'Forever chemicals' found in local water supply

High levels of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — a group of toxic chemical compounds often called “forever chemicals” — have been found at high levels in creeks, rivers and groundwater in Barnwell, Allendale and Aiken counties.

To the average person in southeast South Carolina, PFAS is probably a new term. However, given their negative health effects, confirmed local contamination and the fact that they never break down, PFAS will be in town for a while.

There are thousands of different types of PFAS, all of which have been manufactured by humans. PFAS were first manufactured in the 1930s and are used in non-stick pans, food packaging, firefighting foam and waterproof coating, among other products. The most infamous use of the chemicals was in the non-stick coating Teflon.

PFAS contamination occurs as they leach off of products, specifically plastics. PFAS are estimated to have contaminated 45% of all tap water in the United States; however, one scientist The People-Sentinel spoke with said the number is likely far higher. Additionally, due to their widespread contamination in food and water systems, PFAS are estimated to be in the blood of 97% of Americans, according to research conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Although research on the extent of PFAS contamination and their health effects is still developing, high levels of PFAS are linked to cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and issues during pregnancy, among other health effects.

Local contamination

New regulatory limits proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aim to limit the contamination of PFOA and PFOS — the two most common types PFAS — in drinking water to four parts per trillion. Recent testing by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has found PFAS contamination far higher than the EPA’s proposed limits. The tests done by the DHEC found that Allendale’s Log Branch creek — which trickles underneath Highway 278 and Route 301 — has 133 parts per trillion of PFAS, over 33 times the EPA’s proposed limit. These same tests found 382 parts per trillion of PFAS in Chinquapin Creek in Aiken County, over 95 times higher than the EPA’s proposed limit. Both are some of the highest levels of PFAS the report found in South Carolina’s waterways.

According to an assessment done by the United States Department of Energy, “D-Area,” a location within the Savannah River Site one mile from the Savannah River has groundwater PFAS contamination of 1,910 parts per trillion. This is 477 times higher than the EPA’s proposed limit. The report attributed the contamination to firefighting trainings conducted at D-Area. These trainings used Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), a fire suppressant that contains PFAS as an active ingredient.

“I can’t tell you how many gallons of foam we used,” said Jessie Elmore, a local lifelong firefighter who worked at the Savannah River Site. “Back then we didn’t know it was a carcinogen, but we knew it was an environmental problem if it got into the water supply.”

Additionally, the DOE report says the Savannah River Site found 500 gallons of PFAS-laced AFFF in storage and mixed it with concrete powder to “immobilize the PFAS.”

The People-Sentinel has submitted a Freedom of Information Act to the United States Department of Energy regarding all documented releases of AFFF foam at the Savannah River Site.

Effects on health

While research is still ongoing, a wide range of negative health effects related to PFAS have been documented in both humans and wildlife.

Kyla Bennett, an ecologist and director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, explained that PFAS accumulates in the body, and the more PFAS that one is exposed to, the more prone they are to experience health issues.

“The biggest thing people need to know is that these compounds are dangerous even at minute levels,” Bennett said. “PFAS are for the most part odorless, tasteless and colorless. When you turn on the tap and it comes out brown, you’d freak out. With PFAS, you can’t tell it’s there.”

Depending on how much PFAS one is exposed to, the chemicals can cause birth defects, different types of cancer, immune disorders and liver conditions.

However, according to Bennett and other scientists, there are no safe levels of PFAS.

“The biggest thing people need to know is that these compounds are dangerous even at minute levels,” Bennett said. PFAS accumulates in the human body, Bennett explained, and the more PFAS one is exposed to, the more at risk they are of experiencing health issues.

Since PFAS have contaminated ecosystems across the country, animals are also being affected, including those that hunters and fishermen catch. Although it is hard to make conclusive connections between PFAS and observed health effects, Scott Belcher, professor of biology at North Carolina State University, said PFAS has considerably penetrated ecosystems.

