Toxic Contaminant Detected At South Orange Water Site: Report

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - The South Orange Water Department is contaminated with toxic chemicals, according to a new report.

Researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an activist nonprofit group, listed the Blackwood plant as among 43 in New Jersey and at least 610 sites nationwide that have been 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.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, has been detected in the water at the plant, according to the EWG’s Drinking Water Database. PFOA is a manmade chemical used to make teflon.

The South Orange Water Department was tested from March 25, 2015 through Nov. 15, 2018. At that time, the plant, which serves 16, 964 people, registered 0-199.6 parts per trillion (ppt) in the water. The EPA’s non-binding health advisory level for drinking water is 70 parts per trillion, but there are no legally enforceable limits for PFAs. The PFAs detected were PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS.

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.

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

According to South Orange Administrator Howard Levison that water source was turned off in December of 2018.

"We have recognized and have monitored a source that had an unacceptable level at the water source. That source was turned off in December of last year and we are currently implementing a mitigation system - a GAC (Granulated Activated Carbon) filtration system as well as rehabilitation of that source. All of our water is purchased from NJAW," Levison said. "The Blackwood report indicates that South Orange receives water from East Orange Water Commission and Newark Water Department. I can state that we have not received water from either for at least two and one half years. These are both 'emergency' interconnects required by the DEP.

PFOA can be a significant health concern because it can stay in the environment and the human body for a long time, according to the American Cancer Society. It is present in just about everyone’s blood at low levels, but it has been found in higher levels in the blood of people who live near contaminated sites.

Studies have linked an increase in testicular cancer with exposure to PFOA, according to the report. There may be links to thyroid and kidney cancer, but studies conducted have found small increases in risk that may be due to chance. There may be links to prostate, bladder and ovarian cancer, but more study needs to be done to verify those links.

Both PFOA and PFOS 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.

PFAS have long been a concern in New Jersey, and it's a concern that's brought state and federal attention to a number of 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 here: 5 Companies Did 'Extensive Contamination' Of Your NJ Water: DEP

So 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.
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.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here.