AN ABSTRACT of the CAPSTON PROJECT of Jamie Whitley for The
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
AN ABSTRACT OF THE CAPSTON PROJECT OF Jamie Whitley for the degree of Master of Natural Resources presented on August 21, 2019 Title: Laws, Regulations and Action Plans for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances found in Michigan drinking water supplies. Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ Lynette de Silva Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have emerged in the last half century as concerning global contaminants. PFASs have been found in drinking water systems causing negative health impacts for those who rely on this as their primary source of drinking water. PFASs are man- made industrial chemicals composed of carbon chains bonded to fluorine and other substances and cause detrimental impacts to the environment and human health (TOMWC, 2019c). While PFASs are not a new substance, the adverse effects are just starting to be realized. In response, Michigan is pursuing a leadership role in policy, research, training and clean-up/remediation plans for PFAS contamination with the implementation of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART). The State of Michigan is poised to be one of the first states to enact Maximum Contamination Levels (MCLs) for some of the most impactful PFASs. This capstone project seeks to determine the effectiveness of the current legislation and PFAS Action Plans in protecting Michigan citizens from PFAS contaminated drinking water. A review of the current and proposed federal and Michigan legislation was completed as well as the impacts associated with PFASs exposure which identified the success of current policies with regards to the environment, the ecosystem, human health, the economy and the socio-political scene. Additionally, local Northern Michigan government officials and employees of environmental organizations were surveyed to ascertain their opinions of the effectiveness of MPART, the current regulated PFASs levels and to determine what more can be done to assist local areas with current and future PFAS contamination. Key findings of the literature review and the survey illustrate a need for stricter and more detailed legislation that include nationwide MCLs for individual PFASs, further research on the impacts, with emphasis on human health. In addition, it was found that while it might be too early to determine the effectiveness of MPART, there is evidence that local officials lack the necessary training to adequately administer best practices to help mitigate PFAS contamination. © Copyright by Jamie Whitley August 21, 2019 All rights reserved Laws, Regulations and Action Plans for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances found in Michigan drinking water supplies by Jamie Whitley A CAPSTONE PROJECT submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Natural Resources Presented on August 21, 2019 Master of Natural Resources Capstone of Jamie Whitley presented on Defense Date APPROVED: Lynette de Silva, representing Masters of Natural Resources Janean Creighton, Director of the Department of Natural Resources Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request Jamie Whitley, author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the continued guidance from my Capstone advisor Lynette de Silva. Your input, support and patience has been incredible. I would also like to thank my Committee members, Brent Steel and Kermit Cromack for your support, feedback and willingness to participate on this committee. I would like to acknowledge Grenetta Thomassey. I have learned so much regarding the health and management of the waters within the Great Lakes Basin, specifically in Michigan. I appreciate the guidance and inspiration for this project. My family and friends have been my unwavering support system throughout this entire process. Your patience, understanding and constant encouragement is more than I could have asked for. I know that this program and process would have been nearly impossible to complete without each of you. Thank you for everything that you have done to make this a reality for me. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………… 1 1.1 Statement of the problem…………………………………………………… 1 1.2 Background-Historical Context………………………………………….…. 3 1.3 Regional Context…………………………………………………………… 6 1.4 Purpose of Study…………………………………………………………… 7 1.5 Research Questions………………………………………………………… 8 2 Desktop Literature Review…………………………………………………………... 10 2.1 Important Federal Legislation and Action Plans…………………………… 10 2.2 Important State of Michigan Legislation and Action Plans………………... 12 2.3 Proposed Legislation and Actions Plans…………………………………… 14 2.4 Impacts……………………………………………………………………... 