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County laboratory seeks full-time PFAS chemist as testing demand grows
Summary
Barnstable County health and environment officials told the finance committee the county lab needs a full-time PFAS chemist to maintain certification and meet growing local demand, including an ARPA-funded private-well testing program of about 300 wells.
Barnstable County health and environment staff asked the finance committee to approve a full-time PFAS chemist position, saying certification requirements and rising sample volumes make the job a full-time necessity.
"Public water suppliers are regulated by the state and required to test for PFAS," the county laboratory director, Mr. White, told the committee. He said private-well testing depends on town rules and demand; some towns are considering requirements for real-estate transfers. The county has an ARPA-funded program to offer PFAS testing for about 300 private wells on Cape Cod this year, White said.
White told delegates the lab recently gained certification for PFAS testing and that the instrument and bookkeeping required "is a real bear." "We wouldn't be able to maintain our certification with the amount of work that goes into the maintenance of the instrument and the bookkeeping behind it," he said. "It's a full time job, and it doesn't scale the same way."
Delegates pressed on whether the projected increase in revenue tied to PFAS testing was realistic; the director acknowledged future sample volumes depend on state regulation, town policy decisions and resident demand. The lab reported handling more than 500 samples last year and expects additional volume from public water suppliers and private-well testing this year.
Committee members discussed whether the position could start part time or be covered by subcontracting samples to outside labs while volume ramps up. White and other lab staff cautioned that subcontracting increases chain-of-custody complexity, delays results and can make rapid public-notification requirements more difficult to meet.
"If there's an exceedance, we need to inform that public water supplier within two hours of that result coming back," White said, explaining why in-house capacity matters for regulatory response.
No formal vote on the PFAS chemist position was taken at the meeting; discussion will continue as the finance committee finalizes budget recommendations.
