Source: http://www.northjersey.com, July 25, 2014
By: Eric Kiefer
It’s a clear, colorless liquid that has a mild, sweet, ether-like odor.
It’s also a “probable carcinogen” that can potentially damage developing fetuses, decrease fertility, and damage the liver and kidneys, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
Say hello to tetrachloroethylene, otherwise known as perchloroethene, perchloroethylene, PERC or PCE.
During a test done in November 2013, Montclair Water Bureau officials discovered a water sample with an amount of PCE that was almost three times the maximum contaminant level established by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This test result was recently noted on the township’s 2013 Water Quality Report, which the Water Bureau released earlier this month.
The sample, which registered at 2.8 parts per billion, was taken from one of the municipality’s three testing facilities, the Lorraine Bedrock well at the corner of North Mountain and Lorraine avenues.
Despite serious-sounding warnings on state and federal websites about the potential harm of PCE exposure, Montclair residents shouldn’t be concerned, according to Karen Fell, assistant director of water supply operations at the DEP.
Citing statistics on the DEP-Drinking Water Watch database, Fell told The Montclair Times that the municipality has been treating and monitoring its water for PCE for decades, and that the levels of the chemical have never registered above the state limit except in this single instance.
“It’s not any kind of violation,” Fell assured The Times.
Fell described the 2.8 ppb test result as a “hiccup in the treatment,” which may have been caused by a mix-up at the testing facility.
“If a water system was consistently detecting [PCE] we’d say it’s an issue, but that’s not the case here,” Fell said. “The maximum contaminant level is built on drinking two liters of water a day for 70 years, and carries a one in a million cancer risk. We don’t think that there’s any hazard, and we think the water is safe to drink. The [Montclair Water Bureau] has consistently showed that their treatment is functioning well and operating as it should.”
Montclair Water Bureau Director Gary Obszarny told The Times that the unusual test result may have resulted from a “lab miscalculation” or a dirty sample bottle.
“After you do a few thousand samples, they’re not always 100 percent,” acknowledged Obszarny.
Obszarny said that the Water Bureau and the state were “on it” immediately after seeing the high PCE result, and did additional sampling, including a complete testing of the facility’s air stripper and blower, which came back clear.
“There’s no cause for concern,” Obszarny said. “That’s why we have the treatment facility there.”
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website, PCE is widely used for dry-cleaning fabrics and metal degreasing operations.