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Water supplies to six towns in Middlesex and Union counties have contained a toxic “forever chemical” above a new state health standard since at least early August, Middlesex Water Co.

The utility has issued an “exceedance notice” to approximately 29,000 customers that the level of PFOA in the water at the company’s Park Avenue treatment plant has reached 36.1 parts per trillion (ppt) in a sample taken on August 2, more than twice the 14 ppt now applied by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The test result was received on September 7, the company announced last week.

Even though the company’s compliance with the new rule is based on a four-quarter moving average, the latest reading means the PFOA level exceeds the state limit for the year, regardless of what tests show. for the last quarter, the company said.

The affected cities are South Plainfield, Edison, Metuchen, Woodbridge, Clark and Rahway, all served by the Park Avenue processing plant in South Plainfield. Customers who receive some or all of their water from this facility have received the notice, the company said.

Customers have been advised to use other sources of water if they have severely compromised immune systems; if they are feeding infants; are pregnant or planning to have children. Boiling water does not remove the chemical, the company said. People “can choose” to use bottled water for drinking and cooking to reduce exposure to PFOA, or to install a certified water filter to remove the chemical, the company said.

The company said there was no immediate health risk

Water company officials said there is no immediate health risk from drinking the water if the level of PFOA is slightly higher than the state’s maximum contaminant limit. And he said the water from the Park Avenue plant is typically mixed with that from a surface water treatment plant, which helps dilute the presence of PFOA.

The advisory follows a report last week that some 2,500 New Jersey industrial sites could be sources of PFOA and other so-called eternal chemicals that are so named because they do not break down in the environment for years after they have ceased to be manufactured or used.

This report, based on data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, was released on the same day the EPA released a broad plan to establish enforceable national standards for PFOA and PFOS, a chemical related. The agency has also expedited clean-up plans for the entire family of PFAS chemicals, and said the agency will require toxicity data from manufacturers.

In New Jersey, authorities have placed new health limits on PFOA and two related chemicals in drinking water. Since they came into force last year, the DEP has reported breaches of 22 water supply systems.

PFOA, PFOS and related chemicals have been linked to certain cancers, thyroid conditions, low birth weight, high cholesterol, and other serious health problems. Synthetic chemicals have been used extensively since the 1940s in consumer products, including non-stick cookware and heat resistant fabrics.

‘Not an emergency ‘

In recent years, New Jersey has set some of the country’s toughest health limits for three of the chemicals, including PFOA, but proponents of stricter rules say the regulated chemicals are being replaced by others that are unknown to health authorities, and can be just as toxic.

Bernadette Sohler, a spokesperson for Middlesex Water, said the wording of the notice to customers was required by the DEP regulation if a water sample exceeded what she called the new “extraordinarily strict” health level of 14 ppt.

“This is not an emergency, nor an immediate health problem,” Sohler said in a statement. “It is important to understand that the established MCL is based on a one in a million chance of getting sick from drinking water above the MCL (maximum contaminant limit) over a 70 year period. Nonetheless, language that creates anxiety among the public was required by the NJDEP. “

She said an apparent delay in informing the public since the company received test results on September 7 was the result of obtaining DEP approval for the language of the notice of violation. ; conduct hydraulic studies to determine who should receive the notice; receive another DEP approval for the study method, then print and send it.

“Despite the perceived delay, the notice was sent within the regulatory notification period required by the NJDEP,” she said.

In a subsequent statement, Middlesex Water said the level of PFOA in its water continues to meet an EPA non-binding health advisory level of 70 ppt, as well as the previous ‘guidance level’. 40 ppt DEP. “It is important to understand that the quality of the water has not changed, the regulations have changed,” he said.

Because it was required to adhere to DEP rules for informing the public, the company said it was unable to accompany the notice with a further explanation of its reasons, and therefore provides more details on its website.

Other sources of water?

Barbara Catterall, who lives in a condo in Edison, said she was troubled to find the letter from the company that did not offer an alternative source of water or advice on bathing safety in the tap water.

Catterall, 76, a retired state employee, was also alarmed to see the company’s statement that it will take 2023 before a new processing plant opens that will remove chemicals, including the PFOA.

“It’s a long way to let ourselves down as if we were a third world country,” she said.

She said the company should restore its water by diverting chemical-free water from an unaffected part of its system, or else provide bottled water. Otherwise, she said she would buy bottled water but could only move small amounts from her car to her apartment at a time due to her weight. She said she was unsure if her 86-year-old neighbor will be able to carry bottled water.

She welcomed the new state maximum contaminant limit for PFOA, but said the water company’s opinion raised questions about the feasibility of the rule.

“In New Jersey it’s new but like it’s typical in New Jersey, they identify the problem but don’t realize it can’t be fixed,” she said.

Middlesex Water, an investor-owned utility, said it was not the source of the contamination and is suing the chemical’s maker, 3M Corp., in federal court and seeking to recoup the costs in capital of the repair of the PFAS.

“As water utilities, we are not producers of PFAS; instead, we now need to find ways to deal with those traces of PFAS that end up in groundwater supplies, ”the company said.