Tests find traces of chemical group in Tri-Town water

By Fred Hanson

The Patriot Ledger

Posted Nov 15, 2019 at 4:25 AM

Updated Nov 15, 2019 at 8:32 PM

   

Low levels of PFAS have been found in the water system for Braintree, Randolph and Holbrook, officials said.

BRAINTREE — Residents of the towns of Braintree, Randolph and Holbrook will be receiving a notice that low levels of a family of chemicals have been detected in the water supply.

While the levels of per- and polyflouroalky substances, known as PFAS, are well within current state and federal limits, the Tri-Town Water Board voted at a meeting Thursday to send out the notices “out of an abundance of caution” and “in an effort to be proactive and transparent”

Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan, who chairs the Tri-Town board, said the chemicals were found during testing conducted for the design of a proposed regional water treatment plant.

The average level of PFAS in the water system is 24.5 parts per trillion. Randolph Town Manager Brian Howard said this is the equivalent to a “grain of sand in an Olympic-sized pool.”

The federal and state advisory level for PFAS is 70 parts per trillion, but Helen Gordon of Environmental Partners, which is working on the design of the plant, said state officials are considering reducing the state limit for the chemicals to 20 parts per trillion.

Much higher levels have been found in groundwater at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station, believed to be from the use of firefighting foam.

PFAS are a family of more than 4,700 different chemicals that were developed in the mid-20th century. They have been used in a variety of products, including non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, food packaging and firefighting foam. They do not break down and can accumulate in the body.

The chemicals have been linked to a number of adverse health impacts, according to the federal Environmental Protection Administration, from weakening the immune system in children, to reproductive problems, to increasing cholesterol levels and causing tumors.

Sullivan said officials of the three towns committed to sending out the notices at a recent meeting with state environmental officials.

In the notice, the board stresses that water supply source “meets or exceeds public water supply quality standards. We remain committed to providing a clean and safe water supply to residents.”

The board said work is underway on a treatment system to reduce PFAS levels. It said testing for the chemicals will continue on a regular basis and customers will be updated on the results.