PFAS in NYS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of manmade chemicals with many carbon and fluorine (C-F) bonds. PFAS are extremely resistant to most surfactant activities and degradation processes, which makes them desirable in a variety of applications.

PFAS are present in items all around us, from household products like non-stick cookware and utensils, food packaging, polishes, cleaning agents, creams, stain-resistant and waterproof clothes, textiles, carpets, upholstery, and paper, to industrial products like firefighting foams, pesticide formulations, ski wax, lubricating oils, and even drugs and medical devices (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Recovery or ATSDR, 2020; European Environment Agency (EEA), 2019; Toxic-Free Future (TFF), 2018).

The same attributes that make PFAS desirable for use in industrial and commercial products render them toxic and difficult to remove from the environment and the human body. Their inability to break down and their capacity to bioaccumulate have earned PFAS the label “forever chemicals.”

The manufacture, use, and subsequent lifetime degradation of products that contain PFAS lead to the release and recirculation of PFAS throughout the environment. Humans are exposed to PFAS through ingestion of contaminated drinking water and seafood, inhalation of contaminated indoor air, and contact with contaminated products (United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), 2019; TFF, 2018).

Epidemiological studies have shown a potential link between PFAS exposure and thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and other health issues (EEA, 2019; TFF, 2018). The impacts on unborn infants include delayed mammary gland development, reduced response to vaccines, and lower birth weight (EEA, 2019).

In 2019, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published  a map  of PFAS contaminated sites across the U.S., including numerous NYS sites. While theirs was a big undertaking, we found that not all of the available drinking water data for NYS were included in their map. Therefore, we decided to focus on mapping the prevalence of PFAS in Long Island, which includes Nassau and Suffolk counties, and Rensselaer and Orange counties – locations that have had pronounced drinking water contamination by PFAS. The choice of these case studies was also prompted by several related lawsuits filed against alleged PFAS polluting entities. In Long Island, Riverhead Town, the Village of Mineola, Roslyn Water District, Port Washington Water District, the Water Authority of Great Neck North, and the Garden City Fire and Water District all filed lawsuits against 3M Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., and Chemours Co. for the alleged manufacturing, marketing, and selling of PFAS (Gannon, 2021; McCarthy, 2019; Bloomberg Law, 2019; Bloomberg Law, 2019). In Rensselaer County, the Village of Hoosick Falls and the Town of Petersburgh filed lawsuits against local manufacturers responsible for contaminating their water supplies (Spectrum News, 2021; Weitz & Luxenberg 2021). Similarly, in Orange County, the City of Newburgh and Town of New Windsor filed lawsuits against several parties, including 3M Co., the US Army Air Force, and the Air National Guard, for their alleged role in PFAS contamination (Wang, 2020; Sparks, 2018). 

To map PFAS concentrations in Long Island’s groundwater system, our team used publicly available data on PFAS concentration from:

• 1) The Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR3) reports,
• 2) US Geological Survey (USGS) monitoring data, and
• 3) water quality reports of utilities across Long Island.

Please note that mapping the exact locations of the groundwater wells was done to the best of our abilities, given that information on the precise coordinates of some of the wells was not publicly available.

PFAS are present throughout Long Island’s drinking water supply. The Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest region shows especially high levels of PFAS concentrations. At the North Road (Greenport)/Meetinghouse Road well, PFOA was detected at concentrations up to 53 ppt, and PFOS was detected at concentrations up to 765 ppt.

We also explored some of the potential sources where PFAS currently are or historically have been used. These sources include fire stations, airports, and military sites, which may have used PFAS-containing products manufactured by companies like 3M and DuPont. A side-by-side map of PFAS detection and possible PFAS sources are presented in the following map.

In Rensselaer County, two communities had their water supplies contaminated by local plastics manufacturers. In the village of Hoosick Falls, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics used PFOA in their manufacturing processes, where it entered the surrounding area through vented fumes and wastewater pits (NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), 2021). Widespread PFAS sampling began in 2014 after residents began noticing alarmingly high rates of cancer in their community. PFOA concentrations as high as 18,000 ppt were initially found in groundwater (Associated Press, 2019), and concentrations at the Saint-Gobain facility were as high as 130,000 ppt, which prompted the village’s water system to be shut down. Residents were told not to drink from the municipal water supply or private wells and were instead given free bottled water. 

