Suspected contamination source: Solvay Specialty Polymer and Arkema (Romalino, 2016)
The contamination of the borough’s water supply by PFNA was brought to public attention by a watchdog group’s review of data collected by the plastics manufacturer and submitted to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. In January 2014, the state issued an advisory to Paulsboro residents warning against feeding children under the age of 1 water from the tap. In 2015, Solvay tested 90 private wells for PFNA, with results ranging as high as 450-1,500 ppt. Paulsboro’s public water supply also had elevated levels of PFOA
As a result of a class action lawsuit, Solvay Specialty Polymer and Arkema must pay for blood testing of Paulsboro residents who drank from the borough’s contaminated water supply.
Additional Resources
Media Coverage:
- Plastics firm settles Paulsboro suit
- DEP Urged to Act Quickly on Hazardous Chemicals Found in NJ Water Supplies
Full citations are available on the second page of the full contamination site tracker. We ask for your additions, changes, questions and comments be sent to pfasproject@gmail.com.