EPA's Jackson Worked to Shelve PFOA Study

Pretty interesting read here on efforts by Obama's EPA chief, Lisa Jackson, to scrap a PFOA study during her time in New Jersey.

You can find all of GPB's previous coverage on PFOA here.

EPA Looking For Likely Carcinogen in NW Georgia Drinking Water

GPB has learned the Environmental Protection Agency tested drinking water supplies for a likely carcinogen in the Rome and Dalton areas earlier this year.

Samples were collected at the end of March. The agency tested for PFOA, and for other similar compounds. That’s according to internal EPA documents obtained by GPB.

According to preliminary results, the EPA found the likely carcinogen in the drinking water supply at one part per billion. Federal officials say that’s an acceptable level, however, that level is at least twice as high as what’s allowed in other states, such as Minnesota and New Jersey.

Those states are concerned about the health risks of exposure to PFOA and other similar compounds. PFOA has been linked to infertility, birth defects, various types of cancers, dementia and stroke. The chemical is believed to come from the carpet industry in Dalton, where it’s been used as a stain guard. The EPA expects the final results to come in by the end of the summer. No public health advisories have been issued, or are expected to be issued, based on the preliminary results.

Dalton Carpet Industry: Bye, Bye PFOA

The Carpet and Rug Institute told GPB Wednesday that the chemical PFOA has "a cloud of suspicion" hanging over it's head.

The lobbying group also announced the carpet industry in Dalton no longer uses the chemistry that produces the chemical.

This announcement is a reversal of CRI's position, as stated to GPB last year.

PFOA is a likely carcinogen, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. It is found in high amounts in NW Georgia's Conasauga River.

The river is a source of drinking water for the towns of Calhoun and Rome.

The chemical is emitted into the river by Dalton's carpet industry.

In a yet to be aired interview with WSB TV in Atlanta, CRI said the industry stopped using C-8 chemistry in January. They say PFOA is produced by this chemistry.

In essence what they are saying, is that PFOA is no longer being emitted.

Werner Braun is the head of the CRI.

"The message that this industry is that we have done the responsibly right thing to get out of these chemistry's because there is a cloud of suspicion hanging over C-8chemistry's."

One of Braun's assistants said the CRI did not publicize the decision because, "at the levels it [PFOA] was at, it's not a big deal." Yet, James Beach also went on to say "I wouldn't want this stuff [bio-accumulating] in my body."

EPD: Actually, About That PFOA Testing...

For ten months, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division publicly said it was testing Northwest Georgia drinking water for a likely carcinogenic chemical. But now, the EPD says it never tested for PFOA in drinking water intakes.

The revelation comes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a drinking water advisory for PFOA.

The chemical is found in high amounts in the Conasauga River, a source of drinking water for Northwest Georgia, including Rome. After a series of critical media stories were aired and published, the EPD announced it would test drinking water intakes for the compound. And for the past ten months, officials confirmed testing would take place.

Now, the project manager, Jeremy Smith, tells GPB there has been “a mix-up,” and that another EPD official misspoke. No further explanation was given. The EPD has no plans to test the drinking water.

The agency is still testing fish pulled from the river for PFOA, and those results are expected by spring.

Decatur PFOA Find Could Lead to Regulations

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials are investigating how record amounts of PFOA and other Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) turned up in Decatur, Alabama sludge.

The investigation could eventually lead to regulated PFOA standards in sewage treatment, officials say, although much more data and studies would need to be completed before making such a determination. Already, the high levels in Decatur prompted an EPA drinking water advisory for PFOA and PFOS.

The question investigators have is whether Decatur is a unique case.

PFOA is classified by the EPA as a “likely carcinogen,” and numerous studies have linked it to various cancers. It is often described as a byproduct of making stain resistant carpet, and an ingredient in manufacturing non-stick surfaces such as Teflon.

Any new standards could impact a wastewater treatment plant in Whitfield County operated by Dalton Utilities that releases PFOA and other PFCs that eventually end up in the Conasauga River, a source of drinking water for several Northwest Georgia Communities.

Some samples gathered by the EPA in the Conasauga's surface water have shown 12.5 times the advisable amount for drinking water.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division tested the Conasaugua for PFOA and PFCs, but are still evaluating the results from that summer survey.

Dalton Utilities says they need more guidance from permitting authorities, and will not change operations until then.

