ICYMI: 6 Cancer-Causing Contaminants In Horsham Water Supply, Study Says

HORSHAM, PA — A study released last week by an environmental nonprofit reveals that a number of cancer-causing chemicals have been found in levels they deem unsafe in water systems across Pennsylvania, including the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority. Horsham provides water to around 25,000 residents in the area.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reports that Horsham's water contains six cancer causing chemicals which exceed the health guidelines recommended by scientists: arsenic, hromium, perfluorinated chemicals, radium-229 and uranium (counted as one), tetrachloroethylene, and total trihalomethanes.

The perfluorinated chemicals PFOS and PFOA are the source of recent public outrage and health concerns, due to firefighting foams spilling on the nearby base. EWG's database shows PFOS and PFOA in Horsham water, but that database was based on tests from January to March of 2017. The most recent studies from Horsham Water and Sewer Authority show that now PFOS or PFOA has been found in the water supply since a testing done on April 5, 2017. Water has been clear of those contaminants in the six studies done since then.

The other contaminants found within Horsham's water were within legal limits as established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but not those established by leading scientists, according to EWG.

“Just because your tap water gets a passing grade from the government doesn’t always mean it’s safe, EWG President Ken Cook said in a statement. “It’s time to stop basing environmental regulations on political or economic compromises, and instead listen to what scientists say about the long-term effects of toxic chemicals and empower Americans to protect themselves from pollutants even as they demand the protective action they deserve from government.”

Patch reached out to Horsham Water and Sewer in regards the study, but they did not directly address its claims. Instead, they provided their most recent contaminant report, which lined up with the information in EWG's report. The information in the EWG database comes from federal and state reports.

Most water authorities in the region have a number of cancer causing chemicals, according to EWG. Several water authorities, including the nearby North Penn Water Authority, have said that they trust the EPA standard as the health standard.

"Our water is safe to drink," Anthony J. Bellitto Jr., executive director of North Penn Water Authority, told Patch. "It is not getting anybody sick and is not causing cancer. We use the best available water treatment technology and our system operators, treatment plant operators and team of water quality professionals are highly trained and experienced individuals who work every day to make sure that NPWA water meets or exceeds all Federal EPA and State PA DEP drinking water standards."

Bellito said that the health guidelines used by EWG comes from the state of California's maximum contamination level goal, which is not a standard that any water supplier in the nation is required to meet.

Across Pennsylvania, ten of the contaminants were detected above EWG's health limits, and five contaminants were measured above legal limits. Several of the contaminants were linked to cancer, developmental issues in children, problems in pregnancy, and other serious conditions.

“There are chemicals that have been linked to cancer, for example, that are found above health-based limits, or health guidelines, in the water of more than 250 million Americans,” said Nneka Leiba, director of Healthy Living Science at the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, an independent nonprofit organization that released a detailed account of the contaminants.

Of further concern, EWG added, are emergent chemicals, often from industrial processes, that are not added to the EPA's list of regulated contaminants. In fact, it's been 20 years since new contaminants have been added to the EPA's list. That means that water authorities are not legally obligated to even test for these chemicals.

The inspection of Horsham's water also revealed 13 other contaminants, although the levels of those substances were within the range of standards considered safe by health professionals and federal regulators.

To minimize health risk, EWG has identified a series of water filters to use in your home. They do not recommend bottled water.

Contaminants in your water: EWG has released a public database cataloguing contaminants in water systems in every state in the country — the first comprehensive database of its kind that took two years to build. First select the state where you live, and you'll see state-level data. For more local information, enter your zip code. After you enter your zip code, you'll be directed to a page showing the water utilities in your county. Select your town to see which contaminants put your families at risk. No single group has collected all this information for all 50 states in an easily searchable database — until now. And it’s incredibly easy to use it to see what contaminants are coming through your faucet.

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