The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new study that will use non-targeted analysis to screen drinking water for pharmaceuticals, PFAS and more than 1,000 other potential contaminants.
The research is intended to give EPA scientists a broader picture of chemicals that may be present in drinking water, including substances that could be missed by conventional testing methods designed to look for specific compounds.
Non-targeted analysis (NTA) uses advanced analytical techniques to scan samples for large numbers of chemical signatures without researchers having to specify every substance they are looking for in advance. Traditional targeted methods, by comparison, generally test for a predetermined list of contaminants, the agency said.
The EPA said the resulting data could help identify previously unrecognized pollutants and determine where additional research, monitoring or regulatory attention may be warranted.
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“We have heard loud and clear that Americans are concerned about potential unknown pollutants lurking in their drinking water,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in announcing the study. “EPA’s state-of-the-art study will shed light on this issue and complement the actions we are already taking under the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
The agency did not provide details in its announcement about how many drinking water systems or samples will be included in the study, or when results are expected.
The research will complement the EPA’s existing processes for investigating contaminants that are not federally regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Earlier this year, the EPA released its draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), which identifies contaminants that are not currently subject to national primary drinking water regulations but may warrant further investigation. For the first time, the draft list identifies microplastics and pharmaceuticals as priority contaminant groups.
EPA also proposed its Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) in June. If finalized, the rule would require participating public water systems to monitor for 30 unregulated contaminants using approved analytical methods.
Unlike those targeted programs, the new NTA study is designed to cast a wider analytical net and potentially identify substances that are not included on predetermined contaminant lists.
“Americans have a right to know what is in the water they drink,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the announcement. “EPA is going to search for pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and other contaminants that have gone undetected.”
The EPA said information generated through the study could ultimately help the agency prioritize future drinking water research and actions.
