EPA Issues New Drinking Water Health Advisories: See Illinois Impacts

ILLINOIS — Human-made “forever chemicals” found in water supplies across the country, including numerous cities and subdivision in Illinois, are more dangerous than previously thought, and local utilities should install filters to remove them or at least tell customers how dangerous they are, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are known as “forever chemicals” because of their durability in high heat and water, which means they remain in the environment for years without breaking down. They’re found in a range of food and consumer products, and have been linked to infertility, thyroid problems and several types of cancer.

No state is untouched by PFAS contamination, according to a map compiled by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit organization sometimes criticized for exaggerating certain toxicity risks. But a growing body of scholarly and government research backs the assertion of both the EPA and EWG that even at low levels currently, these chemicals can cause harm over a person’s lifetime.

The map released by EWG showed numerous Illinois towns and several military sites in Illinois that were identified as being at risk. Here's a sampling:

• Machesney Park: 374 PFAS
• Freeport: 239 PFAS
• Crest Hill: 92 PFAS
• Algonquin: 38 PFAS
• Aurora: 24 PFAS

The numbers reflect levels at the time of testing and do not reflect whether a water system is treating the water to reduce levels.

Last year, a study showed more than 100 drinking water supplies in Illinois tested positive for measurable levels of PFAS.

The best thing people can do right now is install one of several commercially available filters, but they need to make sure the filter removes PFAS.

Melanie Benesh, legislative attorney for the EWG, told The Washington Post the EPA’s advisory “should set off alarm bells for consumers and regulators.”

“These proposed advisory levels demonstrate that we must move much faster to dramatically reduce exposures to these toxic chemicals,” Benesh said.

Communities with PFAS contamination may be eligible for funding under a $1 billion grant program included in the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure package approved by Congress last year.

In April, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against 3M over fears of contamination at its plant on the Mississippi River in Cordova, Illinois. The 60-page lawsuit accuses 3M of violating the Federal Clean Water Act and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act by leaking PFAS into the river and soil.

U.S. manufacturers have phased out PFOA and PFOS, two compounds found in the cluster of forever chemicals widely used in nonstick cookware, moisture-repellent fabrics and flame-retardant equipment. A few uses remain, and they’re ubiquitous in the environment, having accumulated since the 1940s, National Public Radio reported.

Even at levels so low they can’t be detected in drinking water, these compounds pose a health risk, the EPA said in the revised advisory. The agency lowered the allowable limits of these two compounds, immediately drawing fire from the chemical industry

The American Chemical Council, which represents PFAS producers such as 3M and Dupont, said Wednesday the EPA’s new standards “will have sweeping implications” on public policy, and “cannot be achieved with existing treatment technology and, in fact, are below levels that can be reliably detected using existing EPA methods.”

Further, the industry group questioned the science behind the revised drinking water health advisory, saying it should have been delayed until the agency’s own Science Advisory Board could review dramatically reduced toxicity levels that are “3,000 to 17,000 times lower” than those set in 2016.
“Getting the science right is of critical importance,” the American Chemical Council said in a statement.

Health advocates say the problem can’t be overstated. Forever chemicals have already prompted officials in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan to issue advisories against eating certain fish caught in Lake Superior.