Read the full article by Emily Clark (Wicked Local Plymouth)
“PLYMOUTH – The state’s Department of Environmental Protection says the limit should be 20 parts per trillion. The federal government advises it should be 70 parts per trillion.
Plymouth’s water is below both.
The question?
How much Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are in Plymouth’s water?
PFAS and PFOS are man-made fluorinated organic chemicals found in a myriad of products like Teflon cookware, food packaging, stain repellents and firefighting foams, and more. Scientists warn that PFAS and PFOS are potential health hazards, linked to cancer, learning disabilities, fertility issues, high cholesterol, hormone suppression, liver damage and thyroid disease, among others. State and federal regulators are particularly concerned about the presence of PFAS and PFOS in drinking water.
Firefighting foam routinely used in training exercises and to extinguish two separate tanker fires that occurred years ago at Joint Base, Cape Cod, has led to higher than accepted levels of PFAS in groundwater readings in that surrounding area.
According to the Cape Cod Times, levels in nearby areas have been as high as 27,000 parts per trillion.
With Cape Cod experiencing this problem, some Plymouth town officials and residents expressed their concern over Plymouth’s levels of these toxins.
Residents can breathe a sigh of relief. The town’s wells, including the Bradford I, Bradford 2, Lout Pond, South Ponds 1, South Ponds 2, Federal Furnace, Darby Pond, North Plymouth, Wannos Pond, Ship Pond, Ellisville and Savery Ponds wells were all tested and found to have levels below both reporting limits. In other words, the level is below the more stringent proposed state level of 20 parts per trillion.
That’s good news for residents who draw their water from these wells and for the town as well…”