Dayton’s Water Quality Laboratory was recently certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for PFAS detection testing. This makes it the first water quality laboratory – public or private – in Ohio to have this verified capability.
PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals under increasing regulatory scrutiny. These "forever chemicals" may be linked to cancer, birth defects and more.
That’s why the U.S. EPA created new standards this year for how much of them can be in drinking water. Dayton’s laboratory is capable of detecting PFAS levels as low as 2 parts per trillion in a sample.
Dayton can now get results in two weeks with its equipment. Before the city had to wait four to six weeks to get results back from out-of-state labs, said the city’s water director Michael Powell.
“And so if we're really testing for things and wanting to make changes, that's not really a great timeframe to be able to have to wait to make changes,” Powell said. "So this will help us to be able to get results quicker.”
Dayton’s laboratory is capable of detecting PFAS levels as low as 2 parts per trillion in a sample.
The certification process involves staff and equipment evaluations, as well as lab result comparisons. Dayton’s lab was already authorized to do some forms of testing back in 2021, which may have expedited the process, he said.
Water from monitoring wells, as well as treated water are sampled on a monthly basis.
Other municipalities have already expressed interest in sending their own water samples for testing.
