Read the full article by Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio (Urban Milwaukee)
“A manufacturer of firefighting foam says the majority of more than 250 drinking water wells it’s tested in Marinette County turned up no trace of toxic chemicals known as PFAS. But state regulators say it’s too early to tell the scope of PFAS contamination within drinking water in the area.
Found in everyday products, the so-called ‘forever chemicals’ have raised concern because they don’t break down easily in the environment, and they’ve been linked to an increased risk of some cancers. The sampling of wells in the Marinette region is part of an ongoing investigation into PFAS contamination stemming from a fire training facility at Tyco Fire Products in Marinette.
Tyco, which is part of Johnson Controls International, said in a May 14 update that 69 percent or 185 wells had no detectable levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. There were 247 out of 269 wells tested in the Town of Peshtigo and near farm fields in Porterfield that had PFAS levels below the federal health advisory level (HAL) of 70 parts per trillion (ppt).
‘Using the Federal HAL as a guideline, a person could drink an unlimited number of glasses of water daily, containing PFOA and PFOS levels up to 70 ppt, without risking illness,’ said Tyco in the update.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has recommended a more restrictive standard for groundwater of 20 parts per trillion in order to protect public health, although enforcement standards are still being crafted. There were 38 wells or 14 percent of those sampled that had PFAS levels above the state’s recommendation.
State regulators say it’s too soon to say what the sampling results mean, according to Christine Haag, director of remediation and redevelopment for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Haag said Tyco and Johnson Controls have yet to finish sampling private wells near farm fields where treated sewage sludge known as biosolids had been spread. The Marinette wastewater treatment plant had previously notified the state of significant levels of PFAS within biosolids…”