nys doh pfoa fact sheet 1215

8/19/2019 Nys Doh Pfoa Fact Sheet 1215

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Departmen

of Health

PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID

(PFOA)

IN DRINKTNG

WATERO

HOOSICK FALLS'

NEW

YORK

LONG FACT

SHEET

DECEMBER 2OI5

Important

Points

{. PFOA is

used n consumer

roducts

nd

s found

at ow levels n the blood

of

most

Americans.

*

Human studies

show hat

increased

xposureo PFOA might increase

he risk for

some

health

effects. The studies ave

scientific imitations,

nd he

results ave

not been

consistent.

A

We

determined FOA levels

n samplesrom

he HoosickFallsPublic

WaterSystem.

Healtheffectsare not expected o occur rom normaluse of the water.

*

Nonetheless, e recommend

hatmeasures

e aken o reduce

eople's

exposureo

PFOA.

t A

shorter ersion

of this

fact

sheet s

alsoavailable.

Center

or

New

York

State

Prepared

y

Environmental

Health

Department

of

Health



Departmen

of Health

What is PFOA?

Perfluorooctanoic

cid

(PFOA,

alsoknown

as C8 or

perfluorooctanoate)

s

a manufbctured

hemical hat

belongs

o a

group

of fluorine-containing

hemicals

alled

perfluorinated

hemicals

PFCs)1.

These

hemicals

were

and are used o make household

nd commercial

products

hat resistheat

and chemical eactions,

nd repe

oil, stains,

grease,

nd water.

What do

we

know

about PFOA's

use n consumer

products?

PFOA

was once widely

used n nonstick

cookware, n

surface oatings or

stain-resistant

arpets nd bbric,

and

in

paper

and cardboard ood

packaging such

as microwave

popcorn

bags

and

ast

ood containers).

PFOA was

also used n fire-fighting

foam

and

n

many

products

or

the aerospace,

utomotive,

building/construction,

nd

electronicsndustries.

PFOA

use n the manuf-acturing

f consumer

roducts

n

the U.S. s

slowlydeclining. n2006,

eightmajor

PFOA

manufacturers

greed o

participate

n

the U.S. Environmenta l

Protection

Agency's

(US

EPA)

PFOA

StewardshipProgram. The

participating

companiesmadevoluntary

commitments

o

reduce

product

content

and acility

emissions f PFOA

and elated

hemicals y 95o/o,o later

han2010.

Companies lsoagreed

o

work

toward eliminating

useof thesesubstances

n their

products

by 2015. According

o the US EPA,

participating

manufacturers

re on track

o

reach

he

program's

goal

of

phasing

out thesechemicals

by the end

of 2015. However,

PFOA may

still be found n

products

manufacturedn

othercountries.

What do we know

about

PFOA

in the

environment?

PFOA

gets

nto

the environment rom industrial

acilities

hat makePFOA

or use

PFOA

to make other

products. It also enters he environmentwhen releasedicm PFOA-containing onsumer roductsduring heir

use and disposal

for

example, hroughdischargesiom

wastewaterreatment

lants

or leakage rom landfil ls).

PFOA

can also be formed from

other

related

chemicalswhen

hey breakdown in the

environment.

PFOA can remain n

the environment,

articularly

n

water, or many

years.

PFOA

can

move

throughsoil and

into

groundwater,

r be carried n air. PFOA has

been

ound

n soi l, sediment, nd water

samples

ar

away

rom

where t was made

or used. The highest evels

of PFOA n the environment

re ypically

found

near ndustrial

facilities

hat

manufacture

r usePFOA.

How might I

be exposed o PFOA?

Although

the levelsof PFOA in fbod

are

generally

ow,

food is expectedo be the

primary

sourceof exposure

to PFOA lbr most

people.

People

can also be exposed o PFOA throughwater,air, soil, dust,and rom various

consumer

products

fbr

example,

contact

with rugs

or furniture reatedwith PFOA-containing

roducts).

However, exposure iom consumer

roducts

s

expectedo declinewith the

reduction

and eventualelimination

I

Scientists ften

efer

o

PFCs

usingdifferentnames,ncluding

erfluorochemicals,erfluoroalkyls,erfluorinated

lkyl

acids,

olyfluorinated

hemicals,

olyfluorinated

ompounds, nd

polyfluoroalkyl

ubstances.



