PFAS in Connecticut
A Story Map on CT DEEP's efforts to investigate and remediate PFAS contamination in our state.
PFAS Task Force in CT
Image description: the Farmington River after the accidental release of AFFF foam from Bradley Airport hangar.
During the summer of 2019, PFAS set the stage for concern in Connecticut after an accidental release of thousands of gallons of firefighting foam containing PFAS entered the Farmington River.
PFAS became the center of the State's attention. As a result of the release and clean-up efforts, Governor Ned Lamont established the Connecticut Interagency PFAS Task Force on July 8, 2019.
Image of PFAS Action Plan by the Connecticut Interagency PFAS Task Force, dated November 1, 2019. Initiated by Governor Ned Lamont; led by DPH and DEEP.
The PFAS Task Force is led by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), and involves nearly twenty State agencies and entities.
The purpose of the PFAS Task Force was to create a plan of action to address PFAS.
The plan would lay out a state strategy to:
1) Minimize environmental exposure to PFAS for Connecticut residents,
2) Minimize future releases of PFAS to the environment, and
3) Identify, assess, and clean up historical releases of PFAS to the environment.
On November 1, 2019, the PFAS Action Plan was finished and released to the public.
Image description: Logos of some of the agencies involved in the Connecticut Interagency PFAS Task Force in order from top left to bottom right: CT Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Department of Agriculture, Office of Governor, Department of Consumer Products, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, UConn, Department of Administrative Services, Department of Correction, Miliary Department, Office of Attorney General, Office of Policy and Management, Department of Developmental Services, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, Connecticut Airport Authority, and Department of Transportation.
What are PFAS?
Image description: firefighters spraying foam on fire, woman drinking from glass of water, chemical symbols, nonstick pan, and a group of small fish. Image from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of chemicals used in industrial and consumer products.
The PFAS family has thousands of different chemicals that share unique properties, such as water and grease resistance, that make them highly desirable in manufacturing.
However, due to their unique properties, they make the chemicals very difficult to break down in the environment. That's why they have been given the name "forever chemicals."
Not only do PFAS break down slowly, but they can also bioaccumulate or build up in the bodies of living things. Meaning that they can have long-term effects to the health and safety of our environment and public health.
Where are PFAS found?
PFAS can be found in many products, such as household goods, food packaging, personal care products, water resistant clothing, carpeting and more. Most commonly known to be found in nonstick pans.
Image description in order of top left to bottom right: stack of paper food packaging (including pizza boxes, Chinese food containers, paper take-out containers, and paper cups), pile of landfill waste, trout in a river, two smokestacks, glass of water being filled under a faucet, and two hands holding soil.
PFAS are widely used in thousands of consumer products and industrial processes for manufacturing. These chemicals have been found to build up over time in our environment, leading to PFAS entering our waterways and soils, contaminating fish and other animals exposed to these chemicals.
Image of the PFAS cycle in the environment. Sources of PFAS in image include soil/farmland, food products, wastewater treatment plant, biosolids, firefighting foam, PFAS productions/using industries, and landfills. When PFAS are introduced into the environment, they are able to travel and spread by air and water. When PFAS reach the ground, they can dissolve into groundwater and spread in all directions and into the water table, impacting private wells and sources of public water. PFAS can reach surface water through runoff into water bodies and from groundwater sources.
The CT Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a "Do Not Eat" fish consumption advisory in April 2022 for certain rivers that have been found to have levels of PFAS that, when fish are consumed, may cause harm to public health. More information on this can be found here .
CT DEEP has been actively sampling fish tissue since 2016, and more recently sampling surface water to determine PFAS levels in bodies of water. More information on PFAS monitoring in surface water and fish tissue can be found here .
Since PFAS can bioaccumulate in our bodies, they can be found in our human waste which builds up in our wastewater treatment plants. Due to this, biosolids, or a fertilizer made from sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants, on agricultural fields have been a concern.
Image description: Aerial image of a wastewater treatment plant.
The Department of Agriculture (DOAG) and DEEP have issued a warning to farmers not to apply processed biosolid fertilizer on agricultural fields without first requesting PFAS test results to prevent the spread of PFAS in our food systems.
For more information on biosolids and PFAS, please follow the link below.
