A decade ago, Katy Borland, a resident near the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, developed cirrhosis of the liver. She recovered but discovered her neighbors all had other related illnesses. Last June, she was notified that her well contained high levels of PFAS chemicals. Now, she uses a filter to treat the water coming into their house.
PFAS (per-and polyfluorinated substances) is a group of chemicals used in many products, including food packaging and insulation for electrical wire. High levels of PFAS can cause health problems, including damage to the liver and immune system.
The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport used a firefighting foam during drills, which contained PFAS. The foam was mixed with rain and flowed into Borland’s property. “We don’t really know how long this contamination has been going on,” Borland said. “It could have taken 20 years to seep into our groundwater.” (LA Times, 2023)
This firefighting foam, called aqueous film-forming foam, was developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1960s. The FAA has required airports to use the foam, but since 2019, they have changed practices to ensure the foam is contained and not released into the environment. The FAA is also looking for alternatives that do not contain PFAS.
The chemical manufacturer 3M recently settled lawsuits over PFAS contamination through a $10.3-billion deal. However, state attorneys have opposed the settlement, stating it “fails to adequately account for the harm the chemicals have caused.” (LA Times, 2023)
To compound the dangers, PFAS chemicals do not naturally break down. They have made their way into rivers, lakes, wells, and people’s blood. “It stays in the environment forever, apparently. And what does it do to our bodies? None of us really knows,” Borland said. (LA Times, 2023)
Katy Borland is also the co-founder of a community group called Preserve the SLO Life. Her group was pleased when the Regional Water Quality Board, San Luis Obispo County, and Cal Fire agreed to treat the contaminated water.
Under the agreement, the organizations committed to installing point-of-entry filters for the houses affected. They have also agreed to consider long-term options for continued treatment of the water. The estimated cost is $2 million.
The California State Water Resources Control Board ordered 30 airports to study PFAS contamination. Tests near the San Luis Obispo airport found that 57 wells contained high amounts of PFAS, including 47 household wells.
The Environmental Protection Agency has begun plans to regulate types of PFAS chemicals in drinking water and has proposed a limit of 4 parts per trillion. Certain wells near San Luis Obispo airport were found to contain levels of PFOS up to 247 times the proposed limit. “We are sky-high levels,” Borland said. (LA Times, 2023)
The large number of wells near the San Luis Obispo Airport has prompted the Water Quality Board to prioritize the problem. “The impacts to supply wells are the highest in the state, around any airports at least,” stated Greg Bishop, the board’s senior engineering geologist. (LA Times, 2023)
Researchers estimate that at least 45 percent of drinking water in the United States contains one or more PFAS chemicals. In fact, they have found that the contamination is more common in urban areas of Southern California and Central California.
Borland and her neighbor’s fight for clean water started years ago. They learned that their water contained TCE (Trichloroethylene). Since then, they were given carbon filters to remove contaminants from their tap water. These filters also removed PFAS but did not stop contaminated water bypassing the filter from entering their garden. “The big problem is, we’re continuing to pollute all our property, because all the irrigation water is full of PFAS,” Borland stated. (LA Times, 2023)
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-08-05/california-community-awaits-cleanup-of-pfas-in-water
PFAS (per-and polyfluorinated substances) is a group of chemicals used in many products, including food packaging and insulation for electrical wire. High levels of PFAS can cause health problems, including damage to the liver and immune system.
The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport used a firefighting foam during drills, which contained PFAS. The foam was mixed with rain and flowed into Borland’s property. “We don’t really know how long this contamination has been going on,” Borland said. “It could have taken 20 years to seep into our groundwater.” (LA Times, 2023)
This firefighting foam, called aqueous film-forming foam, was developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1960s. The FAA has required airports to use the foam, but since 2019, they have changed practices to ensure the foam is contained and not released into the environment. The FAA is also looking for alternatives that do not contain PFAS.
The chemical manufacturer 3M recently settled lawsuits over PFAS contamination through a $10.3-billion deal. However, state attorneys have opposed the settlement, stating it “fails to adequately account for the harm the chemicals have caused.” (LA Times, 2023)
To compound the dangers, PFAS chemicals do not naturally break down. They have made their way into rivers, lakes, wells, and people’s blood. “It stays in the environment forever, apparently. And what does it do to our bodies? None of us really knows,” Borland said. (LA Times, 2023)
Katy Borland is also the co-founder of a community group called Preserve the SLO Life. Her group was pleased when the Regional Water Quality Board, San Luis Obispo County, and Cal Fire agreed to treat the contaminated water.
Under the agreement, the organizations committed to installing point-of-entry filters for the houses affected. They have also agreed to consider long-term options for continued treatment of the water. The estimated cost is $2 million.
The California State Water Resources Control Board ordered 30 airports to study PFAS contamination. Tests near the San Luis Obispo airport found that 57 wells contained high amounts of PFAS, including 47 household wells.
The Environmental Protection Agency has begun plans to regulate types of PFAS chemicals in drinking water and has proposed a limit of 4 parts per trillion. Certain wells near San Luis Obispo airport were found to contain levels of PFOS up to 247 times the proposed limit. “We are sky-high levels,” Borland said. (LA Times, 2023)
The large number of wells near the San Luis Obispo Airport has prompted the Water Quality Board to prioritize the problem. “The impacts to supply wells are the highest in the state, around any airports at least,” stated Greg Bishop, the board’s senior engineering geologist. (LA Times, 2023)
Researchers estimate that at least 45 percent of drinking water in the United States contains one or more PFAS chemicals. In fact, they have found that the contamination is more common in urban areas of Southern California and Central California.
Borland and her neighbor’s fight for clean water started years ago. They learned that their water contained TCE (Trichloroethylene). Since then, they were given carbon filters to remove contaminants from their tap water. These filters also removed PFAS but did not stop contaminated water bypassing the filter from entering their garden. “The big problem is, we’re continuing to pollute all our property, because all the irrigation water is full of PFAS,” Borland stated. (LA Times, 2023)
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-08-05/california-community-awaits-cleanup-of-pfas-in-water
