Town of Charlton - PFAS Public Notification – Flint Road Landfill
The Town of Charlton recently conducted groundwater sampling as required by DEP at the former Town Landfill on Flint Road. Through this testing, the Town has discovered the presence of PFAS at 5 of the 8 groundwater monitoring wells within the Town Landfill above the drinking water standard of 20 parts per trillion.
As required by MassDEP, the Town will be conducting drinking water sampling at all residential wells within a 500 foot radius of the respective monitoring wells. Notifications will be sent directly to property owners within the identified testing area.
What are PFAS?
PFAS are fluorinated organic chemicals. Two PFAS chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) have been the most extensively produced and studied of these chemicals. PFAS are contained in firefighting foams, which have been used in training exercises and to extinguish oil and gas fires at a variety of locations including airfields and military installations. PFAS are also used in several industrial processes and have been used to manufacture carpets, clothing, fabrics for furniture, paper packaging for food and other materials (e.g., nonstick cookware) that are resistant to water, grease or stains. Because these chemicals have been used in many consumer products, most people have been exposed to them.
While consumer products and food are the largest source of exposure to these chemicals for most people, drinking water can be an additional source of exposure in communities where these chemicals have contaminated water supplies. Such contamination is typically localized and associated with a specific facility, for example, an airfield at which they were used for firefighting or a facility where these chemicals were produced or used.
In May 2016, the EPA issued a lifetime Health Advisory (HA) of 70 parts per trillion (70 ng/L) for the combination of two PFAS chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, in drinking water. In January 2020, MassDEP issued an Office of Research and Standards guideline (OSRG) for drinking water of 20 parts per trillion (20 ng/L) for six PFAS compounds combined. Those Compounds are PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFHpA, and PFDA. The OSRG was established to be protection against diverse health affects for all people consuming the water for a lifetime and is also applicable to shorter-term exposures of weeks to months during pregnancy and breast-feeding.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding PFAS or PFAS Testing, please contact:
Andrew Golas, Town Administrator – 508-248-2206 – Andrew.Golas@townofcharlton.net
James Philbrook, Health Director – 508-248-2210 – James.Philbrook@townofcharlton.net