Trump Hides Toxins in Drinking Water Study – Impacts NJ 

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), which is part of the Centers for Disease Control, is currently readjusting its standards for acceptable levels toxic chemicals in drinking water and is expected to propose that safe levels be almost six times stricter than EPA’s current recommendation. Scott Pruitt’s EPA and the White House sought to block publication of this study on a nationwide water-contamination crisis, after one Trump administration aide warned it would cause a “public relations nightmare,” newly disclosed emails reveal.

“The Trump Administration is hiding these studies because they are more concerned about their image than they are about protecting our health. They care more about public relations than clean drinking water for the people of this country. This has a big impact on New Jersey because more people are exposed to PFOs and PFAs in New Jersey than in any other state. 1.6 million people in New Jersey are exposed to these toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and weaken immune systems,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The delay and hiding information will put more people at risk and impact their health. The State of New Jersey must go forward with adopting stricter standards so that we can protect the health of the public and the environment.”

PFOAs and PFAs are also associated with serious health risks, including testicular and kidney cancer; liver tissue damage; weakened immune systems and increased cholesterol; and developmental problems like low birth weight, accelerated puberty and skeletal variations, the notice said. 20% of the people in NJ have PFOA and PFAs in their water. High levels of the chemical were found in Burlington County, New Jersey, in a stream that runs from a wastewater plant at the Maguire-Fort Dix-Lakehurst military base to Rancocas Creek. PFC’s were detected at a combined level of 1,127 parts per trillion (ppt), the highest level detected so far, according to EWG. PFNA levels seven times the newly proposed standard was also found near the South Jersey town of Paulsboro where Solvay Specialty Polymers manufactured the chemical between 1985 and 2010.

“They are hiding this report because this is a serious problem here in New Jersey. 20% of the people in New Jersey are exposed to these toxic chemicals. Last year, PFOS was found at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the surrounding areas in Burlington County. In Salem and Gloucester County, PFOs found near the Solvay site were seven times over standard. The longer we wait to develop stricter standards, the more people’s health is at risk. Repeated exposure to PFOS can lead to development defects in children and pregnant women, liver and kidney problems, and even tumors. Blocking the report will delay cleanup for sites like Solvay and For Dix,” said Tittel.  

Delays of the study shows the Trump administration is placing politics ahead of an urgent public health concern. The ATSDR toxicology profile, according to the unnamed White House official, finds such effects even at levels below the 70-parts-per-trillion level EPA has currently deemed safe for drinking water.

“The Trump Administration is covering up for corporate polluters by delaying this drinking water study. This is part of their arrogance and abuse of power. They are exposing children and families to toxic chemicals and jeopardizing their health. People have the right to know about any contaminants in their drinking water. Keeping this information from them is just reckless,” said Tittel.

The substance has been used in foams used for firefighting and training, particularly in specialized firefighting foams at airports and military bases. These foams were used on the Joint Base where contamination was noted last year. In a March report to Congress, the Defense Department listed 126 facilities where tests of nearby water supplies showed the substances exceeded the current safety guidelines. In January 2017, PFOA and PFOS were found in the groundwater at the NJ Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and contamination was found off-base, in a surrounding community.

“The Christie Administration was more concerned with polluters than protecting people’s health and failed to adopt stricter drinking water standards. Now that we have a new Governor and Administration, the DEP has officially adopted a standard of 13ng/L for PFNA’s in our groundwater. We should look to strengthen the standard to 5 ppt, based on the most up-to-date standard,”

Under Christie, the DEP had since 2015 to adopt this standard. DEP has even had the science about chemicals in our drinking water and the need to expand testing, Governor Christie vetoed a bill to require DEP set stricter standards. In February, under the Murphy Administration, The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officially adopted amendments to the Ground Water Quality Standards, including adoption of a stricter standard for Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA). The Drinking Water Quality Institute had recommended at Maximum Contaminant Level for PFNA in July 2015 at 13 ppt, which is the standard adopted by the DEP. The amendments include adding PFNA as a Hazardous Substance under the Spill Compensation and Control Act. The New Jersey Sierra Club supports an even stricter standard of 5 ppt.

“NJDEP needs to recognize the problem of PFOAs and set standards to prevent these things from happenings. These chemicals are harmful, especially to children. We have seen PFOAs show up too often in our waterways yet the DEP has not set any standards to fix this problem. New Jersey needs to move to adopt stricter regulations for PFOA in our drinking water,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We must make sure the people of New Jersey are not being exposed to PFOS or other toxins in our drinking water and that is why New Jersey must move quickly with the strongest standard possible.”