing kits for PFAS exposure, the role of citizen science in building population-level data, and what it would take for microplastics to move from EPA's Contaminant Candidate List to a monitored contaminant under UCMR6.Learn more about Eurofins Environment Testing's PFAS services at eurofinsus.com/pfas.Visit Sean Grady at seankgrady.com to subscribe to the newsletter and support the show.#PFAS #DrinkingWaterRegulation #EnvironmentalPodcastCHAPTERS:0:00 Introduction and Conference Setting2:02 Status of PFAS Drinking Water Regulations4:10 EPA's Proposal to Extend the 2029 Compliance Deadline5:45 Safe Drinking Water Act No-Backsliding Provision7:10 UCMR5 Data and the Case for Rescinding Four Compounds9:20 Biosolids and Wastewater as State-Level Priorities11:05 State Responses to PFAS Regulation12:15 CERCLA Hazardous Substance Designation Challenges13:45 Passive Receivers and Congressional Action17:30 Sponsor Messages20:05 Biomonitoring and Public Awareness of PFAS21:40 Eurofins Blood Testing Kits and Citizen Science22:50 PFAS and the Evolution of Laboratory Testing26:10 Robert Bilott, Dark Waters, and Advocacy Impact30:45 Battelle Conference and What Comes Next31:20 Microplastics, CCL6, and the Path to UCMR634:20 Closing Thoughts and How to Reach EurofinsThanks to our Sponsors: Cascade Environmental, E-Tank, and WASTELINQ