Have you ever reviewed a laboratory report and felt overwhelmed by acronyms like MDL, RL, LOQ, or IDL? You’re not alone. These terms are critical to understanding the sensitivity, precision, and reliability of laboratory results in environmental testing—but they can also be confusing, especially when used interchangeably or inconsistently across different labs or agencies.
The U.S. EPA released a Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS, open for public comment. The public comment for the draft, released in January 2025, has been extended until August 14, 2025. This draft risk assessment reflects the EPA's latest scientific understanding of the potential risks to human health
To all of our friends and partners in California impacted by the devastating wildfires, Merit Laboratories is here to support you. When wildfires ravage communities, natural landscape, and places we call home, the impact is major. Lives are interrupted while homes, schools, and businesses are destroyed. Another significant impact of wildfires is environmental contamination.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to address the growing concerns over PFAS by adding nine new compounds to the Toxics Release Inventory. This move aims to improve transparency and provide better data on the presence and release of these persistent chemicals in the environment.
The analysis of PFAS by EPA 1633A and ASTM D8421 is part of the U.S. EPA’s Methods Update Rule (MUR) Rule 22. The action will promulgate EPA into 40 CFR Part 136. Also part of this action, PFAS method ASTM D8421 is proposed to be codified.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the agency’s comprehensive Strategic Roadmap to address PFAS contamination nationwide. The EPA’s Roadmap focuses on three main strategies: Increase investments in research, Leverage authorities to take action now to restrict PFAS chemicals from being released into the environment, and
Nearly everyone in the United States has been exposed to PFAS and likely have PFAS in their blood, especially perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). PFAS chemicals have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. These forever chemicals are prevalent in non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, some firefighting foams, and products that resist grease, water, and oil.
The number of military sites with confirmed PFAS contamination continues to grow. An additional 59 Department of Defense (DoD) military installations with PFAS contaminated soil, groundwater, and surface water is now confirmed and added to a rapidly expanding list. The addition of these DoD installations brings the number of U.S. military bases and facilities with confirmed PFAS contamination to 385, according to a recent report published by the Environmental Working Group. In addition to these 385 installations with confirmed PFAS contamination, there are another 294 DoD installations that are suspected to have PFAS groundwater contamination.
The U.S. EPA recently announced the creation of Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Preliminary Plan 15), which identifies opportunities to better protect public health and the environment through regulation of wastewater pollution. For the first time, PFAS will become regulated for wastewater effluent through the Clean Water Act (CWA).
The U.S. House passed the PFAS Action Act of 2021 earlier this summer, which is now working its way through the Senate. The act requires the creation of a school drinking water testing and grant program. Section 18 of the PFAS Action Act states that, no later than 1 year after the date of enactment, a program be implemented to enact grants for testing for PFAS in drinking water at schools.
A recent update from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) estimates that the number of manufacturers and users of PFAS in the United States has increased more than 12 times the previous estimate. The industrial sites are suspected of releasing PFAS into the environment, including drinking water sources.
The U.S. House passed the PFAS Action Act of 2021. The legislation would require the U.S. EPA to administer a national primary drinking water standard for PFAS chemicals within two years. Some of the specific bill highlights include restricting industrial discharges of PFAS; allocating $200 million annually for wastewater treatment; and limiting the incineration of PFAS wastes.
Oil and gas companies used PFAS in hydraulic fracturing operations in over 1,200 wells in six states, according to a report published by the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). The report, Fracking with Forever Chemicals, links oil and gas operations in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming, with using PFAS as part of fracking operations, between 2012 and 2020.
In a new PFAS research study, scientists at the University of Notre Dame have detected PFAS in many of the most commonly used cosmetics, including the highest levels in mascara, lipstick, and foundation. The study, Flourinated Compounds in North American Cosmetics, published by the American Chemical Study in June, found that more than half (52%) of all cosmetics tested contained had high fluorine concentrations.
