High levels of lethal chemical in water supply

[pfpcnews]

High levels of lethal chemical in water supply

The Herts Advisor - May 18, 2006

LETHAL chemicals have been confirmed to be at dangerously high levels in the local water supply five months after the Buncefield fuel depot explosion.

The environmental impact of December's blast has spread across the district and two of the latest tests on groundwater show unacceptable levels of the deadly chemical Perfluorooctane Sulphonate (PFOS).

In one of the tests the chemical, which is used in firefighting foam, was almost twice the level recommended by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) which is three micrograms.

Robert Runcie, Regional Director of the Thames Region of the Environment Agency, said: "Following an incident like Buncefield, where 680,000 litre of firefighting foam, some of which contained PFOS, was released to control the blaze and protect the community, we would expect to see elevated levels of PFOS in the environment."

PFOS are so dangerous to humans and other animals that the Government had drawn up legislation last year to ban its import into the UK.

Last week the Herts Advertiser revealed that the potentially deadly chemical had been found in the River Ver, the River Colne and the River Red and that pollution from the fuel and fire waters had seeped into the district's water table.

An Environment Agency progress report into the blast said that the chemical was at very low levels and "generally below the DWI advisory limit".

But on Friday the agency released findings from test carried out last week. One showed that there were 4.58 mg of the chemical per litre of water and another produced a reading on 5.9 mg - both over the DWI guidelines. Eight other tests showed traces of PFOS but these were below the recommendations.

Mr Runcie added: "These results are variable and inconsistent and therefore may be unreliable. We are investigating further. I stress that these are not samples of drinking water and these results do not mean there is PFOS above the DWI limit in the public water supply or in people's taps. We have immediately passed this information onto Three Valleys Water company and the DWI for their information and action."

The Environment Agency is now planning to install new boreholes and will continue to monitor the extent of the groundwater pollution.

A spokesperson for Three Valleys, which provides the area's water supply, said: "What we've got to remember is that they're taking samples from areas close to the site and further away. We are keeping a close eye on things and we've just got to be sensible about it."

n Last week we asked our readers if they felt reassured by Environment Agency claims that the levels of toxic chemicals in our water were "generally" below the Drinking Water Inspectorate recommendations.

Of the people that took part in the online poll, 97 per cent said that their mind had not been put at rest. The remaining three per cent said that they trusted the Government not to put us at risk.

SOURCE:
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