New Jersey Under Pressure To Regulate PFCs

New Jersey’s rich industrial history has drawbacks in the form of deep water pollution challenges. The state’s water systems are among the most tainted by perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), also commonly known as perfluorochemicals (PFCs), which are unregulated contaminants linked to cancer.

“New Jersey may be a national hotspot for this type of contamination — chiefly because of the manufacturing facilities that have been based here,” NJ Advance Media reported. “Water sampled in the Gloucester County town of Woodbury had the highest concentration nationally of one variant of the compound.”

The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been gathering data on PFASs ever since state testing showed the contaminant in water systems. The department is also studying methods for treating the contaminants, including granular activated carbon (GAC) removal technology. The department said in a report that the results of its research on PFASs will help it determine if regulation is needed.

At the same time, the department is facing a rising tide of pressure from state lawmakers who want to see the contaminants regulated. Legislation introduced by state Sen. Raymond Lesniak would give the state “six months after the passage of the bill to accept the recommendations of the Drinking Water Quality Institute, which advises the department on maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for [various] hazardous chemicals in drinking water,” NJ Spotlight reported.

A Harvard University analysis of water samples nationwide found that PFASs show up in New Jersey's drinking water with greater frequency than any state except California. The study, published in August by the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, examined the level of PFASs in public water supplies.

“The Harvard study took data from earlier water samples showing the chemical in some water samples in 9 New Jersey counties, then projected how much of the watershed might be contaminated by sources of PFAS pollution,” the report said.

“In New Jersey, a little more than 10 percent of 675 water samples showed some discernible level of the chemical compounds. The counties where readings registered above the study's threshold were Bergen, Essex, Union, Middlesex, Ocean, Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester,” the report said.

The EPA issued a health advisory in May about PFAS exposure as various cities wage high-profile battles against the compounds, including Hoosick Falls, NY, and factory towns across the country. PFASs are industrial chemicals, and research has tied them to cancer, the Associated Press reported.

Research indicates exposure to PFOA and PFOS over certain levels “may result in adverse health effects, including developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy or to breastfed infants (e.g., low birth weight, accelerated puberty, skeletal variations), 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),” according to the EPA’s health advisory.

To read more about PFAS contamination visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.