Woburn, MWRA Water Free Of Harmful Chemical

WOBURN, MA -- City officials said tests of water for the city and other communities on the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority System tested negative polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, commonly known as PFAS. Last week the Boston Globe reported that at least seven Massachusetts communities had drinking water supplies that tested positive for PFAS.

MWRA provides water to 3.1 million people in 61 communities in greater Boston.

In addition to Danvers, Harvard, and Hudson, the level of PFAS found in water supplies in Ayer, Barnstable, Mashpee, and Westfield, were in concentrations that exceeded safety guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Those communities are not on the MWRA distribution system.

Because the chemicals never fully degrade, PFAS are known as "forever chemicals," the newspaper reported. The Department of Defense found high levels of the chemicals in 60 percent of the2,700 wells near military bases it has tested in the recent years. In most cases, the chemicals probably came from a fire fighting foam commonly used by the military.

The number of communities with high levels of PFAS is likely to rise, as nearly half of Massachusetts communities have yet to test for the chemicals. While state and federal regulators are trying to work out safety standards, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is advising pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and other potentially vulnerable people to avoid drinking water where five of the more common chemicals are found in higher concentrations.

For more on this story, see the Boston Globe. Subscribe to Danvers Patch for more local news and real-time alerts.