EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) – The CDC has released a new report that shows some people in Security-Widefield continue to have high levels of forever chemicals, also known as PFAS, in their blood. These types of chemicals are typically found in household products or in this case firefighting foam and can be found in drinking water.
“For the past several years, Colorado has been providing resources for communities to test for PFAS chemicals, and we have assisted in reducing the chemicals in the environment. To date, we have sampled over 400 water systems, 15 firefighting districts, 152 groundwater sources, and 71 surface water sources for the chemicals. As a state we have stopped the continued use of firefighting foams that contain PFAS chemicals in most circumstances,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director, CDPHE. “We have made progress, and welcome today’s announcement as we strive to do more to protect Coloradans from PFAS chemicals.”
The EPA released a report in 2016 issuing the “margin of safety” for the lifetime health advisory for these chemicals to be around 70 ppt. This number is down from what officials previously classified it at 200/400 ppt. In turn showing the water in Security-Widefield did not meet this new advisory.
Since this advisory came out Security Water and Sanitation District has been monitoring levels to make sure their water is safe for residents to drink and implemented a water filtration system.
“It’s been non-detects in September 2016, right now detect for these chemicals and now that the treatment system is up and running we’re still at non-detect for these chemicals,” says Roy Heald, from Security Water and Sanitation Districts.
The exposure assessment found that average blood levels in test participants were higher than national levels, while the other PFAS tested were similar to national averages or not detected enough to calculate averages. Those levels for participants “were up to 6.8 and 1.2 times the national levels, respectively.”
These elevated levels in the blood may be linked with past contamination of drinking water, which was kept in two dozen wells that held the water.
“Certainly some people that have lived here a long time have had significant exposure to the chemicals. Now since 1985 the wells have not been our sole source of water,” says Heald. “Different people probably had different exposure to the chemicals even in Security.”
On Wednesday the EPA adjusted the numbers for the lifetime health advisory when it comes to the forever chemicals in water. The new number water companies should have in order to be in the margin of safety is between 0.004ng/L and 0.020 ng/L. That’s according to the American Water Association.
Heald tells 11 News the water company will continue to do everything in their power to make sure their water stays in the margin of safety.
“We drink the water too, our families drink the water and we’re as concerned about the community as anybody is and that’s why we’ve done everything we can to stay ahead of this and to do the responsible thing that a water provider should do,” says Heald.
Click here to read more from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on these forever chemicals.
The CDC and ATSDR are inviting residents in and around Security-Widefield to attend a virtual information session to learn more about the results of the PFAS exposure assessment, find those details below:
When: June 28, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Click here to register
Small meeting will also be held to answer additional community questions. ATSDR staff will be available at the Security Public Library (715 Aspen Drive Security, Colorado). The dates include June 29 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.; and 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and on June 30 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
An online session will also happen from 12:00pm until 1 p.m.. on July 1, 2022. Those wanting to participate are encouraged to stop by or sign up here.
An online session will take place on July 1 from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. Those interested in participating are encouraged to stop by or sign up here.
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