In the town of Petersburgh, PFOA used in manufacturing processes at Taconic Plastics also entered the environment. PFOA concentrations were found as high as 150,000 ppt onsite, and Petersburgh residents were also given free bottled water to replace their well water. 

To map the PFAS concentration in and around these two locations, we collected data from:

• 1) The NYS DEC Environmental Remediation Site Database,
• 2) Exploratory USEPA, DEC, and DOH sampling events, and
• 3) water quality reports from local utilities.

Where there was a range of concentrations given for a set of samples, we chose to include the maximum concentration recorded. The sampling locations are mapped to the best of our abilities, given that some of their precise coordinates were not available online.

The City of Newburgh and the nearby Town of New Windsor, Orange County, both had their water supplies shut off after being contaminated by PFOS-containing aqueous firefighting foam (AFFF). Newburgh and New Windsor are located next to the Stewart International Airport and the Stewart Air National Guard Base, both of which stored AFFF onsite, used it periodically, and allowed it to run off into nearby waterways. This issue is not unique to Newburgh and New Windsor. AFFF has been widely used at airports and air bases across the country. Up until recently, the Federal Aviation Administration required airports to periodically discharge AFFF as part of its fire safety testing (Tonnacliff, 2019). 

For the purposes of mapping PFAS contamination in these two locations, we collected data from:

• 1) the UCMR3,
• 2) the NYS DEC Environmental Remediation Site Database, and
• 3) water quality reports from local utilities.
• Where there was a range of concentrations given for a set of samples, we chose to include the maximum concentration recorded. The sampling locations are mapped to the best of our abilities, given that some of their precise coordinates are not available online.

Many places that have had PFAS contaminated drinking water have either temporarily or permanently switched to new, uncontaminated water sources. For example, the city of Newburgh has been connected to New York City’s water supply and a backup surface water source, Brown’s Pond, since its original water contamination was identified. Similarly, Hoosick Falls is considering switching from their existing wellfield to the Tomhannock Reservoir or other, uncontaminated wellfields. 

Multiple technologies can remove PFAS from drinking water. These include granular activated carbon (GAC) filters, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange. Despite that other treatment types can be equally or more effective, GAC filters are the most commonly used technology since they are the most cost-effective option for large drinking water suppliers (USEPA, 2018). Numerous water utilities on Long Island as well as Newburgh, New Windsor, and Hoosick Falls have had GAC filtration installed. 

GAC filters were installed in Hoosick Falls and New Windsor in February 2017 and November 2019, respectively (NYS DOH, 2017; Mangan, 2019). The Village of Garden City is also in the process of installing new GAC filters, and as of May 2021, three of the village’s wells had GAC filtration (Incorporated Village of Garden City, 2021) 

Since their installation, the Hoosick Falls Public Water Supply, the Town of New Windsor Consolidated Water District, and the Incorporated Village of Garden City Water Department have been routinely monitoring the effectiveness of these filters for PFAS removal. New Windsor and Garden City test their water for six major PFAS, and Hoosick Falls tests for twenty. The results from all three water utilities indicate the GAC filters are extremely effective in removing all types of PFAS detected (Figures below) (The Village of Hoosick Falls, 2021; Chiusano, 2021). 

While there have been promises by the USEPA since 2019 to regulate the two most prominent PFAS, PFOA and PFOS (USEPA, 2019), there are currently no federal limits in the United States on PFAS concentrations in the environment, including in drinking water. The USEPA has instead set a Health Advisory - an unenforceable recommendation - of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) in water for the sum of PFOA and PFOS (Lifetime Health Advisories and Health Effects Support Documents for Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, 2016). Some states have set their own legal limits, called Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). On August 26, 2020, New York State (NYS) set an MCL of 10 ppt each for PFOA and PFOS for public water systems. The MCL mandates that public water systems monitor for these two compounds whereby the largest utilities (those serving more than 10,000 people) were required to begin testing by October 25th, 2020, and the smallest utilities (those serving less than 3,300 people) were required to do so by February 25, 2021 (NYS Department of Health (DOH), 2020). 

Despite the slow regulatory process for PFAS, this issue has been gaining political inertia at both the federal and state levels. A few noteworthy NYS and federal legal actions are presented in Table 1.

