PFAS/Emerging Contaminants Detection, Remediation, Legislation and Research, is Permeating National and Local News
News from 16 states are included in this sixteenth edition of the SGS PFAS Update. Although this is a coincidence, it is no coincidence that interest and concern continue to rise about the consequences surrounding PFAS and emerging contaminants. National stories below on PFAS and fetal growth, and PFAS “creeping through soil to groundwater”, are alarming to all. Scientists, consultants and other environmental professionals like you are best being informed how these issues are permeating the media and we are pleased to offer this news update to you.
SGS continues to lead the way with the capacity, expertise, facilities and the track record to provide the fast and accurate analysis you need for total compliance on PFAS and emerging contaminants analysis. We’re always here to help.
Click on SGS PFAS/emerging contaminants analysis capabilities, and see why SGS delivers what you need every step of way.
Better Together: Integrating New Capabilities
SGS offers the full complement of environmental, health and safety analytical services at multiple laboratories across the United States and Canada for soil, water, air, and bulk materials. SGS is your one-stop for all your environmental analytical needs.
To find out how we can best help you with your PFAS analysis, call +1 800 329 0204 or email PFAS.Expert@sgs.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
The SGS PFAS Team
U.S. Prenatal Exposure to 11 Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Fetal Growth: A Large-Scale, Prospective Birth Cohort Study
In this study, it was investigated whether prenatal maternal exposure to 11 PFAS, in particular those with longer carbon chains, is associated with fetal growth.
PFAS Chemicals are Creeping Through Soil to Groundwater
The reported levels of PFAS in groundwater could be “just the tip of the iceberg,” as most of the chemicals are still migrating down slowly through the soil, researchers say.
Alaska
Pentagon Is Paying to Extend North Pole’s Water System Due to PFAS Contamination in Wells
Work will begin next month on a 30-million-dollar project to extend North Pole’s municipal water system to Moose Creek, where residents can no longer use their wells because the groundwater’s been contaminated by PFAS, a chemical compound that came from Eielson Air Force Base.
Colorado
‘Our Voices Are Not Being Heard’: Colorado Town a Test Case for California PFAS Victims
FOUNTAIN, Colo. — When Wendy Rash was diagnosed in 2005 with a thyroid disorder, chronic fatigue and other ailments, her doctor couldn’t explain her suddenly failing health… It wasn’t until 2016 that scientists tested the tap water they had been drinking and found it was contaminated with PFAS.
Air Force, State Health Department to Test Water Around Buckley AFB
AURORA, Colo. — Water wells within a one-mile drain path from Buckley Air Force Base will soon be tested for chemicals similar to those that have contaminated water sources adjacent to other military bases across the United States.
Experts Warn PFAS Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals May Drive Obesity, Osteoporosis
A class of endocrine-disrupting chemicals known as PFAS may work as an “environmental trigger” to drive multiple adverse endocrine health effects, including obesity, thyroid dysfunction and low bone mineral density, although researchers caution that more studies on potential associations are needed.
Connecticut
Connecticut Could Soon Regulate ‘Forever Chemicals’
Connecticut state legislators could soon move to regulate toxic compounds found in drinking water. High PFAS levels have been found in drinking water systems in Greenwich, Willimantic and Enfield. There were also multiple spills of thousands of gallons of PFAS firefighting foam that entered the Farmington River last year.
Gov. Ned Lamont Proposes $3.5M for ‘Forever Chemical’ Pollution Programs
State funding to deal with the pollution threat from hazardous chemicals known as PFAS would total more than $3.35 million under Gov. Ned Lamont’s proposed budget.
Kentucky
Ohio River Regulators Planning Riverwide PFAS Study
Scientists are designing a new study to test for PFAS along the entire length of the Ohio River. Concerns are mounting about PFAS contamination in drinking water systems along the Ohio Valley. Studies have shown the contaminants in the drinking water of dozens of cities.
Massachusetts
PFAS-REACH Study Recruits Hyannis Preschoolers
The Silent Spring Institute is reaching out to the parents of preschool-age children in Hyannis and inviting them to participate in PFAS-REACH, a study designed to protect children from drinking water contaminants.
City: Parallel Products Chemicals Could Taint Drinking Water
A lawyer for the city of New Bedford is warning that chemicals known as PFAS could leach into groundwater and drinking water from the proposed Parallel Products waste-handling facility.
State Loan Program to Address PFAS in Water Supplies
The state is piloting a no-interest loan program to help cities and towns finance projects that address dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in public water supplies.
Do ‘Forever Chemicals”, PFOS and POA Sap Dopamine?
New research with roundworms investigates the effects of “forever chemicals” PFOS and PFOA on dopamine levels.
Maine
Maine PFAS Task Force Issues Report and Maine Legislature Considers Amending State’s Superfund Law
Maine is taking several major steps in addressing PFAS substances. The Maine PFAS Task Force just issued its final report, which included a significant number of recommendations that are likely to lead to additional regulations, investigations, and cleanups.
