Read the full article by Colleen Cronin (EcoRI News)
“BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — After the town of North Smithfield upgraded an artificial turf field in 2021, the level of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, in a well downgradient from the field doubled.
Samplings collected by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management ‘suggest that the artificial turf field … may be partly or wholly contributing to the contamination of nearby private and public drinking water supply wells,’ both agencies wrote in a letter reviewed by ecoRI News.
The well described in the RIDOH/DEM letter is 150 feet downgradient from North Smithfield Junior-Senior High School’s turf field, which was first installed in 2007 and upgraded with a new turf carpet three years ago.
From the most recent sampling, done in June, the agencies detected a PFAS concentration of 61 nanograms per liter (ng/L), double the level found in 2019, before the turf was replaced, and exceeding the state’s 20 ng/L drinking water standard.”…