16 2.4.1 Environmental/Physical Impacts………………………………… 16 2.4.2 Ecosystem Impacts………………………………………………. 18 2.4.3 Human Impacts…………………………………………………... 20 2.4.4 Economic Impacts………………………………………………... 23 2.4.5 Socio-Political Impacts…………………………………………… 25 2.5 Knowledge Gaps……………………………………………………………. 27 3 Materials and Methods………………………………………………………………... 28 3.1 Desktop Literature Review…………………………………………………. 28 3.2 Survey………………………………………………………………………. 29 3.2.1 Survey Strategy…………………………………………………… 29 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page 3.2.2 Survey Questions………………………………………………….. 30 4 Results…………………………………………………………………………………. 32 4.1 Desktop Literature Review Results………………………………………..... 32 4.2 Survey Results……………………………………………………………..... 42 4.3 Results Summary………………………………………………………..…... 52 5 Limitations……………………………………………………………………………... 53 6 Discussion and Conclusion……………………………………………………………. 54 6.1 Desktop Literature Review Discussion………………………………………. 54 6.2 Survey Discussion……………………………………………………………. 57 6.3 Next Steps……………………………………………………………………. 60 6.4 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………… 63 7 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….... 64 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………. 72 Appendix A: Acronyms…………………………………………………………. 73 Appendix B: Survey Description and Consent…………………………………. 74 Appendix C: Sample PFASs Water Test Results………………………………. 75 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 1 General Classification of common per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances……….. 1 Figure 2 Exposure routes of PFASs to humans and environment…………………….…. 5 Figure 3 Watersheds within Charlevoix and Emmet Counties……………………….…. 7 Figure 4 Pathways of PFASs into the environment……………………………………... 17 Figure 5 Possible indirect pathways of PFASs entering autotrophic and heterotrophic food webs………………………………………………………………………………. 19 Figure 6 PFASs Cycle and Pathways to Food Sources…………………………………. 21 Figure 7 DoD Groundwater and Known/Suspected Release site testing results for PFOA/PFOS…………………………….…………………………………………... 26 Figure 8 Desktop Literature Review Result 1 Chart 1………………………………… 34 Figure 9 Desktop Literature Review Result 1 Chart 2………………………………… 35 Figure 10 Desktop Literature Review Result 2 Chart………………………………….. 36 Figure 11 Desktop Literature Review Result 2: Location of known PFASs contamination sites………………………………………………….………………… 37 Figure 12 Desktop Literature Review Result 3 Chart………………………………….. 39 Figure 13 Desktop Literature Review Result 4 Flow Chart…………………………… 40 Figure 14 Desktop Literature Review Result 5 Chart…………………………………. 41 Figure 15 Survey Results Question 1………………………………………………….. 44 Figure 16 Survey Results Question 2………………………………………………….. 44 Figure 17 Survey Results Question 5………………………………………………….. 46 Figure 18 Survey Results Question 8………………………………………………….. 48 LIST OF FIGURES (Continued) Figure Page Figure 19 Survey Results Question 10………………………………………………… 49 Figure 20 Survey Results Question 11………………………………………………… 50 LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 1 Types of PFASs found in common items………………………………………. 4 Table 2 Desktop Literature Review Result 1: Summary of Current Federal Regulations and Laws Regarding PFASs…………………………………………….…. 34 Table 3 Desktop Literature Review Result 2: Summary of Current Michigan Regulations and Laws Regarding PFASs…………………………………………….…. 36 Table 4 Desktop Literature Review Result 3: Summary of Proposed Federal and Michigan Regulations and Laws Regarding PFASs……………….………….…… 38 Table 5 Desktop Literature Review Result 5: Michigan Sites with PFOA/PFOS levels above 70 ppt ……………………………………………………………………… 41 Table 6 Survey Results Question 3……………………………………………………… 45 Table 7 Survey Results Question 4……………………………………………………… 45 Table 8 Survey Results Question 6……………………………………………………… 46 Table 9 Survey Results Question 7……………………………………………………… 47 Table 10 Survey Results Question 9……………………………………………………… 48 Table 11 Survey Results Question 12…………………………………………………… 50 Table 12 Survey Results Question 13…………………………………………………… 51 Table 13 Summary of Hypothesis Results………………………………………………. 52 1 1 Introduction 1.1 Statement of the problem Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) consist of a large group of man-made chemicals, used extensively in manufacturing common consumer products. According to the Michigan Environmental Council (MEC), there are more than 3000 different PFAS chemicals divided into two sub-groups: short (<6 carbons) and long-chain (>6 carbons) (MEC, 2018). PFASs are organic molecules that have replaced most or all of the hydrogen in the carbon chain with fluorine. Figure 1 shows the general classification and relationship between subgroups of some common PFASs, including examples of substances that are comprised of these PFASs. Each color corresponds with a separate class of PFASs