‘Forever chemical’ tops limits but company, state say customers face no risk
The Department of Environmental Protection says there’s no immediate health risk from drinking water from a South Plainfield treatment plant even though it exceeds a new state standard for the toxic “forever chemical” PFOA.
In a statement, the DEP seemed to side with the plant’s operator, Middlesex Water Co., which has said the exceedance does not represent a threat to public health although the water’s PFOA content will likely remain above the state’s “maximum contaminant limit” until a new treatment plant opens in mid-2023.
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“Exceeding the standard (MCL) for PFOA does not create an acute violation, like drinking water contaminated with E. coli (bacteria), that is likely to have immediate health effects,” the DEP said Tuesday in response to a question from NJ Spotlight News. “However, people who drink water containing PFOA above the NJ drinking water standards (MCL) over time have an increased risk of certain adverse health effects from such consumption.”
On Oct. 22, Middlesex told about 29,000 customers in six towns that water from its South Plainfield plant contained PFOA at a level that exceeded the state standard. The company later almost doubled its estimate to about 57,000 affected customers, and said it is looking for ways of complying with the regulation before its new treatment plant opens in mid-2023.
Company won’t give bottled water or filters
The investor-owned utility has said that there’s no immediate risk to public health and that it will not supply bottled water or filters to remove the chemical. It did not respond to a request for comment on the DEP’s statement.
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