PFAS contamination is an emerging and serious issue facing New York State and the nation. Numerous individuals, municipalities, and counties have had devastating impacts due to the contamination of drinking water supplies by PFAS. Strict drinking water regulations that de-incentivize industry from using PFAS, coupled with the continuous and rigorous monitoring and mitigation of drinking water supplies might be the best path forward in curbing the proliferation of PFAS in our water systems.

Associated Press (2019, March 22). In Upstate NY village of Hoosick Falls, a trail of cancer leads to tap water. Syracuse.com. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.syracuse.com/state/2016/01/hoosick_falls_cancer_tap_water_epa.html 

ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Recovery). (2020, June 24). PFAS chemical exposure | ATSDR. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.  https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/exposure.html 

Bloomberg Law (2019). Garden City Park Fire and Water District v. The 3M Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., and the Chemours Company. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/WaterAuthorityofGreatNeckNorthvThe3MCompanyetalDocketNo219cv06613/1?1618596660 

Bloomberg Law (2019). Water Authority of Great Neck North v. The 3M Company (F/K/A Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.); Dyneon LLC; E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Co.; and the Chemours Company. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/WaterAuthorityofGreatNeckNorthvThe3MCompanyetalDocketNo219cv06613/1?1618596660 

CHA Consulting, Inc. (2019, August). Municipal Water Supply Study for the Village of Hoosick Falls: Appendix B – Public Water Systems in New York State Relying on GAC Treatment and Public Water System Treatment Data. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/442046/report.hw.442046.2019-08-29.DRAFT-Municipal%20Water%20Supply%20Study%20Report-Appx%20A%20and%20B.pdf 

Chiusano, D. J. (2021, June 22). New Windsor public water supply well PFAS sample results. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://newwindsor-ny.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=QmRxhcEoLgw%3d&portalid=0  

City of Troy, NY. (n.d.) Welcome. Department of Public Utilities. Retrieved on August 4, 2021, from:  https://www.troyny.gov/departments/public-utilities/ 

Dingell, D. (2020, January 13). H.R.535 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): PFAS Action Act of 2019 (2019/2020) [Webpage].  https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/535  

Dingell, D. (2021, July 22nd). H.R. 2467 – 117th Congress (2021 – 2022): PFAS Action Act of 2021 (2021/2022). [Webpage]. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2467/text 

EEA (European Environment Agency). (2019, December 12). Emerging chemical risks in Europe — ‘PFAS’. European Environment Agency.  https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/chemicals/emerging-chemical-risks-in-europe 

Gannon, T. (2021, February 26). Riverhead Town suing manufacturers that used toxic chemicals found in town wells. Riverhead News-Review. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://riverheadnewsreview.timesreview.com/2021/02/104173/riverhead-town-suing-manufacturers-that-used-toxic-chemicals-found-in-town-wells/ 

Hayes, P., & Gilmer, E. M. (2019, November 25). 3M, DuPont, Chemours hit with Long Island PFAS claims (1). Bloomberg Law.  https://news.bloomberglaw.com/product-liability-and-toxics-law/3m-dupont-chemours-hit-with-long-island-pfoa-claims 

Incorporated Village of Garden City. (2021, May). 2020 Drinking Water Quality Report.  https://www.gardencityny.net/vertical/Sites/%7B82C80390-C4CA-486E-AA10-408538E064A1%7D/uploads/2020_GARV_Drinking_Water_Quality_Report(1).pdf  

Lifetime Health Advisories and Health Effects Support Documents for Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, 81 Fed. Reg. 33250 (2016, May 25).  https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-05/documents/2016-12361.pdf 

Madden, P. (2020). City of Troy annual drinking water quality report for 2020. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.troyny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AWQR2020.pdf  

Mangan, P (2019, November 12). Updated Information on New Windsor Restoring Water Production With Filtration From Butterhill Wells. Town of New Windsor, NY. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://newwindsor-ny.gov/ 

McCarthy, T. (2019, August 28). Mineola, Roslyn, Port name chemical companies in contaminant suit. The Island Now. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://theislandnow.com/roslyn-109/mineola-roslyn-port-name-chemical-companies-in-contaminant-suit/ 

NYS Assembly. (2019, December 23). New York State Assembly | Bill A00445A.  https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=&leg_video=&bn=A00445&term=2019&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y 

NYS Assembly. (2020, January 7). NY State Assembly Bill A8979. NY State Senate.  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/a8979  

