The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an amendment to the 2009 Safe Drinking Water Act consent order between EPA and DuPont Co.
The amendment adds Chemours Company to the 2009 order, and requires both DuPont and Chemours to take additional actions to reduce exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in drinking water for residents in Ohio and West Virginia living near the Washington Works facility in Parkersburg, WV. PFOA is more commonly known as C8.
The chemical has been in the news as more than 3,000 lawsuits move through the court system alleging harmful effects related to the chemical used in the production of Teflon. DuPont has been contesting the suits.
The amendment contains a new action level of .07 parts per billion (ppb) of PFOA which triggers the temporary provision of an alternate source of drinking water by DuPont and Chemours.
The temporary provision of drinking water will continue until a permanent alternate drinking water supply is provided. The amendment also expands the geographic areas to be investigated and requires appropriate action if levels of PFOA in drinking water of .07 ppb or more are discovered.
The temporary provision of drinking water will continue until a permanent alternate drinking water supply is provided. The amendment also expands the geographic areas to be investigated and requires appropriate action if levels of PFOA in drinking water of .07 ppb or more are discovered.
DuPont did not comment on the order. Chemours, which acquired the site with its spin-off from DuPont in July 2015 issued the following:
Chemours and the United State Environmental Protection Agency have reached an agreement that amends a 2009 consent order regarding public and private drinking water sources near the Washington Works manufacturing facility. Among other items, the agreement formalizes the geography and conditions under which the company will conduct sampling, report, begin and end treatment, and maintain the treatment systems for both public and private drinking water wells containing PFOA.
The statement continued, Chemours has worked cooperatively with local, state and federal regulatory authorities to implement the amendment requirements. Much of the work, including installation of water treatment for the City of Vienna, West Virginia and expanded private drinking water well sampling, is already completed or well under way.
