In 2018, New Jersey was the first state to establish enforceable standards for per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in drinking water. Despite these standards, there have continued to be cases of high levels of PFAS found in drinking water. 

In January 2024, Governor Murphy signed legislation that would require the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) and the Drinking Water Quality Institute to perform a study concerning PFAS regarding their regulation and treatment. The study would assess feasibility for establishing standards, including contamination levels, for either the entire class of PFAS or specific subclasses or mixtures found in drinking water.  The study will also assess treatment technologies that may effectively remove PFAS from drinking water or wastewater. 

With over 12,000 different PFAS chemicals, understanding PFAS toxicity is a vital step in determining how to best regulate PFAS pollution at its source, rather than clean it after it has already contaminated various environmental media. The law does not tell the NJDEP how to categorize PFAS, instead, it leaves it up to the scientist. 

Understanding PFAS toxicity will not only help control them but also protect public health.