NJ Has Serious Problems with PFAs

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) released a statement today on their updates to recreational fish advisories. The DEP will not only expand testing but include new chemicals such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS (including PFOA, PFOS and PFNA). This chemical was tested for within water, sediment, and fish tissue. FAS is a category of man-made chemicals that have been widely used to make products because of their stain-resistant, waterproof and/or nonstick properties. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“It’s a warning bell that New Jersey is finding PFAs in our waterways and fish. They are becoming more prevalent in our environment and bioaccumulating in our fish populations. PFAs have been found in fish from the Delaware River and elsewhere in Burlington County, including PFOS at the Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst. These dangerous chemicals have been shown in studies to damage the liver, thyroid, pancreas and hormone levels. We need to act quicker to adopt strict standards on PFAs and better rules to clean-up these chemicals from our state. Our state needs to move forward on a stronger standard because we’re concerned the federal one will be too weak and a sell-out to the industry. We must make sure the people of New Jersey are not being exposed to PFAS or other toxins in our water, fish, or anywhere else.

“These chemicals do not break down readily in the environment and remain in the body for a long time once absorbed through drinking or eating. PFOA is a carcinogen that has been linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children.  A report published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences shows a relationship between slightly elevated levels of PFOA in the blood and a higher rate of ADHD diagnosis. The incidence of ADHD in children is rising and so is the amount of PFOA in the water supply.  PFOA is found in many wells in New Jersey, especially in South Jersey near the DuPont site, but also in other parts of the state such as Sayerville.

“The DEP has just added PFAS to their fish advisory testing. Under the Christie Administration, we saw more pollution in our waterways. Now the Murphy Administration is taking steps to identify and address this issue by including more contaminates in their testing. People will know where they should and shouldn’t fish and what they should and shouldn’t eat. This is especially important for children and pregnant women. We have found different contaminates in our fish, even from the most pristine areas.

“When they calculate the risk for ingesting a contaminated fish, especially for PCBs, its based on a cancer risk. The fish advisory uses the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standard of a cancer risk in 1 in 10,000 people, not the 1 in one million, which is the standard New Jersey uses for drinking water and toxic site cleanup. Using one in 10,000 gives the false impression that it may be safer to eat than it is. We believe those ratios should be much higher to protect more people from these dangerous substances.”

“New Jersey have had issues with PFAs, and other chemicals such as chromium and lead in our drinking water, but under Christie, the DEP looked the other way. Now that we have a new Administration, we need to look at the advisory standards and make them more protective for other chemicals. We need to do a better job at not only setting these standards, but educating the public about them. The problem is the more we wait the more people are drinking contaminated water. That’s why it’s important that we move forward with setting standards for the more than a dozen chemicals found in our waterways.”