Significant progress has been made in combating forever chemicals in Delaware in recent years, and we continue to learn more about presence of these emerging contaminants in our land, water and bodies. Officially known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances but more commonly referred to simply as PFAS, the chemicals have been used in thousands of products, including cookware, clothing and firefighting foam, for decades following their creation in the mid-20th century. Learn more about how the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is responding to these contaminants.
DNREC and the DHSS Division of Public Health are working with federal agencies to protect the environment and public health in Delaware from the effects of a group of synthetic chemicals known as PFAS. In 2025, DNREC conducted the state’s first survey to learn what Delawareans know about
Nationwide studies since the early 2000s indicate that PFAS exist in influent, effluent and residuals (biosolids) of wastewater treatment plants (Bogdan, D. 2021). Some of the most frequently detected PFAS compounds are PFAAs (perfluoroalkyl acids). This makes wastewater treatment plants important in managing and mitigating the environmental spread of PFAAs and a key participant in protecting both
PFAS and other toxic contaminants can enter surface water through overland flow, such as stormwater runoff, through industrial discharges, through atmospheric deposition and through discharge of contaminated groundwater. PFAS Menu
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act governs the quality and testing of all public drinking water supplied by water systems in the United States. The EPA works with states, localities and water suppliers to implement drinking water regulations. PFAS Menu
