PFOA and PFOS and Their Effect on Drinking Water

Aquifers and underground water below the Long Island have provided drinking water for its residents since habituation began with the Dutch. This water source has been paramount in our growth, and it is responsible for supporting the huge population that Long Island sustains today. Contaminants in this water are dangerous and have the potential to reach millions of people.

Recently, two variations of a new contaminant, PFOA, and PFOS, were found in the water supply. These contaminants originate from fire fighting foam, among other, common sources. Their concentration did not meet the required parts per million to cause danger, but they must be monitored moving forward to avoid possible public health concerns and issues.

PFOA and PFOS is a byproduct of production, most notably the production of Teflon. Teflon has been in production since the 1940s and has a variety of uses including non-stick coating on cookware, refrigeration, and protectant for fabrics.PFOA and PFOS are also prevalent in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF).

AFFF was first utilized by the United States Air Force in the 1970s. It is the most effective way of fighting and extinguishing petroleum or hydrocarbon fuel fires because of its unique ability to form an aqueous film on the surface of the ignited fuel, repressing any subsequent reignition. This film is also self-healing, and any breaks in its surface caused by debris are rapidly repaired according to the US Naval Research Lab. These properties make AFFF a valuable resource and very effective at preventing further disaster.

Chris Meehan, a 47-year-old Navy veteran from Manorville, had firsthand experience with AFFF during his military service on the aircraft carrier “Forrestal” in the early 1990s. The sailors referred to the aqueous film-forming foam as “A-triple-f”, and it was a familiar sight onboard the ship.

“It was sprayed down out of giant hoses and looked like water at first. After it was exposed to air it would foam up and look like soap suds,” he recounted.

AFFF was used during drills in case of a fire. On the top deck of the ship, jets and other military aircraft were constantly being fueled and changed. The risk of fire due to ignited fuel was very high and people had to be on standby to quench potentially catastrophic fires. Hose hookups to tanks of AFFF were abundantly located in numerous places around the ship. Drills were performed frequently to ensure that the crew could quickly extinguish any potential fires.

“Once the drill was over, the foam was just sprayed off the deck into the ocean. Nobody really thought anything of it.” Chris said.
During the 1990s there were no existing health advisories about the harmful components in the foam. “People were getting sprayed down with it. People constantly got it all over their hands and skin and clothes.” This nonchalant attitude towards new, largely unknown substances is what caused the high concentration in the domestic water supply currently.

This widespread use has contributed greatly to the presence of PFOA and PFOS in the water supply. Although PFOA and PFOS have been found in the water supply of places all over the country, Long Island faces a unique problem because of our natural underground drinking water supply.

Cleanup of AFFF has historically been to simply wash away the foam with a high powered water hose after the conflagration has been extinguished. This has proven to be problematic. Washing the foam away with water incorporates the foam and its components into the water. This water becomes runoff and is absorbed into our aquifers, which in turn contaminates our drinking supply.

Suffolk County government is aware of the presence of these chemicals in the water and have tested the water according to the drinking water health advisory level. The allowed concentration for PFOS and PFOA is 0.07 parts per billion (ppb). According to the Suffolk County Department of Health, “This health advisory has been established to provide everyone, including the most sensitive populations (developing fetus and infants who may be breastfed or fed formula mixed with water), with a margin of protection from exposure to PFOS and PFOA in drinking water, even if that exposure were to occur throughout their life.”

This compound is recognized as dangerous by the county department of health and is actively being looked into. According to the Water Authority 2016 Drinking Water Report, two wells in Suffolk County, one in Westhampton Beach near Gabreski Airport, and another in Stony Brook both reported concerning concentrations of PFOS.

The wells are still in operation, and both were blended with others in the county to reduce the concentration of nitrates in the water supply. This blending improves overall water quality and is done frequently.

The Suffolk County Water Authority also filed two separate product liability lawsuits against several manufacturers of fire foams and other products containing PFOA and PFOS, including the Dow Chemical Co. and 3-M.

An article in Newsday states that, “The water authority, which serves 1.2 million residents in Suffolk County and maintains about 600 wells, is suing the companies to recover “substantial” costs to treat and clean up the contaminants now and in the future, arguing that the companies knew or should have known that these chemicals would end up in the county’s groundwater and threaten public health. The lawsuits did not specify the damages the water authority is seeking, but its chairman, James Gaughran, estimated that cleanup costs will be in the millions.”

The water authority will use the money from the lawsuit to pay for the granular activated carbon treatment to remove the contaminants. Activated carbon is a common component in gas masks and other filtering devices. It works through a process called adsorption, in which pollutant molecules in the water, or liquid being filtered, are trapped inside the pore structure of the carbon.

This the current system in place for removing and regulating high PFOA and PFOS levels in the water. Treatments of this type have been in use since ancient Egypt when the Egyptians discovered that storing water along with charcoal led to better tasting, fresher water. This technology is constantly being updated and led to the filters we currently have in use.
PFOA and PFOS are now being regulated because of possible health concerns. The EPA’s health advisory for these chemicals is based on recent peer-reviewed studies concerning laboratory rats and their exposure to these compounds.

A recent EPA study states that, “Exposure to PFOA and PFOS over certain levels may result in adverse health effects, including cancer (e.g., testicular, kidney), liver effects (e.g., tissue damage), immune effects (e.g., antibody production and immunity), thyroid effects and other effects (e.g., cholesterol changes).”

The EPA was motivated to put out regulations to protect what they call, “our most sensitive populations”, or children. Further studies are also being done to determine any further correlation between developmental issues and the concentration of these compounds in children.
Although products like Teflon and AFFF are very useful and may even prevent tragedy, they should not be overused. When substances are first developed, it is impossible to know the future repercussions they may later present. These aforementioned products caused much of the current problem with two similar and toxic compounds, PFOA and PFOS, entering the water supply.

The EPA’s warning about these compounds points to these chemicals as the cause of several diseases including cancers and thyroid abnormalities, as well as developmental issues in children.

Suffolk County is taking these warnings seriously and are taking action. They have orchestrated several activated carbon treatments for local wells containing these contaminants and have sued manufacturers that are responsible. Moving forward, PFOA and PFOS concentration is a threat that the county must keep its eye on.