New York

New York adopted enforceable drinking water MCLs for PFAS in 2020. The New York State Department of Health set MCLs of 10 parts per trillion for PFOA and 10 parts per trillion for PFOS, along with a 1 part per billion MCL for 1,4-dioxane. The state PFOA and PFOS limits are less strict than the federal EPA MCLs of 4 parts per trillion finalized in April 2024, and New York utilities now must meet the stricter federal standards.

The impetus for state action came from contamination in Hoosick Falls, where Michael Hickey's investigation of his father's cancer death exposed widespread PFOA pollution from the Saint-Gobain and Honeywell plastics plants starting in 2014. That case broke PFAS into national news and drove New York's regulatory response. Other major contaminated communities include Newburgh, where the Stewart Air National Guard Base contaminated the city water supply, and Petersburgh in the eastern part of the state.

The New York legislature has passed several product-level laws. A 2022 law banned the sale of apparel and outdoor apparel containing intentionally added PFAS, with the main provisions taking effect in 2025. Other bans have covered PFAS in food packaging and carpets. The state Attorney General has filed lawsuits against 3M, DuPont, and other manufacturers that have produced significant settlements.

State records show the Department of Environmental Conservation maintains a PFAS sampling and cleanup program at state Superfund sites and has published an interactive contamination map. Public water systems in New York are subject to the federal compliance timeline requiring initial monitoring by 2027 and treatment installation by 2029.