12/13/2018 Allegan County Health Department FAQs Questions and Answers for the Otsego Area

Transcription

1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q#1. Callers are asking about the municipal water supply- is it safe, has it been tested, is it going to get retested for all the things the private wells have been tested for? A: The City of Otsego, Otsego Township, Gun Plain Township and the City of Plainwell have all completed sampling in 2018 for metals (Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, Selenium, and Thallium), volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds (pesticides, herbicides and carbamates), partial chemistry (chloride, fluoride, hardness, iron, nitrate, nitrite, sodium and sulfate), cyanide, PFAS and dioxin (2,3,7,8 TCDD). All compounds were not detected, or below the MCL. Dioxin was not detected for all three supplies, but the test was limited to the single dioxin compound that is regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The City of Otsego, Otsego Township, the City of Plainwell and Gun Plain Township municipalities have completed testing for the additional dioxin, furan and PCB compounds. (Please see Question for more information as well as the information posted on the Allegan County Website) Q#2: What are dioxins? A: Dioxins are a group of chemicals that may be formed during chemical and paper manufacturing. They can also be released into the air and water from burning trash and industrial waste. Dioxins can build up in people, fish, birds, eggs, and other animals. They do not break down easily and stay in the environment for a very long time. Q#3: Can dioxins and furans harm my health? A: No one can say for sure if drinking water with dioxins will harm you. Too much exposure to dioxins over time can contribute to: Cancer Heart disease Diabetes And could harm the: Liver Immune system Hormones Brain development Reproductive health and fertility 1 P a g e

2 Tooth development People with serious health problems, babies, and children could be at higher health risk from dioxins. Q#4: What should I do if I ve been told not to use my water because of dioxins? (This was resolved 10/12/18) A: Swallowing dioxins are the main way they get into your body. If the Allegan County Health Department has recommended you do not use your well water, use another source of water, such as bottled water, for the following: Drinking Cooking Making baby formula or food Washing fruits and vegetables Brushing your teeth Take the same steps for your pets and animals that you take for yourself. Q#5: If I have been told not to use my water, how long do I need to use bottled water? (This was resolved 10/12/18) A: If we asked you to use an alternative water source, The Allegan County Health Department recommends you use bottled water until further notice. Q#6: I have been put on bottled water by the Health department. How can I get more bottled water? (This was resolved 10/12/18) A: If you are unable to get bottled water, please call Allegan County Health Department s Hotline at between 10:00 am -6:00 pm. (10/26/18 note contact hours/number has changed see Q#27) Q#7: Is it okay to shower, bathe, or touch my well water? A: Yes. Touching water that has dioxins is okay. Dioxins do not move easily through the skin. It s okay to bathe, shower, wash clothes, and clean with your water. Q#8: Is it okay to breastfeed if my water has dioxins? A: Yes, the health benefits of breastfeeding for your baby outweigh the health risks from dioxins. It is recommended you continue to breastfeed your baby. Q#9: I use formula for my baby, what should I do? (This was resolved 10/12/18) A: Use bottled water to make baby formula. 2 P a g e

3 Q#10: Should I have my, or my child s, blood tested? A: Blood tests are available that can measure the amount of dioxins in your blood at the time it s collected. The blood test cannot tell you how much dioxins were in your blood in the past. It cannot tell you if dioxin has or will cause a medical condition. There is no medical treatment that can remove dioxins from your body. Q#11: How long have dioxins been in my water? A: It s unknown and may be impossible to know how long dioxins have been in your water. The source of dioxins in the water is thought to be waste from former paper mills that was disposed of on local farm fields and in landfills. Local, state, and federal agencies are working to learn more about where the dioxins came from, but it will take time. Information will be shared as more is learned. Q#12: My well was one that was tested by the MDEQ. When will I get my well test results? A: Some residential water wells in Allegan and Kalamazoo Counties were tested due to concerns about contamination from past industrial activity. The Allegan County Health Department and the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Department received notification from the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) that preliminary test results showed some levels of some dioxins in the water wells in the 56 wells that were tested. Results for the rest of the dioxins were received by the MDEQ.The results were reviewed by MDHHS toxicologists for public health concerns. The MDHHS team attempted to contact all private well residents by phone on October 12 th and mailed their results to them that day. Q#13: Why did I have to have my well sampled again on 9/10/2018 for dioxin? A: DEQ learned from their contractor on 9/10/2018 that they did not have enough sample water left from 6 out of the 56 wells sampled to run the PCB coplanar compounds. DEQ instructed the lab to go back and resample all 6 so that we would have a complete data set for all wells for all Dioxin/Furan/PCB compounds. Q#14: Can a filter remove dioxins from my water? A: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is checking with NSF International to learn if there are filters that can reduce dioxins in water. NSF tests and certifies filtration systems. More information will be provided when it is available. 3 P a g e

