http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/9487080.htm
August 25, 2004
St. Paul Pioneer Press
(Minnesota)
Chemical found
in 7 wells
Trace amounts of PFOA well below level thought dangerous
BY MARY DIVINE
Small amounts of a
common industrial chemical used in making Teflon, Gore-Tex and hundreds
of other products have been found in seven private
wells near the former Lake Jane Landfill in Lake Elmo.
State health department
officials said Tuesday the amounts of perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA,
were well below the level considered dangerous for drinking water.
The
highest level detected in the wells along 31st Street North was 0.9 parts
per billion.
The Minnesota Health Department recommends 7 parts per billion, said Jim
Kelly, health risk assessor for the department.
"Residents can
continue to drink well water at these concentrations," Kelly said.
A monitoring well at the 40-acre landfill, southeast of Lake Jane Trail
and Jamaca Avenue, showed a level of 70 parts per billion. Results
of a recent joint investigation by the health department and the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency were mailed Monday to 80 area residents. Water
samples were collected from 32 private wells in June; 25 wells showed
no sign of PFOA.
Lab
tests have linked PFOA to cancer, birth defects, liver problems and delays
in sexual maturation.
Several recent studies found the chemical has spread throughout the world
and has a long environmental lifespan.
"It's been found
in polar bears and penguins (in the Arctic) to albatrosses in the middle
of the Pacific," Kelly said.
Products containing
PFOA include nonstick cookware and protective finishes on carpets and
clothing.
Following last year's
risk assessment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Minnesota
Department of Health helped develop sampling and testing methods to measure
PFOA in groundwater. Officials tested for PFOA at the Lake Jane Landfill
for the first time in June, and it was detected
at low levels in monitoring wells on the landfill property in shallow
and deeper ground water.
The Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency and the health department will continue to monitor the
private wells on an annual basis and determine sampling frequency based
on the results, said Mike Rafferty, a spokesman for the pollution control
agency.
Washington
and Ramsey counties jointly operated the Lake Jane Landfill in Lake Elmo
from 1969 until 1975, when it was closed and covered.
Contaminants leaking into the groundwater were discovered at the 40-acre
site in 1981, and the counties provided alternate drinking water supplies
to affected residents and installed a pump-and-treat system.
Since 1996, the Pollution
Control Agency's closed landfill program has taken more steps to address
groundwater contamination by improving the landfill's cover and groundwater
treatment systems. Lake Elmo officials immediately posted news of the
PFOA test results on the city's Web site on Tuesday, said city administrator
Marty Rafferty.
"So far, things
don't look too bad," Rafferty said. "The preliminary results
show very low levels, but we want residents to be aware of it."
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Mary Divine covers Washington County. She can be reached at mdivine@pioneerpress.com
or 651-228-5443.
