They are considered ’emerging contaminants’ because of limited data on their health impacts.
(TNS) – Manmade toxins that likely came from foams used years ago in firefighting have been found in 26 drinking-water wells near Fairbanks International Airport, according to the airport.
Of 33 tested wells serving residences and businesses, 19 had levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — PFAS for short — above the health advisory level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the airport said.
The chemicals were found in another seven wells, but in amounts below the health advisory limits.
These chemicals may hurt the ability of children to learn and grow, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They can hurt the ability of women to get pregnant, interfere with a body’s natural hormones and affect the immune system, the CDC said.
The offer goes to those in the area "whether they have been tested yet or not," she said.
Testing through contractor Shannon & Wilson is continuing, the airport said.
Homes and businesses with PFAS levels above the EPA health advisory will be connected to the area’s water utility, she said, though that work cannot be done until after breakup.
Chemical foam isn’t used in training anymore though the airport must use it in required annual inspections to prove its firefighting system is in order, she said.

CRAWFORD COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) — Tests show there could be dangerous chemicals in Lake Margrethe, near Grayling.
Some people who live on the lake are very concerned and have switched to only drinking bottled water.
Officials are now saying there could be potentially dangerous chemicals in the foam that forms on the Lake’s surface.
“It’s a big concern," said Allie Hart.
"The lake is one of the reasons why we moved right here, so it’s a little alarming going out in the lake and seeing foam and wondering is it the PFC foam or is it the natural foam.” PFC’s are the chemicals that were found in areas close to Camp Grayling last spring.
What we’re saying is, if you see the foam and you’re out there with your kids or your dog, just keep them out of the foam," said Kory Groetsch from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Officials told a packed room of Grayling area residents Monday night that there’s no sign of chemicals in the lake getting into drinking water, some residents are waiting to get their wells tested.
“It’s alarming to think that its something in your water that you’ve been consuming," Hart said.
"We have a three-month-old baby so that’s kind of alarming that I was drinking it throughout my pregnancy and now have a baby.” State agencies are still working to find out exactly how far the contamination goes, and are still recommending people in certain areas around Camp Grayling use filtered or bottled water until they have more information.
The Governor’s office has created a response team, pulling together multiple state, local and federal groups to investigate this issues.

Test results released Monday by the NC Department of Environmental Quality measured concentrations of GenX, PFOA and PFOS at Chemours’ wastewater discharge outfall and five drinking water treatment plants in the Lower Cape Fear.
The latest round of surface water results includes testing for an expanded list of chemical compounds.
Of those, only PFOA, PFOS and GenX have established health goals.
State officials also released the latest results of private well testing near Chemours and DEQ has directed the company to provide bottled water to 34 more well owners near the company’s Fayetteville Works facility.
Preliminary test results from the company’s expanded sampling show GenX above the state’s provisional health goal in residential drinking wells.
Of those sampled, the state has verified results for 107 wells that were tested Oct. 11-19 and 48 showed detections of GenX below the health goal.
The expanded sampling will include more than twice as many wells as the sampling conducted by Chemours and DEQ.
Both counties and the state are looking into several long-term water solutions, including digging deeper wells, installing water filters on homes or running water lines to residents whose wells tested above the state’s drinking water health goal.
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Americans have grown accustomed to hearing apologies from everyone from cheating car-makers to cheating presidents, but a Fortune 500 chemical company with a pollution problem in North Carolina is following a different model: don’t apologize, don’t explain.
The company has said virtually nothing in its own defense about chemicals it may have discharged for nearly four decades, and it skipped legislative hearings looking into health concerns.
Earlier this month, North Carolina environmental regulators said they might fine Chemours, revoke its license to discharge treated wastewater into the nearby river and open a criminal probe.
State officials said the company chose silence over reporting a chemical spill last month as required.
In a rare response, Chemours said it’s committed to operating the plant, which employs about 900, "in accordance with all applicable laws and in a manner that respects the environment and public health and safety."
New tests have detected the chemical GenX, used to make Teflon and other industrial products, at levels beyond the state’s estimated but legally unenforceable safety guidepost in 50 private water wells near Chemours’ Fayetteville plant and at a water treatment plant in Wilmington, about 100 miles (62 kilometers) downstream.
There are no federal health standards addressing GenX and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as an "emerging contaminant" to be studied.
DuPont spun off Chemours into a separate company two years ago.
A jury in July 2016 found the two companies liable for a man’s testicular cancer that he said was linked to a chemical emitted by the West Virginia plant.
The two companies this year agreed to pay nearly $671 million to settle further lawsuits.

Health officials say they are studying a possible cancer cluster.
She lives on the same street where Wolverine once dumped sludge that included Scotchgard, the waterproofing chemical used in Hush Puppies shoes that contained PFAS.
Though PFAS, once common in household products, have been linked to serious health problems such as decreased fertility and increased cancer risk, the science about those risks is still developing and regulations are limited.
At least three states, including Michigan, have issued warnings about eating fish with high levels of PFAS.
Wolverine officials said they were helping investigate those sites, but said many were not theirs.
“We’ve asked the company — they apparently don’t have too much, either, in way of historical files,” Ms. Shirey said.
The officials emphasized that the health risks of PFAS were not known at the time of the dumping, and that the extent of those hazards remains unknown.
“It’s the same way with Flint,” said Sandy Wynn-Stelt, whose water in Plainfield Township tested well above the advised levels of PFAS.
“Certainly this has caused some anxiety, and we’re working to alleviate that anxiety.” Some residents gave passing grades to the efforts to respond to the tainted water, but others criticized Wolverine and the environmental quality department for not taking action years ago, especially in 2000 when the maker of Scotchgard announced plans to reformulate the product and PFAS were increasingly recognized as a risk to health.
But the family’s whole-house water filter was installed a few days ago, and the girl, now 6, celebrated with a bath.