Departmen

of Health

of PFOA in consumer

products.

Fetalexposure an occur

via

the

placenta,

nd nfantscan be exposed ia

mother'sbreastmilk.

Is PFOA found in humans?

Studiesshow hat

human

exposure o

PFOA is widespread

nd hat

most

people

have ow levelsof PFOA in

their blood. PFOA doesnot breakdown in thehumanbodyand canbe present n blood for yearsafter

exposure.

Thus, PFOA

blood

levels argely reflect

otal

exposure

ver

many

years.

The time it takes or PFOA

blood

levels

o

go

down by

half,,

on average,

s

about wo to

four

years,

assuming

here s no additional

exposure o the chemical.

What health

effectsare associated

ith PFOA

exposure?

Humans

Human

studiesshow associations etween

ncreased FOA levels n

blood and an

ncreased

isk tbr several

healtheffects. Someof theseeffectswere dentifiedby a specialstudy

of a

largenumber

of

people

iving near

a

PFOA manufacturing

plant

in the Ohio River Valley of Ohio

and West

Virginia. These

ef'fects

nclude:

.

high

cholesterolevels,

o

changes

n

thyroid

hormone,

o

ulcerativecolitis

(autoimmune

disease),

o

pre-eclampsia

a

complication f

pregnancy

hat

ncludes

igh blood

pressure),

nd

o

kidney and esticularcancer.

Studiesof otherpopulationsshowedeffectson the liver, the mmune system,and high serumuric acid evels,

which may be associated ith an ncreased isk

of

high

blood

pressure.

Data

on the effectsof

PFOA

on children aremixed. Somestudies

how

no

association etween ncreased

lood

PFOA levelsand ncreased isk

of stillbirths,

premature

irth, or

birth defects. Other studies how an

association etween ncreasedPFOA

blood evelsand ncreasedisks for severalhealth

effects n children

(for

example,effectson birth weight,

cognitiveand behavioraldevelopment,mmune unction,

and cholesterol

levels).

There s no

conclusiveevidence hat PFOA

causes ancer n humans. The InternationalAgency for Research

on

Cancer

IARC)

classifies FOA as possibly

carcinogenicn humans ased

n

limited

evidencen humans

and animals

see

below).

Overall, he human studies

are difficult to interpretbecauseesults

are

not

consistent mongstudies. Some

studies ound associations etween ncreased

FOA exposure nd

a

health

effect,

while

other studiesdid not,

even hough he studies ooked or

the same ype of healtheffect. Because

f the scientific imitations

of the

studies,we

cannotdeterminewhetherPFOA causedhe effects

een n

people

with elevated FOA evels,

or

fnew

YORK

(_

STATE

\r-



(-nzw

YORK

.

,

STATE

\r-

Departmen

of Health

be sure hat

hether

other non-PFOA actors

contributed o increased

isks of health

effbcts. Thus.we cannot

PFOA caused

he observed ffects.

Animals

The

primary

non-cancer

ft-ects bserved n

animalsexposed

o

high levels

of PFOA include iver

toxicity,

developmentaloxicity (birth defbcts, elayeddevelopment), nd mmunesystem oxicity. PFOA caused

cancerof the liver,

pancreas,

nd estis n male rats ed

argeamounts or

their lifbtimes. However,PFOA

has

not

been ested br carcinogenic

cancer-causing)otential

n mice or

otheranimal species.Thus, he

US

EPA

considers FOA

to have suggestive

vidence f carcinogenic

otential

ecause nly onespecies as

been

evaluated.

The

primary

way that PFOA

causes ffbcts n animals

suchas rats andmice s

not fully understood.

Some

studiessuggest

hat

PFOA

causes ffects n rodents,

articularly

cancer n rats,

by a specificbiological

process

that

is

more active n rodents

han humans

that

s,

humansare ess

sensitive han rodents o

the

process).

This

raises

someuncertainty

abouthow relevant he

effectsobservedn rodents

are o evaluating

he

humanhealth

risks from PFOA.

It is

possible,

however,

hat PFOA may

be harmful o humans ia

processes

ifferent han

those n

animals.

Are

there federal or New York

State egulations,

tandards, r

guidelines

or PFOA

in drinking water?

