Toxic PFAS Chemical Found On Long Island — Here’s Where

A new report shows that hundreds of sites nationwide — including on Long Island — have been contaminated with highly toxic chemicals, including drinking water systems that serve an estimated 19 million people.

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 on Long Island, according to EWG:

Editor's note: This list originally included the Port Washington Water District, but that water district's board of commissioners sent Patch the following note disputing EWG's report.

"In 2017, the District had no detectable levels of PFOS. The water district proactively tests for various perfluorinated compounds. We are pleased to report that all levels are below the proposed 10 part per trillion maximum contaminant level for PFOA/PFOS recommended by New York State's Drinking Water Quality Council. It should also be noted that many of the District's facilities already have treatment in place to remove these compounds."

System name: Water Authority of Western Nassau

• Population served: 120,000
• Testing dates: 12/23/14 - 12/23/14
• PFAS detected: PFNA
• PFAS min - max: 0-32 ppt

System name: Town of Hempstead Water Department

• Population served: 110,000
• Testing dates: 6/9/14 - 1/30/15
• PFAS detected: PFOA
• PFAS min - max: 0-48 ppt

System name: Plainview WD

• Population served: 35,000
• Testing dates: 3/27/17 - 3/27/17
• PFAS detected: PFOA
• PFAS min - max: 0-3.4 ppt

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE PLAINVIEW WATER DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

The Plainview Water District has an unwavering commitment to provide water to our customers that meets or surpasses all local, state, and federal water quality standards. We proactively sample for perfluorinated compounds at all our well sites and have had no detectable levels of PFOS. We are pleased to report that levels of PFOA/PFOS continue to be at levels far below the Environmental Protection Agency’s health advisory level of 70 parts per trillion for perfluorinated compounds, and also far below the New York State’s Drinking Water Council’s proposed maximum contaminant level of 10 parts per trillion.

The District continues to regularly monitor all of our well sites for hundreds of contaminants and put treatment in place to protect our consumers. In addition, we have already implemented granular activated carbon (G.A.C) treatment at some of our wells to remove these compounds.

For more information, please see the EPA fact sheet regarding PFOA and PFOS. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/drinkingwaterhealthadvisories_pfoa_pfos_updated_5.31.16.pdf

System name: Farmingdale

• Population served: 8,405
• Testing dates: 3/24/17 - 6/22/17
• PFAS detected: PFOA
• PFAS min - max: 7.17-7.3 ppt

System name: Suffolk County Water Authority

• Population served: 1,137,108
• Testing dates: 6/1/13 - 6/1/17
• PFAS detected: PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOS
• PFAS min - max: 0-670 ppt

System name: Suffolk County Water Authority - Distribution Area 14

• Population served: 0
• Testing dates: 6/1/13 - 6/1/13
• PFAS detected: PFHpA
• PFAS min - max: 0-20 ppt

System name: Suffolk County Water Authority - Distribution Area 15

• Population served: 0
• Testing dates: 6/1/17 - 6/1/17
• PFAS detected: PFHxS
• PFAS min - max: 0-20 ppt

Contamination Site: Suffolk County Firematics Training Facility

• Location: Yaphank
• Date of Discovery: 2017
• Results (PFOS/PFOA)or Range above EPA LHAs: PFOS (<2 ppt - 2540 ppt), PFAS (<2 ppt - 133 ppt)
• Other results PFAS or Range above EPA LHAs: PFHxS: 528 ppt, PFHpA: 137 ppt, PFNA: 252 ppt
• Suspected source: Firefighting foam used at Suffolk County Firematics Training Facility

System name: Suffolk County Water Authority - Distribution Area 20

• Population served: 0
• Testing dates: 6/1/16 - 6/1/16
• PFAS detected: PFHxS
• PFAS min - max: 0-40 ppt

Contamination Site: Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Calverton

• Location: Riverhead
• Date of Discovery: 2018
• Results (PFOS/PFOA)or Range above EPA LHAs: (on-base) Combined PFOS/PFOA = 89-2,700 ppt
• Other results PFAS or Range above EPA LHAs: N/A
• Suspected source: Firefighting foam used at Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Calverton

Contamination Site: Air National Guard Base at Gabreski Airport

• Location: Westhampton Beach, Suffolk County
• Date of Discovery: 2016
• Results (PFOS/PFOA)or Range above EPA LHAs: PFOA: [gw downgradient current FT area= 6,930 ppt; gw downgradient former FT area= 653 ppt] PFOS: [gw downgradient current FT area= 58,900 ppt; gw downgradient former FT area= 44,300 ppt; Base monitoring wells: 14,300 ppt]
• Other results PFAS or Range above EPA LHAs: N/A
• Suspected source: Firefighting foam used at Air National Guard Base at Gabreski Airport

Contamination Site: Hampton Bays Fire Station

• Location: Hampton Bays
• Date of Discovery: 2017
• Results (PFOS/PFOA)or Range above EPA LHAs: Combined PFOA/PFOS (as high as 85.8 ppt)
• Other results PFAS or Range above EPA LHAs: N/A
• Suspected source: Firefighting foam used at Hampton Bays Fire Station

System name: Hampton Bays WD

• Population served: 12,500
• Testing dates: 8/19/14 - 5/18/15
• PFAS detected: PFOS
• PFAS min - max: 0-82 ppt

Contamination Site: East Hampton Airport

• Location: East Hampton
• Date of Discovery: 2017
• Results (PFOS/PFOA)or Range above EPA LHAs: One private well detected above EPA limit of 70 ppt. More test results await.
• Other results PFAS or Range above EPA LHAs: N/A
• Suspected source: Firefighting foam used at East Hampton Airport

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.