State Warns 'Do Not Consume' MA Company's Bottled Water Due To PFAS

EASTON, MA — State health officials are advising residents not to drink water sold by Easton-based Simpson Spring Company due to high PFAS levels and sanitary violations at the bottling plant, according to the state Department of Public Health.

In an advisory Wednesday, DPH advised anyone with Simpson Spring Company water to pour it down the drain and recycle the bottles. The company stopped bottling water on March 1, but has begun offering Berkshire Spring Water at its filling stations, the company said in a social media post on Friday.

"Consumers are urged not to consume any Simpson Spring products until further notice," the state bulletin said.

Under state law, drinking water cannot have more than 20 nanograms per-liter of PFAS. The state did not say what level was found in Simpson Spring Company products. The state also said "sanitary violations of DPH’s Good Manufacturing Practices for food regulations were documented during the inspections."

It's unclear how widely Simpson products have been distributed in the state. The company's website was not working as of Wednesday. A DPH spokesperson said the company's water was available at 10 stores in Bridgewater, Easton, Essex, Raynham, Weymouth and Whitman, and one store in Rhode Island. The company's operated self-service water machines in Attleboro, Brockton, Easton and West Bridgewater. The company also delivered water directly to homes, but DPH did not have details on exactly where.

All cities and towns in Massachusetts are now required to test for PFAS in drinking water, and the state also tests bottled water sold in stores. According to testing data, no bottled water products — including from popular brands like FIJI, Aquafina and SmartWater — sold in the state have come close to the state's 20 ngl/l threshold.

PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are a group of chemicals that have been used widely in industrial and consumer products dating back to the 1940s. PFAS chemicals have been found widely in drinking water sources in Massachusetts and across the nation. A major source of contamination is through firefighting foam, which may be contributing to a rise in cancer cases among firefighters.