Image of a farm tractor spraying biosolids on a crop field.
Image description: Flier on "Stop Using Old Foam Concentrate!" Stop using AFFF concentrate for training or for any non-Class B fires. Public Act 21-191 prohibits use for training and testing. Stop using AFF foam concentrate for Class B fires. Purchase and use a fluorine-free alternative instead. Three firefighters putting out a fire with foam concentrate with fire truck, river, trees, and residential buildings in background.
Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) used to extinguish flammable liquid fires have been found to be a source of PFAS. This was what was released into the Farmington River and triggered our awareness and further actions towards preventing PFAS contamination in Connecticut.
The State of Connecticut has since passed legislation that bans the use of AFFF by firefighters (except for federal use on military bases). CT DEEP has established an AFFF take-back program that provided assistance to fire departments in disposing these PFAS containing firefighting foams.
CT DEEP has been actively searching for potential sources of PFAS in CT and planning to investigate areas of concerns. In particular, one area of concern has been areas where firefighter training has occurred in the state that may have released AFFF to the environment.
Other sources include landfills where tons of our household waste that contains PFAS are disposed to and stored. For a list of known PFAS Sources from consumer products and more information on PFAS in CT, please visit CT DEEP's webpage on PFAS here .
Health Impacts from PFAS
Image of health effects of PFAS chemicals in water. Health effects include increased blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decreased immune response to viruses, increased risk of cancers (kidney, reproductive), increase risk of thyroid disease, and decreased birth weight of infants.
Research is still ongoing to determine the potential health effects of PFAS exposure. From our current understanding, PFAS has shown to have these effects on human health:
- Reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women.
- Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
- Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
- Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response.
- Interference with the body’s natural hormones.
- Increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.
How to Reduce PFAS Exposure
Here are some recommendations to reduce PFAS exposure in your daily lives:
- Identify products in your home that may contain PFAS.
- Replace PFAS containing products with products that contain no PFAS (look for PFAS-Free and No PFOA and No PFOS labels on household products or water resistant-clothes and ask manufacturers to confirm).
- Reduce eating foods that may contain PFAS from food packaging (such as fast food and microwave popcorn).
- Consider purchasing an air filter to reduce dust and air particles that may contain PFAS.
- Continue to educate yourself on products that may contain PFAS.
- Other methods to reduce your risk can be found here .
Image description: Avoid PFAS in food and food wrapping - picture of microwave popcorn bag; Avoid PFAS in cosmetics, lotions and dental floss - image of mascara tube; Read labels with PFAS in mind - image of lotion bottle; Avoid stain-resistant or waterproof products - image of couch; Check your drinking water for PFAS - image of glass of water; Reduce PFAS around the house and clothing - image of nonstick pan (Source: Sophie Morse for WBUR ).
Additional Information can be found here on PFAS Exposure: Information for patients and guidance for clinicians to inform patient and clinician decision making for people in PFAS-impacted communities .
Reducing PFAS in CT
Over the course of the past 3 years, CT DEEP has been active in finding ways to reduce exposure of PFAS to the public and environment.
One way to reduce PFAS exposure has been the establishment of the AFFF Take-Back Program through Public Act 21-191 , a mandatory program where Fire Departments are required to take their PFAS containing foam out of service and have the foam properly disposed by the state. This will help minimize future AFFF releases.
The law also issued the phasing out of intentionally added PFAS in food packaging by 2023. The ban of in-state sale of intentionally added PFAS-containing food packaging begins January 2024. See article below for more information.
One of the major threats to public health is exposure to PFAS through drinking water. CT DEEP has been using GIS (or Geographic Information System) mapping techniques and analysis tools to find areas that may pose a threat to private drinking water wells to reduce human and environmental exposure.
Other ways CT DEEP has developed methods to reduce exposure of PFAS:
- All new Discharge Permits and Stewardship Permits are required to screen for PFAS.
- PFAS levels are being evaluated in wastewater treatment plants, biosolids, and compost.
- PFAS cleanup standards are being established for soil, groundwater, surface water, and aquatic life.
CT DEEP will continue to use their authority to enforce investigations and cleanup of PFAS releases to the environment to improve public health and safety.