The US EPA doesnot have

an enfbrceable ealth-based

rinking water

standard

called

a maximum

contaminant evel

or MCL) fbr PFOA. The

US EPA doeshave

a temporary

provisional

health

advisory

evel

(a

non-enforceable

uidance

alue) fbr PFOA of 400

partsper

rillion

(ppt)

for

evaluating he risk of non-cancer

effects

rom

short-termPFOA

exposure

weeks

o months).

The New York StateDepartment

of Health

(NYS

DOH)

doeshavean enforceable

rinking water standard

(MCL)

of 50,000

ppt

fbr

any chemical

including

PFOA)

classified san unspecified

rganic ontaminant

under Sub-part5-l of the

StateSanitaryCode. It only applies

o chemicals, uchas PFOA, that do not havea

health-based

tandard erived iom its

toxicitv data.

What did the NYS DOH's 2015

sampling esults or the HoosickFalls Public Water

Systemand

private

wells show

In the summerof 2015, he NYS DOH measured

he PFOA evels n severalwatersamples ollected iom the

Village of Hoosick Falls Public Water System. The resultsare shownbelow. All but one samplewereabove

the US

EPA

provisional

healthadvisoryof 400

ppt (see

he below

question

br information

on

what an

exceedance

eans).

Sampling onducted y the Villageof HoosickFalls ound similar eve lsof

PFOA.



-YlsH*

€tt

NYS DOH

Village of HoosickFalls Public

Water Supply Sampling Results

Location

PFOA level

(ppt)

Supply Well #3 Raw Water

l 5 l

Supply Well #7 Raw

Water

620

Water TreatmentPlant Finished

Water

662

Tap Water from Building on Village Water System

612

Tap Water from Building

on Village Water System

620

PreviousNYS DOH

samplingof eight

private

wells

showed

PFOA

in threewells and no detectable FOA in

the others. In

private

wells where PFOA

was detected,he evels anged rom

58

ppt

to

194

ppt,

and were

below

the US

EPA

provisional

health

guidance

alue

of

400

ppt.

Samplingof additional

private

wells was

completed n November 2075

and he

results

are expectedater

his

year.

What doesan exceedance

f the

health

advisory mean?

An exceedance

f a

health

advisory ndicatesa

potential

hreat o

public

healthand s used

as a signal o ini tiate

actions

o

reduce

exposure o the contaminant nd o identify

the sources f contamination.An

exceedance lso

indicates

he

need

or a further evaluation

of the

potential

br health

effects.

A health

advisory

s not

a

bright

line betweendrinking water

evels hat causehealth

eff-ects nd hose hat do

not.

It is set at a water evel at which

estimated xposures remuch ower

than exposures nown

to cause

effects n animals

or assumedo causeeffbcts n humans. This

difference s called

a

margin-of-protection.

Health-protective ssumptions

re used o determine

he

margin-of-protection

ecause

we

do not have

good

information

on important actors

hat are necessaryo

characterize uman isk from the results

of animal

studies. An exceedance f a healthadvisory aisesconcerns ot because ealtheffectsare ikely or will occur,

but because

he associated xposure educes

he margin-of-protection

rovided

by the health

advisory.

Are health

effectsexpected

iven

he PFOA levels ound in

the HoosickFatls Public

Water System?

No. Based

on our evaluation

singdatacollected

y NYS DOH in

the summer f 2015,we

do

not

expect

health

effects o occur rom normal

useof the water f

PFOA levels n

the

past

were similar

to thoseseen n

2015,

and

uture

PFOA levels

decrease r remain

he same.

Our evaluationcompared

he PFOA exposures

esulting rom

normaluseof the water

o PFOA exposures

estimated o causehealtheffects n humans. We estimatedusingmathematicalmodels) he humanPFOA

exposure or health

effectsby using

data

rom

animal studies

ecausehere s

someunceftainty

due

o

lack

of

adequate uman

studies)on what

PFOA levels

actuallycause uman

healtheffects.

Our evaluation ndicated

that the

estimated rinking-water

exposures

o

PFOA

are ower

than he estimated

xposures ssociated ith

health

effects n both

children and adults. Although

the margins-of-protection

re

not

as argeas hose

provided

by the healthadvisory,

he margins-sf--protection

re still large

enough

o

indicate

hat health

effectsare

unlikely from short-term

weeks

o months)

or long-term

years)

exposure

o

PFOA

at the levels

detectedn

the

Departmen

of Health



Departmen

of Health

water system.

