PERFLUOROBUTANE SULFONIC ACID (PFBS) cleanup levels in Pennsylvania
- PA DEP
- Act 2 Statewide Health Standards
- CAS 375-73-5
- PFAS groundwater table updated 7/10/2024
For PERFLUOROBUTANE SULFONIC ACID (PFBS), DEP's PFAS groundwater table prints 2 µg/L for residential groundwater in a used aquifer with TDS up to 2500, and its Statewide Health Standard tables print 66 mg/kg for residential soil direct contact from 0 to 15 feet.
- 2µg/L R DEP's PFAS groundwater table Used Aquifers, TDS ≤ 2500
- 66mg/kg 0-15 feet Table 3a: Medium-Specific Concentrations (MSCs) for Organic Regulated Substances in Soil: A. Direct Contact Numeric Values Residential
These are the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's published values for PERFLUOROBUTANE SULFONIC ACID (PFBS), from its Statewide Health Standard tables and its PFAS groundwater table, updated 7/10/2024. DEP's page says the Statewide Health Standard tables present the standards published November 20, 2021. Each value is shown as the agency prints it, with the same number written out beside it where that reads differently.
Pennsylvania: Statewide Health Standard Medium-Specific Concentrations
DEP's PFAS groundwater table
DEP's file dated July 24, 2024.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established maximum contaminant levels (MCL) for the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds listed below. These MCLs will become the Statewide health standard medium-specific concentration (MSC) values for groundwater effective June 25, 2024. The new values are:
PERFLUOROBUTANE SULFONIC ACID (PFBS)*
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| R (µg/L) | 2 | H |
| NR (µg/L) | 2 | H |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| R (µg/L) | 200 | H |
| NR (µg/L) | 20 | H |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| R (µg/L) | 2 | H |
| NR (µg/L) | 2 | H |
Footnotes to DEP's PFAS groundwater table, as the agency prints them
* In addition to meeting the individual MSC, if more than one of the marked compounds (Gen-X, PFBS, PFHxS, PFNA) are detected at any concentration in a sample, a Hazard Index (HI) must be calculated using the equation below. The HI MSC is met in this case by maintaining a rolling average HI of less than one for the most recent four quarters of samples utilizing the equation:
HI = (CGen-X/0.01)+(CPFBS/2)+(CPFNA/0.01)+(CPFHxS/0.01)
Where: All concentrations are in µg/L
CGen-X = concentration of Gen-X
CPFBS = concentration of PFBS
CPFNA = concentration of PFNA
CPFHxS = concentration of PFHxS
Updated: 7/10/2024
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
PFAS Soil MSC Notice (January 2026)
PA DEP has determined that the Hazard Index portion of the EPA’s April 26, 2024 PFAS MCL Rule does not apply to soil. The rationale behind that decision is explained in the Technical Notice below.
Table 3a: Medium-Specific Concentrations (MSCs) for Organic Regulated Substances in Soil: A. Direct Contact Numeric Values
DEP's file dated January 4, 2022.
PERFLUOROBUTANE SULFONATE (PFBS)
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 0-15 feet (mg/kg) | 66 | G |
| Column | Value | Written out | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Soil, 0-2 feet (mg/kg) | 960 | G | |
| Subsurface Soil, 2-15 feet (mg/kg) | 10000 | 10,000 | C |
Footnotes to Table 3a, as the agency prints them
All concentrations in mg/kg
G - Ingestion
N - Inhalation
C - Cap
Table 3b: Medium-Specific Concentrations (MSCs) for Organic Regulated Substances in Soil: B. Soil to Groundwater Numeric Values1
DEP's file dated January 19, 2022.
PERFLUOROBUTANE SULFONATE (PFBS)
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 100 X GW MSC (mg/kg) | 1 | |
| Generic Value (mg/kg) | NA |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 100 X GW MSC (mg/kg) | 2.9 | |
| Generic Value (mg/kg) | NA |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 100 X GW MSC (mg/kg) | 100 | |
| Generic Value (mg/kg) | NA |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 100 X GW MSC (mg/kg) | 290 | |
| Generic Value (mg/kg) | NA |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 100 X GW MSC (mg/kg) | 1 | |
| Generic Value (mg/kg) | NA |
| Column | Value | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 100 X GW MSC (mg/kg) | 2.9 | |
| Generic Value (mg/kg) | NA |
| Column | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil Buffer Distance (feet) | NA |
Footnotes to Table 3b, as the agency prints them
1 For other options see Section 250.308
E - Number calculated by the soil to groundwater equation in Section 250.308
All concentrations in mg/kg
C - Cap
NA - The soil buffer distance option is not available for this substance
The agency's current table governs. This page is a reference copy and not a cleanup decision. Check the agency's page for a newer table before relying on a value.
Source
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Statewide Health Standard Medium-Specific Concentrations.
- PFAS groundwater table: DEP's file dated July 24, 2024, read October 5, 2026.
- Table 3a: DEP's file dated January 4, 2022, read October 5, 2026.
- Table 3b: DEP's file dated January 19, 2022, read October 5, 2026.