State to test private wells for chemicals

By TOM LAVENTURE

[email protected]

Ironwood Township — The presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the area of the Gogebic Iron County Airport has prompted a second phase of sampling to determine the spread of the toxic chemicals into nearby land, wells and waterways.

Abigail Hendershott, the executive director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART), led a team of experts in a virtual meeting Tuesday to discuss the process with residents. She said an executive order created MPART as a collaboration of seven state departments that has so far coordinated PFAS contamination testing of 161 sites around Michigan and is developing mitigation standards through data collection.

“Michigan leads the nation in establishing standards,” Hendershott said.

Michael Jury, an environmental manager with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), said that Phase 1 testing at the county airport in August found the presence of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), a class B type of firefighting foams containing PFAS in areas around a paved apron to the north of the east end of the runway. The area was used for annual training and testing of equipment and some levels exceeded water and soil quality standards.

Letters were sent to 24 area homes and businesses to request that technicians retrieve soil and water samples for Phase 2 to determine if there is contamination and the extent to which it has traveled, he said. Surface and subsurface spread of PFAS could potentially exist in properties along the Black River to the northeast of the airport and Six Mile Creek, which also runs from the east end of the airport to the northwest and meets the Black River at one point.

Technicians will conduct sampling for Phase 2 starting the week of April 12, Jury said. The samples will be taken from outside spigots when possible to avoid samples of filtered or treated water indoors.

“There is no charge to the residents for the well testing,” Jury said. 

Jessica Bleha, a hydrologist and geologist with Mead & Hunt, the airport’s engineering firm that conducted Phase 1 surface and subsurface testing said that PFAS present in one surface groundwater sample exceeded quality requirements with 12.3 parts per trillion (PPT) where the quality limit was 12.0 PPT.

Subsurface water and soil sampling from a well near the known contamination contained three PFAS measurements that exceeded water quality levels, she said.

Testing showed the presence of the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at 136 PPT where there is an 8 PPT limit. The chemical, Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) tested at 24 PPT with a 16 PPT limit. The chemical, perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) tested at 78.6 PPT, with a 51 PPT limit.

If additional PFAS is identified and exceeds quality standards a Phase 3 sampling will be ordered to continue searching the extent of the contamination, Jury said. 

One area resident who was not contacted and attended the virtual meeting said Six Mile Creek runs through her property and she requested sampling. Jury said that the listener’s water source would be tested and so would others in the area who have not been contacted and request testing.

As soon as the results are available from the lab in Lansing, the information will be shared with the property owners, he said. 

Other water sources at the airport terminal and the nearby community soccer field will be tested, Jury said. There will be sampling of water and fish from Mud Creek and the Black River over the summer, he said. 

The Ironwood Township wells that are the source of the city of Ironwood municipal water supply were tested for 18 PFAS compounds in October 2020 and none were found, Jury said. 

The data will help create a three-dimensional conceptual site model, Hendershott said. The model will provide a visual depiction of vertical and horizontal flow of potential contamination into the soil and bedrock.

“All of those are important details for us as we’re evaluating not only risk to potential public health for drinking water wells but also for understanding the components of how you put together an investigation and really assess what potential remedies might be available to the airport,” Hendershott said. 

The modeling takes time, she said. The first priority is to determine if any drinking water wells are contaminated so that the risk can be mitigated with filters.

“So that nobody is drinking any contaminated water,” Hendershott said. “Then we can assess more time to go through a proper investigation for the actual onsite groundwater and surface water contamination if there is such a thing.” 

Most PFAS products are no longer in production but the non-biodegradable compounds continue to accumulate in the ecosystem and work their way up the food chain to humans, she said. There are a variety of health effects but there is not enough data on toxicological effects yet to set national standards for PFAS.

An alternative drinking water source will be provided where contamination is discovered until mitigation can make the original source safe for drinking, said Rosa Jaiman, Ph.D., a toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Health. Her office is also studying the health approaches to PFAS contamination. 

PFAS in humans occurs through ingestion and does not permeate the skin, she said. A contaminated water source could potentially continue to be used for bathing and washing clothes but not for drinking or cooking.

Drinking water is the primary PFAS concern but ingestion also occurs from eating foods that contain PFAS. Fish is a major concern and the health department has safe eating guidelines available.

Ingesting dust and soil also present a PFAS ingestion concern, particularly with children. Contaminated food packaging also presents a PFAS concern.

The data on PFAS and health is relatively new but known health hazards from PFAS ingestion over time include reduced fertility, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia in pregnant women, small decreases in infant birth rate, higher cholesterol — especially LDL, she said. There is also increased risk of certain cancers to include thyroid, kidney or testicular, along with liver damage and decreased immune system response to vaccines.

The Phase 2 sampling will help to learn site specific information regarding the potential contamination, she said. Geology also plays a part in the extent of contamination.

“Once we have all these factors then we can make the health recommendations,” Jaiman said. “It could be that no further action is needed, or there may be a need for filters or other mitigation leading all the way to changing a source of water. At this time more investigation is needed.”

PFAS are a variety of carbon-fluorine bond compounds that were used for industrial uses since the 1940s for their ability to repel water, oil, fat and grease, Henderschott said. The uses ranged from oil and gas, energy, aerospace, building and construction, to apparel, pharmaceuticals and electronics. 

To watch the meeting recording, visit EGLE’s YouTube channel or the MPART website at michigan.gov/pfasresponse.