Friday, January 16, 2009

EPA Issues Provisional Health Advisory on PFOA/PFOS in Drinking Water

The feds have issued a health advisory for C8 in drinking water.

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a provisional health advisory of 0.4 parts per billion for C8, slightly stricter than the temporary benchmark of 0.5 parts per billion which had been established for drinking water in the Mid Ohio Valley.

Though epidemiological studies are inconclusive as to health effects for humans, the agency formula takes into account the uncertainty over the safety of the manufacturing chemical for humans.

The health advisory issued this week includes the substances PFOA and PFOS, which are both known for their durability and water and grease resistant properties. The provisional health advisory for PFOS, also familiar as the Scotchgard chemical, was set at 0.2 parts per billion.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Feds Expected to Issue C8 Health Advisory

The Mid Ohio Valley controversy over C8 all began with the wasting of an entire herd of cattle on the Tennant farm near Parkersburg. This week the feds are expected to issue a health warning about drinking water with C8 in it, and it's all because of potentially contaminated beef that made its way into the food supply.

The Charleston Gazette broke the story yesterday.

A draft advisory recommends reducing consumption of water that contains more than 0.4 parts per billion of C8. That's more stringent than the 0.5 parts per billion benchmark currently on the books for areas around DuPont Washington Works where contamination was found in several public water systems.

Interestingly, President Barack Obama has named Lisa Jackson to head the Environmental Protection Agency under his administration. Jackson is currently with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the agency which imposes the strictest rule for C8 contamination - still ten times harsher than the amount cited by the latest draft advisory from the EPA.

The EPA and Food and Drug Administration have recently become concerned over beef that entered the food supply, which may have been contaminated as the cattle were grazing on land in Alabama where industrial sludge had been disposed of. If the beef is found to be contaminated, it would be the first time perfluorochemicals could be traced from sludge to commercially produced food.

It is worth noting that the EPA's draft advisory does not mention food contamination - just drinking water.