Ski Wax Linked to Forever Chemicals – And A ‘Dirty Secret’ – To Be Banned
High school skiing coaches in Maine have joined the fight against “forever chemicals,” paving the way for the ban on controversial ski waxes at Nordic state championships later this month.
Michigan
PFAS Found in Ann Arbor Compost That’s Used as Fertilizer, Park Soil
ANN ARBOR, MI – Ann Arbor officials have reported finding PFAS in the city’s compost.
City of Portage Testing 25 Residential Wells for PFAS After It Was Discovered at Old Landfill Site
The City of Portage announced in a statement that 25 residential water wells are being tested for PFAS, that they believe stem from an old landfill site on South Westnedge Avenue.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Bill Would Help Pay for Towns’ PFAS Compliance
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – A New Hampshire measure that would help communities cover costs associated with new drinking water standards got bipartisan support from lawmakers.
A Senate committee voted Tuesday in favor of setting up a $50 million loan fund to help cover local compliance costs for new limits on PFAS.
NH Senate Supports Tough PFAS Standards
The state Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to several bills meant to address concerns about contamination from a class of toxic chemicals in New Hampshire’s drinking water.
New Mexico
Cancer-Causing Chemicals Found in Clovis’ Drinking Water
Traces of a cancer-causing pollutant that has been discharged from military bases for years was detected in Clovis’ drinking water after it was treated at a local plant. EPCOR, the company in charge of Clovis’ public drinking water, found PFAS in 10 of its 82 wells at the “entry point” where the water would be piped to households.
New York
PFAS Exposure Assessment in Newburgh
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry have announced the launch of the PFAS exposure assessment in the City of Newburgh.
Fearing Grumman Water Contamination, Frustrated Manorville Residents Without Access to Public Water Ask Navy for Relief
Frustrated residents of Manorville who fear that their well water is contaminated took aim at the Navy at a local meeting last week.
North Carolina
New DEQ Data Show “Staggering Levels” of PFAS in Cape Fear Basin
A water sample taken in September from the Sanford sewage treatment plant that discharges into Deep River uncovered “staggering” concentrations of forever chemicals, newly released documents from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality reveal.
Not All In-Home Drinking Water Filters Completely Remove Toxic PFAS
DURHAM, N.C. – The water filter on your refrigerator door, the pitcher-style filter you keep inside the fridge and the whole-house filtration system you installed last year may function differently and have vastly different price tags, but they have one thing in common. They may not remove all of the drinking water contaminants you’re most concerned about.
What’s In North Carolina Drinking Water?
Heather Stapleton’s research into PFAS, began in her own kitchen. Stapleton knew that her fellow scientists were beginning to look more closely at the compounds – often called “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment. So she decided to test her home’s drinking water for their presence.
Pennsylvania
Emerging Organic Contaminant Levels Greatly Influenced by Stream Flows, Seasons
Flow rates and time of year must be taken into account to better understand the potential risks posed by emerging organic contaminants in rivers and streams, according to Penn State researchers who studied contaminant concentrations and flow characteristics at six locations near drinking water intakes in the Susquehanna River basin.
South Carolina
South Carolina Health Officials Confirm Presence of ‘Emerging Contaminants’ in Sumter Residents’ Water
SUMTER, S.C. – SC DHEC is now confirming that test results show the water at the Crescent Mobile Home Park in Sumter does in fact have significant levels of a chemical known at PFAS. That’s the same chemical the Department of Defense is blaming for possible contaminated water at hundreds of U.S. military bases.
Vermont
High Readings for PFAS Found in Montpelier And Newport Wastewater Plants
The wastewater treatment plants in Montpelier and Newport have “significantly higher” PFAS concentrations in the discharge leaving their plants, according to a recent report from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
State Report Looks at PFAS In Garbage
A state report this week found that significant quantities of PFAS are going into Vermont’s dumps, and that at least some of it is leaching back out.
Washington
Whidbey Island Water Systems Respond to State’s Draft Rules on PFAS
The Washington State Board of Health is proposing new rules that may provide new protections against a prevalent family of chemicals but also might place a significant burden on Whidbey water systems.
Navy to Test Drinking Water Near Base for Contamination
BREMERTON, Wash. — The Navy will test the drinking water of residents whose homes border Naval Base-Kitsap to determine whether there are dangerous levels of contamination from firefighting foam once used at Bangor.
Wisconsin
PFAS Wastewater Testing: Most Utilities Decline To Participate
More than 100 utilities around Wisconsin declined to participate in a request to test wastewater for PFAS, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, or DNR.
Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Sweeping PFAS Pollution Bill
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin lawmakers are introducing sweeping legislation designed to curb pollution from PFAS chemicals.
Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC) Developing PFAS Action Plan for State
The Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC) is developing a PFAS Action Plan to identify priority actions in response to growing concerns about PFAS.
