The state announced it will be expanding regulations on two toxic "forever chemicals" in Michigan lakes, rivers, and streams.
Before the new regulation, only three PFAS chemicals had standards that limit the acceptable contaminant levels in lakes, rivers and streams.
Now, two more are joining the list: PFNA and PFHxS.
The new value is 30 ng/L (or parts per trillion) for PFNA and 210 for PFHxS. For surface waters that serve as a drinking water source, PFNA has a limit of 19 ng/L, and PFHxS is set at 59 ng/L.
The state said the regulations on these chemicals are "conservative" or highly protective of human health. The values also give guidelines on the quality of treated water discharged from wastewater plants and various industries.
Standards for drinking water are more strict and measured on a separate scale.
The state said it's still updating the standards for the maximum amount of PFAS that can be in a waterbody without affecting aquatic wildlife.
![Kevin Cox [left] and Mike McCauley [right] slice brook trout into filets as part of the state fish contaminant monitoring program April 21 at an EGLE facility in Lansing.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a8fb223/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5603x3122+0+307/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffb%2F2d%2F72e0a6f44220bda9335a589e3785%2Fmicrosoftteams-image-3.png)