In an effort to find the sources of PFOA in Decatur, EPA officials have requested information from fourteen companies with Alabama operations, including 3M, Japanese based chemical manufacturer Daikin, and Toray Flurofibers. According to EPA officials, all three chemical companies have been cooperative and are not suspected of any wrongdoing or law violations.

The EPA is also looking into privately held Alabama waste company, Biological Processors of Alabama, Inc, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

According to several EPA workers, the Decatur case has prompted renewed interest in studying PFOA and other related compounds as a matter of public health. As recently as last year, the EPA was criticized by some chemical makers for devoting resources towards studying PFOA, which is scheduled to be phased out by 2015.

EPA Advisory Came After Record PFOA Find

GPB has confirmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found what is believed to be the highest concentrations of PFOA in soil ever collected in the United States at a non-spill site near Decatur, Alabama.

While the specific amount of the likely carcinogenic compound has not been publicly disclosed, Gail Mitchell of the EPA confirmed the PFOA was found very near the parts per million range at a site that processes sludge from waste water.

"The levels we found did generate a significant amount of concern for us," Mitchell said.

Mitchell cautions that limited samples were collected, suggesting the results could be outliers.

Numerous studies have linked PFOA exposure to multiple cancers. The EPA has not definitively ruled on how much PFOA exposure might put humans at a health risk, prompting the "likely carcinogen" classification.

PFOA is a chemical often described as a by product of making stain resistant carpet. It's also found in non-stick coating, such as Teflon.

The samples were collected in the fall of 2007 and processed in October of last year. After the results came back, EPA officials moved quickly to establish an advisory placing drinking water standards of .4 parts per billion for PFOA due to concern the contamination leaked into the local water table.

Subsequent testing by the EPA has shown the local water supply was not contaminated with amounts of PFOA higher than the advisory.

The EPA has also contacted the United States Department of Agriculture about possible contamination of cattle that graze on grass fertilized with the sludge.

The USDA and the Food and Drug Administration are currently testing livestock for the presence of the chemical.

The EPA is also investigating several industries as possible sources of the PFOA.

Researchers are now studying how PFOA is transferred in sludge applications around the country after the findings in Decatur, said Mitchell.

"The chemicals are widely used in industry, so it's not surprising there would be some concentrations showing up in municipal sewage sludge in most places. The question is are those concentrations at a level that would pose a risk to public health."

PFOA has been found in high concentrations in Georgia's Conasauga River, a source of drinking water for several North Georgia communities, at higher concentrations than allowable in other states, including New Jersey and Minnesota. The chemical gets in that river via a sewage land application system in Dalton, home to much of the US carpet industry.

For GPB's coverage of PFOA in the Conasauga, log onto:
http://www.gpb.org/georgiagazette/conasauga

11th Hour PFOA Advisory Issued by Bush Administration

Before leaving office, Bush administration officials issued a first-ever advisory on how much PFOA, a likely carcinogen, should be in drinking water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says drinking water should contain only .4 parts per-billion of PFOA.The likely carcinogen has been found in concentrations as high as five-parts per-billion in Northwest Georgia's Conasauga River, a drinking water source to Rome and other communities.

The chemical compound gets in the river from a spray field operated by energy provider Dalton Utilities.The advisory, however, is not mandatory and Dalton Utilities says, it won't take any action on it until told to do so by the company's permitting authority, the state Environmental Protection Division.

So far, the EPD hasn't commented on the federal advisory, a first of its kind. Other states, including Minnesota, have put even stricter limits on PFOA, measuring its acceptable levles in parts per trillion.

For all of GPB's coverage of PFOA in the Conasauga, log onto:
http://www.gpb.org/georgiagazette/conasauga

Fishing Advisory Possible On Parts of Conasauga

A spokesman for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division says a fishing advisory could be issued for the Conasauga River in Northwest Georgia. That's if a report showing high levels of a likely carcinogen is confirmed.

The EPD expects their testing of four sites on the Conasauga to be completed by the end of the month.

This is the first time the EPD has publicly raised the possibility of a fishing advisory since a University of Georgia study showed high levels of PFOA contamination in the river in January. PFOA, or C-8, as it’s also called, is a chemical produced during carpet finishing. It is also used for other applications, such as Teflon.

