Point Pleasant Area Cited Among 43 Sites With Toxic Contamination

A new report shows that hundreds of sites nationwide — including two in the Point Pleasant area — have been contaminated with the toxic chemicals so familiar to many area residents, many of whom have had their drinking water systems impacted by the substances

Researchers at the Environmental Working Group, an activist nonprofit group, said this week that at least 610 places in 43 states are now known to be contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS. That’s up from the 172 the organization had identified in July 2018. A total of 19 million people have had their water source affected.

Read more: 43 NJ Sites Have Toxic Contamination: See Report's Full List

Efforts to obtain comment from the Point Pleasant Boro Department of Public Works and Point Pleasant Beach were not immediately successful.

The new study gives New Jerseyans a comprehensive look at just how widespread the problem is, and offers a comparative glance at how severely area military bases, drinking water wells, and other sites have been compromised.

PFAS has long been a concern in New Jersey, and it's a concern that's brought state and federal attention to a number of counties counties.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has identified five companies it says are responsible for the "extensive contamination" and directing them to fund millions of dollars in assessment and cleanup efforts, Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe recently announced.

Read more: 5 Companies Did 'Extensive Contamination' Of Your NJ Water: DEP

There are no legally enforceable limits for PFAS under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. 70 parts per trillion is just the EPA's non-binding health advisory level for drinking water. EWG is calling on the EPA to establish what it calls a “truly health-protective legal limit” for all PFAS chemicals, but the possibility of that happening anytime soon remains murky.

The results from EWG show that many New Jersey sources may have skirted this line, while others have shown far greater levels of contamination:

Point Pleasant Water Department

• Population served: 19,600
• Testing dates: 09/16/13 - 11/13/13
• PFAS detected: PFOA
• PFAS min - max: 0 - 24.55 ppt
• Source: EWG from drinking water test data

Point Pleasant Beach Water Department

• Population served: 12,000
• Testing dates: 06/10/15 - 06/10/15
• PFAS detected: PFOA
• PFAS min - max: 0 - 20 ppt
• Source: EWG from drinking water test data

Should you worry? Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have called the presence of the chemicals in drinking water supplies a widespread public health crisis, and states and local communities are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to set legally allowable limits — which currently don't exist — for the substances.

The new sites, discovered using different data sources, include public water systems, military bases, airports, industrial plants, dumps and firefighter training sites, EWG said.

PFAS are man-made chemicals found in industry and consumer products across the globe dating to the 1950s. They were used in nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing and stain resistant fabrics and carpets, as well as certain cosmetics and firefighting foams. Additionally, PFAS were found in products that resist grease, water and oil, the group said.

PFAS contamination is a public health concern that federal and state health officials are interested in studying further, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The agency cited studies linking PFAS contamination to liver problems, low birth weight, some cancers and other health issues.

While more research is needed to determine just how toxic the chemicals are to humans and animals, the “forever chemical,” as it’s often called, has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle concerned.

Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, co-chairman of a congressional PFAS task force, has called PFAS “one of the most widespread public health crises” that Americans face today. Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan has said veterans and their families have become increasingly alarmed about the chemical around bases.

“The Defense Department in particular has so far failed to act with the required urgency to address this growing problem,” he said earlier this year.

The most commonly studied PFAS are perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS. Both have been phased out of production in America, but PFAS can seep into soil, water and air, and take thousands of years to break down. They remain in the environment and can even “build up in people and animals with repeated exposure over time,” federal health officials said.

Phil Brown, a professor of sociology and health sciences at Northeastern University and director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, said the EWG’s updated map shows PFAS contamination is “truly a nationwide problem.”

“Leaders in many communities and states are doing great work to raise awareness about PFAS and push for cleanup, but this is a national crisis demanding national action," said Brown.
The map shows contamination at 117 military sites.

More than 190 sites were contaminated in Michigan — a reflection of the state’s robust testing program — while 47 sites were contaminated in California.

Patch national staffers Justin Heinz and Dan Hampton contributed to this report.