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| Frank Brill photo for EnviroPolitics Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in Hoosick Falls, NY contaminated the town’s water system with PFOA |
David Giambusso reports for The Record:
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has published a recommendation from the state Drinking Water Quality Institute for a maximum level for the chemical PFOA, after months of outcry from legislators and environmentalists.
The recommended level is 14 parts per trillion, significantly lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 70 parts per trillion and lower than the state’s previous level of 40 ppt. The number is the result of extensive scientific research but is a recommendation and not necessarily the final limit that will be set by the DEP.
“This level is very protective for the most sensitive populations and for the most sensitive endpoints,” Keith Cooper, chairman of the water quality institute and a professor of chemistry and microbiology at Rutgers University, said in an interview. “At this level, there shouldn’t be any effects that would be adverse.”
The DEP has come under fire recently for not publishing the institute’s recommendations, which were first made in June. Last week, the Legislature advanced a bill out of committee that would compel the DEP to take some action on the institute’s recommendations.
Concerns over PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, have been especially pronounced after it was found in high concentrations in the municipal water supply in Hoosick Falls, New York.
Related:
Committee releases bill prodding NJDEP on contaminants [Video] Hoosick Falls Residents Take Anger Over Tainted Water to New York’s Capitol USEPA Drinking Water Health Advisory for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
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