The US Environmental Protection Agency calls PFOA a “likely carcinogen.” It ends up in the river through a sewage spray field in Whitfield County. Jeremy Smith, a project manager for the EPD, says it would be premature to consider other regulatory measures until further studies are completed. And that research, which is expensive, would come only if necessary. However, Smith says a fishing advisory may be needed.

"If they're [PFOA LEVELS] around those concentrations that Minnesota listed as potentially harmful, if they are, that [fishing advisory] could happen.”

The UGA study showed levels in the Conasauga are two times higher than Minnesota's allowable standard in ground water. As GPB reported earlier this year, internal documents show US EPA sampling found PFOA levels higher than the UGA study.

You can view GPB's extensive reporting on PFOA contamination in the Conasauga by clicking here: http://www.gpb.org/georgiagazette/conasauga

PFOA Testing Starts in NW Georgia

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has begun sampling the Conasauga River for a likely carcinogenic chemical. The chemical is called PFOA, and among other applications, it’s a waste product of the carpet industry.

The U.S. EPA has deemed it a likely carcinogen, and now officials at the state level are testing for it in the Northwest Georgia area. Researchers have collected spotted bass and blue catfish, and within a few weeks scientists will also be sampling ground water and soil around the Dalton area.

Exactly how PFOA impacts human health, if at all, is the subject of much debate. Several studies have linked the chemical to stroke, prostate and colon cancer, but there is not yet scientific consensus.

The Carpet Industry is holding a meeting next month, where they will discuss how to phase the chemical out.

The state sampling has been described as a first step. Researchers will also be evaluating the concentrations of other chemicals related to PFOA, also called c8. One such chemical is c5. That compound is expected to replace PFOA in the production of stain resistant carpet.

For much more coverage of the PFOA contamination, click here.

EPA Emails Show PFOA Levels Five Times Higher than Previously Reported, Researchers Also Skeptical of Carpet Industry Claims

According to emails obtained by GPB through a Freedom of Information Act request, EPA researchers found PFOA levels in “water from Dalton” at levels of five parts per billion (ppb). The emails do not specify where the sample was gathered.

A previous study showed PFOA to be present in the Conasauga river that runs through Whitfield County at about 1 ppb.

The EPA classifies PFOA as a “likely carcinogen.” Studies have linked the chemical to cancer in lab animals, fish, and prostate cancer in humans.

Both levels found in the Conasauga are higher than what some other states with PFOA contamination allow.

The Conasauga eventually joins another river to form the Oostanaula, which is a source of drinking water for the cities of Calhoun and Rome.

PFOA comes from the manufacturing of carpet. Carpet executives have told GPB the compound is a manufacturing byproduct.

Yet, in the emails obtained by GPB, a PFOA expert at the EPA, is skeptical. In 2006, John Washington, who is based in Athens, wrote “While the industry has claimed that PFOA is an unintended impurity, I now suspect that it has been intended---or at least very onvenient---because it helps to stabilize the …particles.”

Meanwhile, sources working on a PFOA water monitoring project with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division say their work “is being held up.” Georgia EPD announced the plan to test for PFOA in drinking water sources earlier this year. However, these sources told GPB the sampling is being bogged down because there are questions of whether EPD has the testing standards in place to acquire accurate results.

The sampling is considered a first step in establishing the severity of PFOA contamination in the Conasauga.

Chemicals in the Conasauga

The Environmental Protection Division may be testing drinking water sources across the state for a chemical used to make stain resistant carpet; this comes after a study that found high levels of the man-made chemical in a north Georgia river.

For two years, University of Georgia scientists have been monitoring the Conasauga River for traces of a chemical called PFOA likely to cause cancer. They found it in very high amounts.

The river surrounds a wastewater treatment site where millions of gallons of water containing PFOA are sprayed. It is supposed to break down in the soil, but the study shows it doesn’t.

In response to the study, the EPD could begin testing this summer for the chemical in lakes across Georgia. Liz Booth monitors rivers and streams for the EPD. Booth said, "One of our engineers came down and talked to us about this article and concern with elevated PFOA’s in the Conesauga River, and we do have supplemental money that we can use to monitor sediment in lakes of drinking water intakes."

The testing does not include rivers in the Conasauga system, however. Scientists said the water flowing downstream of the river should be tested and not to eat fish coming out of those waters.