NYS DEC. (2021, April). Proposed remedial action plan: Saint-Gobain McCaffrey Street.  https://www.dec.ny.gov/data/DecDocs/442046/PRAP.hw.442046.2021-04-21.FINAL-OU-02.pdf 

NYS DEC (n.d.-a). Express Terms—6 NYCRR Part 597—NYS Dept. Of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved August 5, 2020, from  http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/105074.html 

NYS DEC. (n.d.-b). Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)—NYS Dept. Of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved August 5, 2020, from  https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/108831.html 

NYS DOH (2017, February). New York State Announces Hoosick Falls Full Capacity Water Filtration System is Fully Operational. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2017/2017-02-07_hoosick_falls_water_filtration_system.htm 

NYS DOH. (2020, September). Public water systems and NYS drinking water standards for PFOA, PFOS, and 1,4-Dioxane [Fact sheet].  https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/docs/water_supplier_fact_sheet_new_mcls.pdf 

NYS GPO (Governor’s Press Office). (2018, October 2). Governor Cuomo Announces $200 Million to Address Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.  https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-200-million-address-emerging-contaminants-drinking-water 

NYS GPO. (2020, July 30). Governor Cuomo Announces First in the Nation Drinking Water Standard for Emerging Contaminant 1,4-Dioxane. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.  https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-first-nation-drinking-water-standard-emerging-contaminant-14-dioxane 

NYS Senate. (2017a, April 4). NY State Senate Bill S2007B. NY State Senate.  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s2007/amendment/b 

NYS Senate. (2017b, May 5). NY State Senate Bill S5902. NY State Senate.  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s5902 

NYS Senate. (2019, June 11). NY State Senate Bill S439A. NY State Senate.  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s439/amendment/a 

NYS Senate. (2020, July 20). NY Senate Bill S8817. NY State Senate. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s8817  

Sparks, L. (2018, August 7). Newburgh sues feds, state, manufacturers over toxic water. Recordonline.com. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://www.recordonline.com/news/20180807/newburgh-sues-feds-state-manufacturers-over-toxic-water 

Spectrum News (2021, July 21). Preliminary $65M settlement reached in Hoosick Falls contamination case. Spectrum News 1. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/news/2021/07/22/settlement-reached-in-hoosick-falls-water-contamination-case 

TFF (Toxic-Free Future). (2018, September 24). PFAS: A nonstick nightmare. Toxic-Free Future.  https://toxicfreefuture.org/key-issues/chemicals-of-concern/pfas-nonstick-nightmare/ 

Tonnacliff, M. (2019, January 17). Federal Aviation Administration National Part 139 CertAlert. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/certalerts/media/part-139-cert-alert-19-01-AFFF.pdf 

United States Census Bureau. (2021). Explore census data. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ 

USEPA. (2018, August 23). Reducing PFAS in drinking water with treatment technologies. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/reducing-pfas-drinking-water-treatment-technologies 

USEPA. (2019, February 14). EPA Acting Administrator Announces First-Ever Comprehensive Nationwide PFAS Action Plan. Retrieved on July 29th, 2021, from:  https://archive.epa.gov/epa/newsreleases/epa-acting-administrator-announces-first-ever-comprehensive-nationwide-pfas-action-plan.html  

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USEPA, OCSPP (Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention). (2016, May 10). Fact Sheet: 2010/2015 PFOA Stewardship Program [Collections and Lists]. US EPA.  https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/fact-sheet-20102015-pfoa-stewardship-program 

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The Village of Hoosick Falls, NY. (2021). Municipal water: Testing. Retrieved on July 28th, 2021, from:  https://www.villageofhoosickfalls.com/Water/testing.html 

Wang, H. (2020, May 20). New Windsor water: Toxic chemicals prompt town to file $4.6M suit. Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2020/05/20/new-windsor-water-toxic-chemicals-prompt-town-file-4-6-m-suit/5232571002/ 

Weitz & Luxenberg (2021, February 25). Petersburgh Water Contamination Lawsuit. Retrieved on July 27th, 2021 from:  https://www.weitzlux.com/environmental-pollution/petersburgh-water-contamination-lawsuit/#summary-judgment-documents 

Woyton, M. (2019, May 10). Toxic PFAS chemical found on Long Island — Here's where. Westhampton-Hampton Bays, NY Patch.  https://patch.com/new-york/westhampton-hamptonbays/toxic-pfas-chemical-found-long-island-here-s-where 

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