State Officials Warn Burrillville About Installing Turf Field Following PFAS Contamination in North Smithfield

 
State Officials Warn Burrillville About Installing Turf Field Following PFAS Contamination in North Smithfield

Source: https://ecori.org/state-officials-warn-burrillville-about-installing-turf-field-following-pfas-contamination-in-north-smithfield/

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — After the town of North Smithfield upgraded an artificial turf field in 2021, the level of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, in a well downgradient from the field doubled. Samplings collected by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management “suggest that the artificial turf field … may be partly or wholly contributing to the contamination of nearby private and public drinking water supply wells,” both agencies wrote in a letter reviewed by ecoRI News.

The well described in the RIDOH/DEM letter is 150 feet downgradient from North Smithfield Junior-Senior High School’s turf field, which was first installed in 2007 and upgraded with a new turf carpet three years ago. From the most recent sampling, done in June, the agencies detected a PFAS concentration of 61 nanograms per liter (ng/L), double the level found in 2019, before the turf was replaced, and exceeding the state’s 20 ng/L drinking water standard. All of this information came from a letter written to the Burrillville Town Council as that body decides whether to move forward with an artificial turf field scheduled for installation before the new school year begins.

Some residents are fighting to stop the construction of the field for fear that it could contain PFAS and contaminate the town’s water sources. The town has faced severe PFAS contamination before — Oakland village water tested high for the chemicals in 2017, leading to a no drinking water order. FieldTurf, the company hired to install Burrillville’s field, said at a Town Council meeting earlier this year that it can’t guarantee PFAS won’t wash off its product. An expert hired by the company also noted that tests meant to mimic weathering on their field materials had positive results for PFAS, although the expert claimed it was not enough to be harmful to people. FieldTurf is also the company that installed North Smithfield’s artificial turf in 2021.

PFAS, which are also called “forever chemicals,” are found in countless products, from firefighting foam to waterproof clothing, and have been linked to a variety of health problems. “The most important of these include suppression of the body’s response to vaccines and disruption of normal liver and kidney function,” RIDOH and DEM wrote in the letter. RIDOH said it has found about 20 private wells within a quarter-mile of Burrillville’s field. “If PFAS is present in the artificial turf and results in PFAS concentrations in groundwater above 20 ng/L, the School District and/or Town may be required to complete the remedial measures noted above,” including sampling wells, installing and monitoring new wells, and providing drinking water to affected properties, according to the letter.

Roberta Lacey, a local resident and environmentalist, read parts of the letter aloud at a meeting Tuesday night of the Harrisville Fire District & Water Department’s board; the town’s field is located within the district. Lacey has been advocating against the turf installment since she found out about it and its potential connection to PFAS, going so far as to hire a lawyer. Although the fire district/water department board does not decide whether the artificial turf is installed — the final say is up to the Town Council — Lacey urged them to look into doing their own testing and hiring their own expert to investigate the potential harm the field could cause. “I believe that anyone who would knowingly, after they have all this information, do something like this, I just feel like it’s such an insult to firefighters and it’s an insult to the people of Oakland who still have, they haven’t even began to see the results of the contamination they suffered,” she said, referring both to known PFAS contact from firefighting gear and the contamination that occurred in Oakland village.

“I am still listening to all sides,” Town Council member David Houle said after the meeting was over. Houle also sits on the Harrisville Fire District & Water Department board. “I am reading all the evidence,” he added.

The Town Council is scheduled to hold a special meeting Sept. 5 to discuss the project.