Toxic PFAS Found In 11 Places In Rhode Island

A new report shows that hundreds of sites nationwide — including 11 in Rhode Island — have been contaminated with highly toxic chemicals, including drinking water systems that serve an estimated 19 million people, including nearly 93,500 in Rhode Island. Researchers at the Environmental Working Group, an activist nonprofit group, said Monday 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.

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 federal agency 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.

Here are the PFAS contaminated sites in Rhode Island, according to EWG:

Cumberland Water Department

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 22,864
• Testing dates: 02/18/15 - 05/27/16
• PFAS detected: PFOA, PFOS
• PFAS min - max: 0 - 81 ppt

Oakland Association Inc., Burrillville

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 175
• Testing dates: 08/24/17 - 09/26/17
• PFAS detected: PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA
• PFAS min - max: 147.82 - 205.12 ppt

Ohm Ganesh DBA Country Farms, Burrillville

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 33
• Testing dates: 10/02/17 - 10/02/17
• PFAS detected: PFNA
• PFAS min - max: 4.1 - 4.1 ppt

The Village On Chopmist Hill, Scituate

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 250
• Testing dates: 08/25/17 - 08/25/17
• PFAS detected: PFOA, PFOS
• PFAS min - max: 16.91 - 16.91 ppt

Scituate High School and Middle School

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 31,400
• Testing dates: 09/21/17 - 09/21/17
• PFAS detected: PFHpA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA
• PFAS min - max: 48.18 - 48.18 ppt

Ladd Center Water System, Exeter

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 129
• Testing dates: 09/08/17 - 09/08/17
• PFAS detected: PFBS, PFHpA, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA
• PFAS min - max: 80.86 - 80.86 ppt

Charlestown Elementary School

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 350
• Testing dates: 09/08/17 - 09/08/17
• PFAS detected: PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA
• PFAS min - max: 33.6 - 33.6 ppt

Naval Station Newport

• Date of discovery: 2018
• Suspected source: Firefighting foam used at Naval Station Newport

Quonochontaug East Beach Water Association, Charlestown

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 200
• Testing dates: 9/22/17
• PFAS detected: PFBS, PFHxA, PFOA, PFOS, PFPeA
• PFAS min - max: 47.93 ppt

Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Hopkinton

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 45
• Testing dates: 9/28/17
• PFAS detected: PFOS
• PFAS min - max: 4.04 ppt

Westerly Water Department

• Used for drinking water
• Population served: 38,000
• Testing dates: 9/16/15-10/03/16
• PFAS detected: PFOA, PFOS
• PFAS min - max: 0 - 74.2 ppt

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 and 43 sites were contaminated in California and New Jersey.

There are no legally enforceable limits for PFAS under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, EWG said. The Environmental Protection Agency’s non-binding health advisory level for drinking water is 70 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, separately or in combination. The nonprofit is calling on the EPA to establish what it calls a “truly health-protective legal limit” for all PFAS chemicals.

EPA chief Andrew Wheeler said in March that his agency was taking steps toward establishing federal limits for some kinds of the contaminant in drinking water, according to The Associated Press.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.