The town of Salemburg will receive free testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, in its wells, thanks to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, have become a great cause of environmental concern in recent years. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS are widely used, long-lasting chemicals, the components of which break down very slowly over time. PFAS can be found in nonstick cookware such as Teflon or in various clothing items and more
Because of their widespread use in manufacturing and their persistence in the environment, many PFAS have contaminated the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment.
Overexposure to these substances has been tied to a variety of health problems, including reproductive effects, such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women, developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes, increased risk of some cancers and more. PFAS can be found in various food sources that have been contaminated, for example, in fish caught from contaminated water or dairy products from livestock that have both been contaminated; these substances provide a major source of PFAS.
As a result of the increasing concern around the chemicals, more and more people have been testing their water source for any traces of them.
At their town board meeting on Thursday night, Salemburg town commissioners discussed their status in the race to test their own wells. According to Town Clerk Teresa Smith, she received an email from the state DEQ offering free testing for the town’s wells.
“That basically includes all the supplies and kits, and they’re giving us the analysis for free as well,” Smith told the board. “We had to do a test previously when we put in the new well and those analytics came back free of them in that one, so we should be all good. At the very least, we won’t have to pay for the testing.”
Cost for PFAS testing usually ranges from $450 to $850 and beyond, depending on how much water is being tested and what chemicals are being tested for. For the town of Salemburg, officials only have to do a test on the one well after the one was already tested earlier this year.
“I know that a couple of our public works employees went and took a class on the PFAS and PFAS testing,” said Smith. “They basically said that we were going to have to do all of this. This was not optional. Then I got the email from DEQ and signed us up for the free testing.”
Once the town receives the test results, the next options will become clearer. Should the town test positive for large traces of PFAS, commissioners and public works employees would need to act swiftly in the interest of the health of townspeople going forward.