MULBERRY (KFSM) — A main line water break caused residents in Mulberry to finish celebrating Thanksgiving without water.
"So, we just had to turn the entire system off."
The Dickerson family had finished most of their cooking, but had to finish a few dishes with bottled water.
"I was disappointed that I didn’t have any water," Dickerson said.
The cause of the break is unknown at this time, but officials say it could have been a number of things.
"Just time," Brewer said.
Materials deteriorate over time."
"A lot of these people don’t work for us," Brewer said.
Officials requested that residents immediately store water in sinks or tubs until the water was restored.
Those with the water department said workers will be flushing the water for the next few days to get rid of anything that may have gotten into the system during the break.

TEMPERS were tested when up to 200 people packed a public meeting in Beechworth last night to address growing community concern about the use of groundwater for bottled water in the area.
Organisers, Indigo, Alpine and Towong councils kept a tight rein on the meeting, keeping the question and answer section of the forum brief and to the point.
Even so, the depth of emotion was apparent as supporters and opponents of the bottled water industry strongly argued their case and, on one occasion, started talking over the top of each other.
She believed the water should be kept at its source for agriculture and community use rather than used for bottled water while Alpine Mayor Ron Janas expressed concern on the impact and cost of the trucks used to transport water on local infrastructure.
He described the water as “liquid gold” for some and said there were moral and ethical concerns over its use.
New Towong Mayor, Aaron Scales told the meeting he was worried about local amenity.
He gained support from a number of speakers in the audience who claimed tap water was a health risk due to the chlorine and fluoride added to it.
He said despite the monitoring of the aquifers by authorities we didn’t really know what was happening underground.
“We mess with aquifers at our peril,” he said.
“They are a life-giving force.

HANOVER — A boil water advisory has been put in place Thanksgiving in the Cedar Knolls section of the township due to the widespread power outage Thursday morning, authorities said.
The Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority said a power failure on Thursday morning has caused some customers within its service area to be without water or have a significant loss of pressure.
More than 2,000 customers of Jersey Central Power & Light were without power Thursday morning in Hanover, but, as of noon, only about 146 were still without power in Hanvoer.
"As a precaution, we are implementing a limited Boil Water Advisory until testing of the water supply is deemed satisfactory."
Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water."
The SMCMUA also recommended the following measures: Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes made with tap water during the day of the advisory; Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking; Do not swallow water while showering or bathing; Rinse hand-washed dishes with a diluted bleach solution (one tablespoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle; Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms; Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries; Provide pets with drinking water that has been boiled and cooled.
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com.
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Vending machines at government premises will stop selling water in bottles of one litre or less starting from early next year, it emerged on Thursday, as part of a bid to clamp down on unnecessary plastic waste.
The new policy will cover all government-run sports complexes, performance venues, offices, urban parks, country parks, car parks, transport interchanges and ferry piers, according to the Environment Bureau.
The government is committed to setting a ‘green’ example in promoting waste reduction at source Exemptions will also be made for “special circumstances” such as “ad hoc operations, prolonged outdoor works or emergency situations” where bottled water would be provided to meet public service or operational needs, according to a spokesman.
“Having said that, bureaus and departments should continue to encourage their staff as far as practicable to refrain from using plastic bottled water in the course of discharging their official duties,” a bureau spokesman added.
In July, the University of Hong Kong banned the sale of bottled water measuring one litre or less at shops, restaurants, offices and vending machines.
Local environmental group The Green Earth estimated that since 2008 Hongkongers had thrown away more than 12 billion plastic bottles, which if placed end to end would circle the globe 58 times.
Hahn Chu Hon-keung, its director of environmental advocacy, welcomed the new policy, but said it should have come long ago.
“People don’t like bringing their own water bottles because they’re heavy when full.
If you put dispensers in the right locations, they won’t have to fill them up that often,” Chu said.
He said the next step in developing such a culture was for shopping mall and railway operators to follow suit.

Thanksgiving Day will be the 1,308th day of the Flint water crisis.
For residents, that’s 1,308 days without being able to drink from the tap.
Melissa Mays used 58 bottles to cook her family’s Thanksgiving meal last year.
It’s not.” She kept a tally on a whiteboard of how many bottles she needed for each task, and posted it to Twitter, which she plans to do again this year: Thaw turkey: 24 bottles Soak turkey in brine: 9 bottles Turkey rinse: 3 bottles Rinse veggies: 6 bottles Couscous and lentil: 10 bottles Mashed potatoes: 6 bottles Mays, who has become a water activist since the Flint crisis began, will be cooking with her three teenage sons and her husband again this year.
But cooking the Thanksgiving meal is an acute reminder of the situation Flint residents have been in for over three years.
Selig, who lives in Flint, also teaches free “water crisis” classes, open to the public.
That might make people feel safe to wash their dishes, but almost no one is drinking from the tap, even with the filters.
Local officials didn’t report finding Legionella in the water system to the state for more than a year.
I don’t trust the government right now,” says Selig.
“It makes you a lot more grateful for what you do have,” Mays says.