Many drinking-water systems contaminated: study

Bill Knight column for 3-2, 3 or 4, 2020       

Illinois may not have the worst contamination of PFAS “forever chemicals,” according to a new study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), but the toxic compounds are present in water systems and groundwater in Bloomington, Chicago, Galesburg, Peoria and the Quad Cities, and state Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the legislature recognize the danger, and some are pressing for reforms.

New tests confirm that drinking water in dozens of U.S. cities contain PFAS at levels above what independent experts consider safe.

“PFAS” is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Their chemicals are in products like nonstick pans, waterproof jackets, firefighting foam and some personal-care items like sunscreens and shampoos.

“Results confirm that the number of Americans exposed to PFAS from contaminated tap water has been dramatically underestimated by previous studies, both from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EWG’s own research,” the report says. “Scientists now believe PFAS is likely detectable in all major water supplies in the U.S.”

The region’s major water-system operator, Illinois American, says they don’t have any locations providing water with results that exceed the EPA’s health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for key PFAS.

Illinois American Water External Affairs Manager Karen Cotton said that the company has collected samples for PFAS compounds “to have a better understanding of our water quality and to be prepared at such time as EPA take action on these additional compounds.”

However, that federal Maximum Contaminant Level of 70 ppt is too high, according to independent studies suggesting PFAS are dangerous at lower levels. EWG considers only concentrations of 1 part per trillion or lower to be safe.

PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down but build up in animals’ blood and organs. Exposure increases risks of cancer, harms fetal development, and reduces vaccines’ effectiveness.

“PFAS pose a serious health threat to our communities,” Raoul said. “Federal legislation and financial assistance are urgently needed to fight this contamination and give residents peace of mind.”

Raoul and 21 other state attorneys general urged Congress to pass legislation to aid states in addressing the public-health threat of such toxic chemicals.

Also State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) this winter introduced a measure reforming Maximum Contaminant Levels, and it’s in the Rules Committee.

EWG’s samples, collected from 44 locations in 31 states and the District of Columbia through December, were analyzed by an accredited independent laboratory for 30 different PFAS.

Commercial production of PFAS started in the 1940s; in the ’50s 3M began using them in products to repel water, resist heat, etc. For decades, companies using PFAS concealed evidence that the chemicals were hazardous.

The EPA was alerted to the problem in 2001 but in almost 20 years hasn’t set an enforceable, nationwide legal limit. In 2016, the EPA issued a national health advisory for both compounds and established the non-enforceable limit of 70 ppt.

“I think the fact that EPA only has a [health advisory] speaks volumes to the issue in terms of the lack of federal leadership,” said EWG toxicologist Dave Andrews.

Despite the revelations, President Trump and his GOP oppose regulations to cut exposure to PFAS. House Democrats recently passed the PFAS Action Act of 2019 (HR 535), which would direct the EPA to establish better standards for drinking water and require polluters to assist in cleanup.

Twenty-four Republicans supported it, but all five GOP Congressmen from Illinois voted against it.

The bill is expected to stall in the GOP-controlled Senate, and “if H.R. 535 were presented to the President, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill,” the White House said.

Instead, Trump’s EPA is implementing a PFAS “action plan” that environmental groups say does little to address widespread contamination.

 “Policymakers should set science-based drinking water standards for PFAS in tap water, reduce ongoing PFAS discharges into water supplies, end non-essential uses of PFAS, require reporting of ongoing PFAS discharges into water supplies, ensure that PFAS wastes are properly disposed of, and expand PFAS monitoring,” EWG says.

Coping with this contamination may be difficult and expensive because municipal water systems must be updated with new filters to remove the chemicals. Treatment options to remove PFAS include reverse osmosis, ion-exchanged, and granular activated carbon (GAC), the most common.

“The PFAS issue is one of the most rapidly changing landscapes in drinking water contamination,” Illinois American’s Cotton says. “American Water has invested time and effort on our own independent research, as well as engaging with other experts in the field to understand PFAS occurrence, fate and transport in the environment. We are also actively assessing treatment technologies that can effectively remove PFAS from drinking water, because we believe that investment in research is critical for addressing this issue.”