Tammy Baldwin and two dozen other U.S. Senators have co-signed a letter urging the U.S. EPA to establish enforceable and protective standards for a group of highly toxic chemicals that have contaminated groundwater and drinking water wells in communities across the nation.
“We write regarding the serious public health concerns related to groundwater contamination from Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in communities and on Department of Defense installations across our states, and to urge you to take swift action to address these concerns,” the April 13 letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt emphasizes.
According to studies cited by the EPA, exposure to PFAS may result in adverse health effects, including developmental effects to fetuses during pregnancy or to breastfed infants, cancer, liver effects, immune effects, thyroid effects and more.
In Baldwin’s home state of Wisconsin, three fire training burn pits at U.S. Army Garrison Fort McCoy near Sparta are the source of high concentrations of PFAS in groundwater. Reported contaminant concentrations are as high as 120,000 parts per trillion (ppt), far above the federal cumulative Health Advisory Level of 70 ppt for two of the most prevalent PFAS detected in drinking water.
The exceedances at Fort McCoy are of particular concern as groundwater feeds at least seven trout streams that run throughout the property, including areas open to public fishing. Many states, including Wisconsin, have issued fish consumption advisories for PFAS in certain water bodies as eating fish is a major pathway for human exposure to these compounds.
There are currently no federal groundwater or drinking water enforcement standards for any of the 3,000 known PFAS compounds. However, for states like Wisconsin, PFAS compounds discharged to the environment meet the state’s legal definition of a hazardous substance and/or environmental pollution. Consequently, responsible parties – including the U.S. military – must comply with requirements for immediate notification, investigation, and remediation, according to a recent Wisconsin DNR memo.
The definition of a hazardous substance at a Superfund site and in some other states’ laws may differ, leaving some communities “in limbo” the Senators wrote.
Some PFAS are found in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) which has been used in training exercises and to extinguish fires in places such as commercial airports and military installations. AFFF is the suspected source of the high levels of PFAS in groundwater at a commercial site near Marinette, Wisconsin.
Groundwater testing at the Tyco-Ansul Fire Technology Center detected total concentrations of two PFAS compounds as high as 202,000 ppt which is 2,800 times higher than the EPA advisory level of 70 ppt for the two combined. So far, 35 residential water wells have tested positive for contamination, confirming that nearby families have been exposed.
CSWAB successfully petitioned the State of Wisconsin earlier this year to begin the rule-making process for certain PFAS compounds in groundwater and drinking water. The group is also pressing for an investigation of the fire training areas at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant for potential PFAS contamination.
Among the Senators signing the letter to EPA are: Jack Reed (RI-D), Debbie Stabenow (MI-D), Elizabeth Warren (MA-D), Richard J. Durbin (IL-D), Maria Cantwell (WA-D), Bernie Sanders (VA-Independent), Sherrod Brown (OH-D), Kamala D. Harris (CA-D), and Tammy Duckworth (IL-D).