Oliver Morrison reports for Public Source
State test results show that Coraopolis has some of the highest levels of PFAS contamination in its drinking water, though it doesn’t exceed the federal advisory level.
Drinking water from the Coraopolis Water and Sewer Authority showed PFAS contamination among the highest levels found in the state, though still below the federal health advisory level, according to test results released Thursday by the Department of Environmental Protection [DEP].
Editor’s note: Coraopolis is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,677 at the 2010 census. In 1940 the population peaked at 11,086. It is a small community located to the west of Pittsburgh, along the Ohio River and to the east of the Pittsburgh International Airport. Wikipedia
The tests looked for six kinds of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are chemicals added to a variety of household products such as Teflon pans, waterproof clothing and firefighting foam.
At 12.9 parts per trillion [ppt], Coraopolis had the sixth-highest total of the two most well-studied PFAS chemicals detected in its water, PFOS and PFOA.
The state’s first round of testing water systems for the presence of PFAS included 95 other entities besides Coraopolis. About two-thirds of the 96 sites tested did not show any contamination. Thirty-five of the 96 water samples tested in Pennsylvania showed some level of PFAS, with the lowest positive result showing 1.8 ppt at Materion Brush Inc. in Berks County and the highest showing 114 ppt at State of the Art in Centre County. These totals reflect levels of PFOS and PFOA.
Three other sites tested in Southwestern Pennsylvania did not show any levels of PFAS contamination. Those sites were the Oakmont and Hampton Shaler water authorities in Allegheny County and Rosebud Barrett Mine in Indiana County.
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