Update: Are Tomstown residents getting the full story? (PA)
Upon further review of this announcement in the PA Bulletin from several months ago, 2 things struck us. First, more from the bulletin (emphasis is ours):
First, PA DEP acknowledges that the policy of providing bottled water to TCE-exposed residences is not designed to protect people from the risks of direct skin contact with the TCE-contaminated water nor from inhaling toxic TCE vapors. Even if families are being told that non-drinking use of the poisonous water is "harmless" (as told to us by a resident), it appears PA DEP knows better. Why they wouldn't expressly discourage such use and warn residents of the practical dangers remains a mystery to us.
Second, DEP claims that carbon filters placed on private water supply lines will protect residents from inhaling toxic TCE vapors ("...would effectively remove the risk posed by ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact".) This is an unfortunate overstatement that ignores the well-established risks of vapor intrusion.
While it may be true that carbon filters will reduce the level of TCE coming into each filtered home from the water supply itself, this does nothing to stop toxic vapors from entering homes as they evaporate directly from the giant TCE plume below. No matter how many carbon filters DEP installs or bottles of water it provides, every family residing above or near the plume remains at risk of breathing toxic TCE vapors today. This risk has quietly persisted for as long as the TCE plume has plagued this community.
We hope the residents have been getting the full story from DEP. Right now, that is far from clear.
Bottled Water: This alternative provides for the Department to furnish commercial bottled water to the impacted residences. Bottled water would be delivered regularly to each residence that has a water supply contaminated in excess of the Maximim Contaminant Level (MCL) of 5 ppb for TCE. This would effectively remove the risk posed by ingestion, but would not remove the risk posed by inhalation and dermal contact.Here's what struck us:
Point-Of-Entry Water Treatment Units: This alternative provides for the Department to install carbon treatment systems on the supply line of private wells that are contaminated. The carbon treatment systems would effectively remove the risk posed by ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact. [TCE Blog note: Not entirely true, see below]
First, PA DEP acknowledges that the policy of providing bottled water to TCE-exposed residences is not designed to protect people from the risks of direct skin contact with the TCE-contaminated water nor from inhaling toxic TCE vapors. Even if families are being told that non-drinking use of the poisonous water is "harmless" (as told to us by a resident), it appears PA DEP knows better. Why they wouldn't expressly discourage such use and warn residents of the practical dangers remains a mystery to us.
Second, DEP claims that carbon filters placed on private water supply lines will protect residents from inhaling toxic TCE vapors ("...would effectively remove the risk posed by ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact".) This is an unfortunate overstatement that ignores the well-established risks of vapor intrusion.
While it may be true that carbon filters will reduce the level of TCE coming into each filtered home from the water supply itself, this does nothing to stop toxic vapors from entering homes as they evaporate directly from the giant TCE plume below. No matter how many carbon filters DEP installs or bottles of water it provides, every family residing above or near the plume remains at risk of breathing toxic TCE vapors today. This risk has quietly persisted for as long as the TCE plume has plagued this community.
We hope the residents have been getting the full story from DEP. Right now, that is far from clear.
Related Posts (on one page):
- Update: Are Tomstown residents getting the full story? (PA)
- State DEP allowing Tomstown families to be poisoned by TCE? (PA)
- TCE in Quincy Township spurs new well testing regulations (PA)
- TCE impacts water supply (and maybe the air?) in Quincy Township (PA)