Forever Chemicals Linked to Cancer Risk To Be Mitigated in Maine Public Schools

Seven Maine public schools are mitigating the risks of forever chemicals in their drinking water system by installing filters or switching to different water sources after tests revealed high levels of perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The schools had more than 20 parts per trillion of these forever chemicals, thus necessitating quick action from the state officials, per the Portland Press Herald.

Mount Desert Island High, which had 85 parts per trillion PFAS, started installing its new water filtration system on Tuesday, August 23, which should be completed by the end of the week. Further investigations will be conducted on the school grounds to determine where the forever chemicals are coming from.

Brooklin New Elementary School and Deer Isle/Stonington Junior-Senior High School will also replace their water filtration system after receiving a grant from the Maine Drinking Water Program. Both schools recorded over 100 parts per trillion PFAS.

Ames Elementary School, Chebeague Island School, Washington County Community College, and Unity College will have newly installed filters by September 1, before the new school year starts in Maine.

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What's the harm in forever chemicals?

PFAS are lab-made substances used in various everyday products like food wrappers, nonstick pans, nail polish, and firefighting foam. These chemicals do not break down and will keep accumulating everywhere, including in the air and groundwater, thus the name "forever chemicals."

But as researchers have been trying to understand the nature of perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, studies have shown that these chemicals are linked to health issues like kidney cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, immune system issues, and decreased birth weights in newborn babies.

According to WebMD, the latest health advisory from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as of June 2022 recommended zero to 0.004 parts per trillion PFAS in the drinking water systems. This was a drastic change from the original advisory from 2016 that set the maximum level at 70 parts per trillion PFAS.

The EPA said that the updated recommendation was based on recent findings of the negative health effects tied to water systems with low levels of forever chemicals. The agency said that those on the frontlines of PFAS contamination have suffered too long, thus the need to make aggressive changes and reduce people's exposure to harmful chemicals.

Maine to prioritize senior homes as well

Aside from schools, the state also conducted water tests at various senior homes and will make the necessary mitigations. According to Maine Public, Sunny Gables Senior Citizens Home administrators have discussed with engineers to implement better water filtration after a test revealed 148 parts per trillion PFAS in their system.

Maine has a lot of farm fields and wells that go through the waste stream. Some establishments were built on these sites more than 30 or 40 years ago. However, Portland Water District said that towns in cities in the southern section of the state showed no PFAS in the water; thus, schools and aged care facilities in these areas are deemed clean.

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