Foam In Mahoney Creek Poses No Health Risks: City

BATAVIA, IL — The Illinois Department of Public Health completed its investigation into the Mahoney Creek foam discharge and determined it isn't expected to pose health risks, city officials announced Monday.

A mysterious white foam filled Mahoney Creek in March after officials said Flint Group, a printing equipment and supplies corporation with a site in Batavia, discharged an aqueous film-forming foam used to extinguish liquid fires, Patch reported.

The IDPH reviewed data from water and soil samples collected by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Batavia and Flint Group between March 14 and April 4 and determined the risk of health effects to be low.

"The City of Batavia is relieved to receive the findings in this letter and we appreciate everyone's due diligence and the public’s patience as we awaited the interpretation of the results," City Administrator Laura Newman said in a statement.

RELATED: Foam In Mahoney Creek? Batavia Officials Work To Determine Cause

Investigators compared soil and water results to health-based screening values developed by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to identify potential contaminants. Perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid were detected and retained for further screenings. At the same time, all other PFAS were either not detected, were detected below or don't have established screening values, according to a news release.

PFAS chemicals have been linked to various health problems, including high cholesterol, liver damage and immune system effects. PFOA is known to cause cancer in several organs, while PFOS is suspected of being a liver carcinogen.

"The assessed PFAS exposure doses fall within safe limits set by these guidelines, suggesting that the described health effects are not expected to occur," Batavia officials said.

Officials said the IDPH analyzed samples showing levels above safety standards using a tool by ATSDR to assess health risks for people engaging in recreational activities. They assumed people 6 and older could be exposed to contaminated soil near Mahoney Creek and the Fox River for over 33 years based on certain frequencies and durations of contact. Incidental ingestion and skin contact were also considered.

"Results showed that the likelihood of health issues from exposure to contaminants in the soil near Mahoney Creek was low, with adverse health effects unlikely, according to the evaluation letter," city officials said.