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Environmental chemist Leah Griffin (center), who leads the team at the county’s PFAS lab, is joined by (from left) William Smith Jr., Superintendent of Laboratories for the Harford County DPW Division of Water and Sewer; Lawrence Slattery, Chief of Operations for the division; County Executive Bob Cassilly; and Auther Hannon III, senior computer engineer for the division. (Harford County)
Harford is first in MD to operate state-certified PFAS testing lab
Harford is the first county in Maryland to operate its own laboratory certified by the Maryland Department of the Environment to test for PFAS, otherwise known as “forever chemicals,” the jurisdiction announced Wednesday.
Since 2012, Harford has been testing its public water for PFAS using an outside lab with samples testing safely below the regulated limit of 4 parts per trillion, a county news release says. Located at the Harford County Water Treatment Plant in Abingdon, the lab was established after County Executive Bob Cassilly created the PFAS Task Force in August 2024.
The in-house laboratory enables water samples to be analyzed in days, which improves response times and reduces costs, according to county officials.
“Safe, reliable drinking water is vital to our community, and my administration is taking a proactive, innovative approach to protecting public health,” Cassilly said in a statement.
“By investing in our own testing capability, we are delivering faster test results, helping us ensure safer drinking water for customers of our public water system.”
Harford County supplies drinking water to more than 130,000 customers and conducts more than 230,000 water tests annually. These efforts aim to ensure its water meets Environmental Protection Agency and Maryland Department of the Environment requirements, according to a release.
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals often used in consumer and industrial products. These substances do not easily break down in the environment and can accumulate over time, leading to water, soil and food contamination – raising concerns in Maryland and beyond about potential health impacts, county officials pointed out.
Perdue Farms is accused of discharging the chemicals into Eastern Shore waterways, prompting litigation and a Maryland Department of the Environment investigation. The company says it’s working to test and treat the area.
This story has been updated.