One

imitation

of our

analysis s that t is

basedonly on sampling

data

or

the summerof 2015,

thus,

we

are unable o evaluate

he risk of

past

exposureso PFOA.

What measures

an be taken

to

reduce

exposure

o PFOA?

If

tap or well water s found

to containPFOA,

people

may

consideruseof

bottled

water

or drinking and ood

preparationor the nstallationof water ilters to reduceexposure.Carbon iltration and reverseosmosisare wo

technologies hat can remove

ow levels

of organiccontaminants,

uchas PFOA, from water.

While thereare

currently no

commerciallyavailable

point-of'-usePOU)

filters

(filters

attachedo

a tap) or whole house ilters

specificallycertified

by the National

SanitationFoundation

NSF)

o removePFOA, it

is expected hat

any

activated

carbonor reverseosmosis

systemwill have

he capabilityof reducingPFOA

levels. The Minnesota

Department

of Health

estedseveralPOU water

reatment evices

and

ound

many o

be effective

visit

http:/iwww.health.state.mn.us/divsleVhazardous/topics/pfcs/wateranalysis.html

or

a summary). If a treatment

is

used, t is important

o

follow

the manufbcturer's

uidelines

or maintenance

nd operation.

When should I

or my children

seea health care

provider?

If

you

or

your

family have

signsor symptoms

hat

you

think

are caused y PFOA exposure,

ou

shoulddiscuss

your

concernswith

your

or

your

family's

health

care

provider.

Is

there a medical est

hat can tell me f I have

beenexposed o PFOA?

Yes. PFOA

can be measuredn

blood.

In fact,

datasuggesthat PFOA

would be found at low levels n

the

blood of almost

all

Americans.

However, he

test

or PFOA

in blood s not routinely

done.

The results

of blood

tests anbe used o determinef

a

person's

PFOA blood evel s lower

han,similar o, or higher han

blood

levels ound in the generalpopulation,or in groupswheresomepeoplemay haveunusuallyhigh PFOA blood

levels. These

groups

nclude workers n facil ities

hat useor

produce

PFOA,

and

people

who live near

substantialPFOA

sources

fbr

example,manufacturing

acilities, ire-fighting raining areas,PFC waste

disposalsites, arms where

substantial mountsof PFC-containing

ewage ludge

were

applied o soils).

However,

other usesof PFOA blood

test

esults

are

imited.

Scientists o not haveenough nformation

yet

to

identify a level

of

PFOA in

blood that

s

completelywithout health isk, or a level

hat

is

certain o cause

llness

In addition, he resultsof blood tests eflect

otal exposureo

PFOA

and cannotbe used o identify specific

sources f exposure r timing of

past

PFOA exposures.

Where can I get more information?

If

you

have any

questions

bout

he

nfbrmation n

this

fact

sheetor other

questions

bout he

2015 NYS DOH

PFOA sampling,

please

contact he appropriateNYS DOH resourceisted below.

o

Ifyou have

questions

bout

potential

ealth

effects,

lease

all

l-518-402-7800

r

1-800-458-l 58,sendan

e-mail to

[email protected],r write New York StateDepartment f Health,Bureauof Toxic Substance

Assessment, orning

Tower,Room 1743,Empire

State

Plaza,Albany,NY 12237.

Cnew

YORK

/

.

STATE

\r-



Departmen

of Health

lf

you

have

questions

bout he

public

watersupply,

lease

all

Lloyd Wilson

at 518-402-7650,endan e-

mail to bpwsp@health .ny.gov,r write New York StateDepartment f Health,Bureauof Water

Supply

Protection, orningTower,

Room 1l10,

EmpireStatePlaza,Albany,NY 12237.

If

you

have

questions

bout

private

wells,

please

all

Albert

DeMarcoat 518-402-7860, end

an e-mail to

[email protected], r write New York StateDepartment f Health,Bureauof EnvironmentalExposure

Investigation,

orningTower,Room 1717,EmpireStatePlaza,Albany,NY 12237.

nys doh pfoa fact sheet 1215

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