“In laboratory studies, we’ve seen biomarkers that indicate changes in liver function, in kidney function [in alligators],” Belcher said. “There's likely reproductive effects going on in some of the fish populations. … For the first time we've observed autoimmune diseases like lupus in alligators that are exposed to higher levels of PFAS. The effects have been consistent across species, including humans.”

At Clemson University, Ezra Cates, associate professor of environmental engineering, is developing technology that can destroy PFAS. In a 2023 study that Cates co-authored with numerous other environmental engineers, a compound called hexagonal boron nitride can break down PFAS when hit with a certain type of ultraviolet radiation.

However, Cates said, “if you try to scale [PFAS destruction] up to the municipal level like drinking water or wastewater treatment, it’s just not going to be feasible.”

“The way it’s trending now is focusing on separation technologies for water treatment, which will produce some sort of concentrated [PFAS] waste,” Cates said. “Then the destructive technologies can be applied to that concentrated waste.”

Bennett said that in addition to destroying PFAS, attention must be focused on cutting PFAS off at the source.

“Do we have to figure out a way to destroy PFAS? Absolutely,” Bennett said. “Finding a way to destroy it is important, but it is not a substitute for stopping the use.”

Political inaction

Congressional representatives from both Barnwell and Allendale counties have taken thousands of dollars from companies responsible for PFAS contamination, according to campaign contribution disclosures to the Federal Election Commission. Joe Wilson, who represents Barnwell and Aiken counties, has taken $6,500 from DuPont, a major manufacturer of PFAS that ran the Savannah River Site for decades.

Additionally, Wilson’s political career has been funded by $74,625 from Lockheed Martin, a defense contractor currently fighting a class action lawsuit for a PFAS-related spill at a facility in Orlando. ExxonMobil, which has lobbied against PFAS regulation, donated $20,500 to Wilson’s campaigns. Multiple other corporations responsible for PFAS contamination have donated to Wilson’s campaigns.

The People-Sentinel asked what action Wilson is taking to protect his constituents from PFAS, as well as how the donations he has received from PFAS polluters has influenced him.

“PFAS is a widespread issue that must be acknowledged,” Wilson said in a statement sent via email. “I recently supported legislation that requires the Environmental Protection Agency and others to conduct studies and subsequent reports so that we may all better understand PFAS effects and treatment options. Additionally, I remain engaged with local stakeholders on mitigations regarding this topic and how it may affect the community.”

When The People-Sentinel followed up about what specific legislation Wilson was referring to as well as what local stakeholders Wilson is engaged with, neither Wilson nor his communications director David Snider responded. In his statement, Wilson did not address The People Sentinel’s question about the donations he has received from corporations responsible for PFAS contamination.

Similarly, representative Jim Clyburn, who represents Allendale County, has taken thousands from corporations responsible for PFAS contamination; $95,776 from Lockheed Martin, $28,000 from ExxonMobil, as well as $13,500 from the American Chemistry Council, a lobbying group for the chemical industry. Clyburn’s communications director, Brianna Frias, said Clyburn was not available for an interview before The People-Sentinel’s deadline.

“Congressman Clyburn was the sole member of the South Carolina House delegation to support the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $10 billion in funds to specifically address PFAs and other contaminants in water,” Frias said in a statement. “Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency announced over $23 million from this law is headed to South Carolina for this purpose.”

However, a new report by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) says that Congress "vastly underestimated" the cost of cleaning up PFAS. The true cost of getting PFAS out of water, the reports say, is closer to $50 billion nationwide over the next 20 years.

After The People-Sentinel asked if the donations that Clyburn’s campaign received had influenced his decision making, Frias did not respond. Additionally, when The People-Sentinel followed up about NACWA’s report, Frias did not respond.

Bennett said that although the EPA’s proposed PFAS limits in drinking water is a step in the right direction, the best thing people in areas like Barnwell and Allendale can do is educate themselves on the sources of PFAS within their community.

“It is always worth trying to minimize your risk,” Bennett said. “We only need to do that because of the failure of our federal and state governments.”