Marinette, WI – Based on recommendations from the Wisconsin Division of Health, state regulators have issued a letter requiring Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) and Tyco Fire Products to inform residents of all contaminants detected in residential drinking water wells, instead of only a few chemicals.
The WDNR August 12 letter requires JCI and Tyco Fire Products to report all PFAS compounds as detections in the laboratory analytical reports, noting that previous notification letters to area residents only reported detected concentrations of PFOA and PFOS – only 2 of 36 PFAS chemicals analyzed. The responsible parties are also required to report any additional analytes samples that were collected such as pesticides and lead.
“This specific additional information is needed because previous notification letters failed to adequately discuss all hazardous substances of concern which may be present in the sampling results,” the WDNR letter says.
The action follows a formal complaint by Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) in June. CSWAB argued that the decision to provide bottled water to Marinette area residents earlier this year was based on test results for only two forms of PFAS and ignored the potential risk posed by exposure to the other contaminants detected in the same drinking water sample.
“Communications issued by the responsible parties provided families who did not receive bottled water with a tacit assurance that their drinking water was safe to use,” said Laura Olah, Executive Director of CSWAB.
“In one residential well, testing detected 21 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS but had an alarming total PFAS concentration of 651.1 ppt,” Olah said. “In another well, PFOA and PFOS were not detected at all, but total concentrations of other PFAS chemicals were 191 ppt.”
“For these reasons, CSWAB has also petitioned the State for a health advisory level for the summed-total concentration of all PFAS in drinking water,” Olah emphasized. “Regulating toxic chemicals as a group is nothing new – the State currently regulates PCBs, dioxins, furans and other highly toxic compounds as a class.”
WDNR Letter Ordering Tyco JCI to Disclose ALL PFAS Detections in Drinking Water 12 August 2020