After testing drinking water samples in New Jersey, a coalition of environmental and labor groups announced it found levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency panel has labeled a likely human carcinogen in the past, according to the environemental coalition's news release.

The samples were taken from Thorofare, N.J. drinking water supplies.

The Dupont Accountability Coalition, which includes United Steel Workers, New Jersey Environmental Federation and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, among other organizations, turned over the results to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and requested an investigation into the Solvay Solexis chemical plant, saying the plant could be the source of contamination.

PFOA has been linked to human health problems, and developmental and other adverse health effects at very low dose levels in laboratory animals, according to the environmental coalition.

The federal government does not fully understand how people are exposed to PFOA, but notes that the synthetic chemical is used to make fluoropolymers and could be a byproduct of related chemicals called fluoropolymers.

Fluoropolymers and telomers are used to make non-stick cooking surfaces, fire resistance, and oil, stain, grease and water repellency. They are found in thousands of products, including pots and pans, carpets and fire fighting foams.

The information that EPA has available does not indicate that the routine use of household products poses a concern, and the agency also said it does not have any indication that the public is being exposed to PFOA through the use of Teflon-coated or other trademarked nonstick cookware.

Teflon and other trademarked products are not PFOA, according to the agency. At the present time, EPA does not believe there is any reason for consumers to stop using any products because of concerns about PFOA.

However, the environmental coalition voiced its concern with finding out why low levels of PFOA were found in drinking water samples and urged New Jersey government to step in and check a nearby chemical plant in Deepwater, N.J.

In February, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced PFOA had been found in 17 of 23 tested drinking water systems in the state when they released an occurrence study and guidance report as the first steps toward regulating the chemical in New Jersey. Further studies are ongoing, although NJDEP did not test Thorofare’s drinking water.

The United Steelworkers took three Thorofare area drinking water samples as part of its on-going investigation into PFOA contaminated sites around the country. The samples were analyzed by the same laboratory used by DuPont to confirm PFOA contamination of community drinking water near the company’s Deepwater, N.J., plant, according to a Coalition press release.

PFOA Emissions Table

Basic PFOA Information

“Although sampling of Thorofare’s water reveals only trace levels of PFOA so far, no amount should be in drinking water," said Jane Nogaki of the New Jersey Environmental Federation. “PFOA does not break down and can accumulate in the body.”

NJDEP recently set a safe drinking water guidance value of .04 parts per billion for PFOA. Although the highest level found in Thorofare was 4.86 parts per trillion (or .004 parts per billion), the environmental coalition said the source of the contamination should be identified and cleaned up.

Even low levels in drinking water can add up to higher levels in the blood, according to the U.S. EPA.

The DuPont Accountability Coalition also is asking NJDEP to investigate the Solvay Solexis site because of its history of fluoropolymer manufacturing and known contamination of groundwater beneath the plant by other chemicals.

The USW and other coalition members have documented PFOA contamination in West Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey drinking water systems in Sayreville and in the Penns Grove, Pennsville and Deepwater area. Further Coalition investigations are ongoing. The Coalition is composed of organizations from PFOA contaminated workplaces and communities across the country.

“The nation’s PFOA problem, which has now spread to Thorofare, New Jersey, needs to be addressed at the source. PFOA needs to cleaned up from our communities by those responsible for the pollution”, said Denise Patel of New Jersey Work Environment Council in Trenton. “PFOA, now manufactured only by DuPont, makes its way into products and downstream industries that spread and compound contamination.”

DuPont announced it would end production of PFOA by 2015, but recently refused the coalition’s request to begin reducing and publicly releasing its monthly PFOA production amounts, according to the environmental coalition.