A drinking water sample taken from a Bergen County, NJ town had one of the highest concentrations of an increasingly common group of toxic chemicals found across the nation in a survey of water systems, according to a report issued Wednesday.
By Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
By Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
The sample taken in Bergenfield in August detected 12 compounds of PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals used in everyday products for almost a century and which have been linked in recent years to cancer and other ailments.
The levels of PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, did not exceed a federal health standard for drinking water. Tests by the Suez water company, which supplies Bergenfield and dozens of other Bergen and Hudson County towns, also show PFAS levels below that standard.
But the results still ranked Bergen County number four in the nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.
“It’s a snapshot of what’s happening locally, but it also shows the ubiquity of PFAS in our water nationally,” said Sydney Evans, an analyst for the advocacy group and an author of the report.
The chemicals are found in non-stick pans, polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products and firefighting foams. Brand names that contain the chemicals include Stainmaster, Scotchgard, Teflon and Gore-Tex.
PFAS compounds like PFOA, PFOS and GenX, have been found in drinking water from such upscale towns as Ridgewood in Bergen County to shore towns like Toms River to sparsely populated communities at the southwestern tip of New Jersey.
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