Editor's note: PFAS is a term that has been showing up in local and national news frequently the past few months, and for good reason. These forever chemicals affect each and every one of us in different ways. This four-part series will break down PFAS and how they affect those of us living in Cook County, Minnesota, and beyond. You can find part one here, part two here, and part four here.

The State of Minnesota has been tracking PFAS since the early 2000s. While this may seem early compared to other areas, Minnesota is also home to 3M, a major manufacturer of Scotchguard and other non-stick materials. 

It was at this time that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) identified PFAS (then known as perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCS) at four waste disposal sites in Washington County used by 3M (source). 

In 2007, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) first issued fish consumption advisories for PFCs, after the chemicals were discovered in different water bodies throughout the state. 

This led to the start of MDH sampling city water wells throughout the state - a program that started in 2008. 

In 2010, then-Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sued 3M over releasing chemicals and chemical waste containing PFAS, damaging natural resources and contaminated drinking water supplies in eastern Minnesota. 

It wasn’t until early 2018 that the lawsuit was settled for $850 million, $720 million of which was invested back into drinking water and natural resource projects in the area. To read more about the lawsuit and settlement, visit the State of Minnesota website here. 

In 2019, the state Legislature passed a law requiring that any class B firefighting foam containing PFAS used on and during a fire must be reported to the State Fire Reporting System within 24 hours, and cannot be used for testing and training.

In March of 2022, Minnesota Department of Health officials issued a new health-based value (HBV) for PFAS associated with groundwater contamination in the eastern Twin Cities (the location of the 3M waste sites). 

At the same time, the Minnesota Pollution Control agency created plans for regular monitoring of PFAS in groundwater in active landfills, air sources, and other major sources. 

As more information comes out about the impacts of PFAS, local entities as well as the US Environmental Protection Agency will continue to update their guidelines and monitoring programs to create and update existing regulations. 

Regulations in Minnesota for PFAS

Despite being aware of PFAS contamination for years, the State of Minnesota does not have a statewide water quality criteria policy (WQS) for any PFAS, but the MN Pollution Control Agency has and is continuing to develop guidelines for locations where PFAS exposure is a big concern. 

According to MDH, no public drinking water systems in Minnesota currently have high levels of PFAS in their drinking water. Drinking water with low levels of PFAS, even when those levels are above the guidance values, don’t present an immediate health risk. 

MDH is currently conducting water sampling across the state, starting with areas that are most vulnerable to PFAS contamination, including areas near manufacturing plants and airports. 

“MDH will use these results to evaluate whether other systems in similar settings may be vulnerable to PFAS contamination. Depending on the results, MDH may recommend actions to individual public water systems to address potential health concerns” (source). 

PFAS Cleanup in Minnesota

With past testing, the MN Department of Health and Pollution Control Agency have identified specific areas of contamination throughout the state, and are overseeing the cleanup of the following sites:

• disposal areas – 3M in the East Metro (you can find more information about 3M and PFAS here)

• firefighting foam – City of Bemidji, Duluth Air National Guard

• chrome plating manufacturing plant - Douglas in St. Louis Park/Minneapolis

• Landfills throughout the state (97% of assessed closed landfills have PFAS contamination. The MN Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Health are partnering on addressing this issue)
   

Preventing and reducing PFAS in Minnesota

MPCA is working on reducing PFAS in all major contamination areas throughout the state, including firefighting foam, chrome plating, and food packaging. Additionally, they are partnering with state and local government purchasing departments to promote the state’s “Sustainable Purchasing” website (which “ considers environmental, social, and economic factors by taking into account the lifecycle impacts of a product — from raw material extraction through end-of-life management”. This includes offering alternatives to products that contain PFAS. 

The MPCA also operates a Toxics Reduction and Pollution Prevention program, as part of the Minnesota Toxic Pollution Prevention Act. The main goal of this program is: “to eliminate or reduce the use, generation or release of toxic pollutants and hazardous wastes at their source.” PFAS reduction is included in the focus of this program. 

In the 2021 Toxics Reduction and Pollution Prevention report, presented to the State of Minnesota Legislature, the MPCA recommended changes to existing legislation to include the phasing out of PFAS in packaging. 

Additional recommendations in this report include:

• banning PFAS that are not critical to a product, or where a safer alternative exists

• requiring labels on any product, packaging, or material containing PFAS

• expanding existing small business assistance to include financial help for reducing PFAS use

Finally, the MPCA has created a PFAS Blueprint guide, which outlines 10 different objectives to protect human health and natural resources against PFAS. You can find the Blueprint guide here. 

In part four of this series, we'll look at PFAS in Northern Minnesota, including in the NE Arrowhead region of the state.