4 Q#15: Can I eat fruits and vegetables from my garden that s been watered with contaminated water? (This was resolved 10/12/18) A: Rinse fruits and vegetables that are from your garden with bottled water. Fruits or vegetables that were canned with your well water should be thrown away. If you re canning vegetables or fruits, use bottled water rather than your well water. Q#16: What about my pets/animals? A: We recommend you use bottled water for your pets and animals too. Q#17: My well wasn t tested. Can I have it tested? A: The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is testing some private wells. If your well is one that will be tested, there is no cost to you for the test. The DEQ will contact you to request access to your home and schedule a water sample collection. You can request your well be considered for testing by using the DEQ request form located on our website. The request can be printed and mailed to the address at the bottom of the form or the request to spauldingr1@michigan.gov. The DEQ requires the form be signed before they can collect a sample. There currently is a well testing request list. Well sampling is based on analysis of the additional data we are waiting for and is part of the continuing overall MDEQ investigation. The form is located in the Updates area of the Allegan County Website. You can retrieve it and either it to the above location or print it out to mail in (7953 Adobe Road, Kalamazoo MI 49009) If you require assistance in locating the form or have further questions call the Allegan County Health Department, Q#18: My well wasn t tested. Can I have it tested at my own expense? Allegan County Health Department (ACHD) have provided (i) a list of contaminants that were included in the Otsego Area Sampling Plan implemented by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) July 2018, (ii) companies that conduct testing, and (iii) a local resource who is trained to collect samples along with the pricing. Please note that the minimum risk level ( MRL ), reporting level ( RL ) and method detection level ( MDL ) identified on the contaminant list are not necessarily levels that represent a health risk. In most cases, the level at which a contaminant may present a health risk is significantly higher, and will vary depending on the contaminant. Dioxin/Furan and PFAS samples should be collected by trained individuals given the extremely low levels of contaminants detected. The Allegan County website has all of the 4 P a g e

5 attachments uploaded under the Groundwater Investigation area (quote, list of parameters, local sources to obtain the sample) If you have issues finding the information on the website call our hotline. Additional MDEQ certified drinking water laboratories can be found at the following website: Q#19: How do I find out the locations of sampled residential wells with detectible dioxins? A: The requestor may submit an official Freedom of Information Act request in writing. Each request will be processed in accordance with law and each request will be reviewed independently. Q#20: How do I find out the locations of potential contamination sites? A: In response to questions received regarding locations of potential contamination, a map that has been added to the Water Investigation website under Otsego Area at click on water investigations at the top of the webpage and that will take you to the current investigation sites. Q#21: What is the impact on the Kalamazoo River? A: At this time, the impact to the Kalamazoo River is not known. Fish from the Kalamazoo River were tested for chemicals. The Eat Safe Fish guidelines for this part of the river are because of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To learn more about the Eat Safe Fish guidelines for the Kalamazoo River, please visit or call Q#22: Why were some homes with private wells that had detections of dioxins put on bottled water but City of Otsego s water was fine with a detect? A: A full set of laboratory results for dioxins, also known as dioxin-like chemicals, are necessary to know if a there is a health risk from drinking well water. The City of Otsego, The City of Plainwell, Gun Plain Township and Otsego Township received a full set of dioxin data for its water. MDHHS has reviewed the full set of data and found there is no health risk due to dioxins from drinking the water. The full results are returned for the private wells now and the bottled water recommendation has been lifted (See details at www. allegancounty.org. Click on the Water Investigation Link at the top of the web page and it will be located in the Otsego Area Water Investigation. Call the Allegan County Health Department if you are unable to access the additional information). 5 P a g e

6 Questions and Answers regarding Municipal Water Q#23: Has the complete Dioxin panel testing been done before and/or been required? A: No, the full dioxin panel has previously not been tested or required for community water supplies. Q#24: To the degree Dioxin has been tested before, why has it not been for complete panel and why was it not required annually? When did dioxin first become regulated, and how often is testing required? A: Semi-Volatile organic compound (SOC) monitoring is typically done every three years at Community water supplies in Michigan. Dioxin as 2,3,7,8 TCDD is one of the SOC compounds, however monitoring for that specific compound has been waived for public supplies in Michigan since the early 1990s (it was first regulated in 1992). To ensure ongoing use of this waiver was appropriate, monitoring was conducted in the mid-2000s at approximately 50 water supplies. Sampling included 25 supplies with higher vulnerability (near paper mills), and 25 randomly selected supplies. 2,3,7,8 TCDD was not detected in any samples. Otsego, Plainwell and Gun Plain Township were all included as supplies with higher vulnerability. The additional dioxin/furan and PCBs are not regulated compounds under the Safe Drinking Water Act, so these compounds fall outside of required testing, whether a waiver is in place or not. Additionally, the following information was provided by the EPA: EPA is not considering the regulation of other related compounds at this time. The Agency has no indication that these compounds are found in public water supplies. The Agency is regulating 2,3,7,8-TCDD because it is the most potent isomer and included in the list of 83 contaminants to be regulated under the SDWA. Q#25: Why is this situation so unique? A: This particular situation is unique due to the potential sources of contamination in the area, known information about those sources, the fact that Dioxins have been detected at some level in private residential wells across the study area, and the ongoing investigation by DHHS and DEQ. Q#26: How will new information be provided to me? A: Information will be provided on the Allegan County Health Department s website, through mailings, and at town hall meetings. 6 P a g e

7 **NEW**Q#27: Why hasn t a Health Assessment been done? A: The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has not determined if an exposure assessment will be done in the Otsego area. Exposure assessments are sometimes done in areas with hazardous levels of environmental contamination where people can be in contact with that hazardous material. At this time, we do not have known hazardous conditions with ongoing exposure to people in the Otsego area. The environmental investigation recently underway in Otsego will provide information on the type and amount of contamination that exists. Once that is known, an exposure assessment will be considered. An exposure assessment can measure the amount of certain chemicals in blood or urine, but does not link exposure to health conditions. If conducted, an assessment would determine if residents have been exposed to certain chemicals. If it is determined that residents within a certain area have been exposed, a health study could be considered. Such evaluations take time, up to several years, to plan and implement. Q#28: Where can I get more information? A: Call the Allegan County Health Department, during regular business hours. 7 P a g e