The Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) announced that it is conducting a private well survey in an area in Orient, generally north of Skippers Lane, south of Main Road, west of Tabor Road, and east of Racketts Court. The county health department would like to sample private wells in this area at no charge to the resident.
The announcement follows the detection of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) and/or PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) above the New York State drinking water standard in five on-site wells in the neighborhood. In instances where detections of PFOS and/or PFOA exceed the drinking water standards in private wells, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers residents an alternative source of drinking water, such as bottled water, a treatment system or connection to public water where available. At this time, the source of PFOS and PFOA contamination in this area has not been identified.
PFOS and PFOA are part of a class of chemicals known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PFAS have been used in a number of industrial and commercial products such as firefighting foam as well as coatings that repel water, oil, stains and grease, such as food packaging, water-resistant clothing and stain-resistant carpeting. Thus, people may be exposed to PFOS and PFOA through air, water, or soil from industrial sources and from consumer products.
The New York State Department of Health established a drinking water standard for public water supplies, known as a maximum contaminant level, or MCL, for PFOS and PFOA in August of 2020. The MCLs for PFOS and PFOA are both set at 10 parts per trillion (ppt).
Homes connected to a public water supply do not need to have their water tested as the public water supply is regulated by the health department and routinely tested.
At this time, SCDHS will be doing public outreach to approximately 67 properties in order to sample them free of charge. Based upon the results, SCDHS and New York State will consider expanding the survey area to include additional properties. Residents of the identified area served by private wells that have not recently been sampled are urged to contact the SCDHS Office of Water Resources at 631-852-5810 to have their private wells tested free of charge. The analysis for PFAS will be conducted by a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation contract laboratory. SCDHS Public and Environmental Health Laboratory (PEHL) is conducting the analysis of private well samples for standard chemical constituents such as bacteria, volatile organic contaminants, pesticides, inorganics such as metals, and other emerging contaminants such as 1,4-dioxane.
The New York State Department of Health has said that drinking or cooking is the primary exposure concern for PFAS in household tap water. Bathing and showering are not expected to be a concern even if PFAS are present in the water supply.
Residents with general questions about health effects of PFAS are advised to call the New York State Department of Health at 518-402-7950 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Residents who have questions about private well water in Suffolk County may contact the SCDHS Office of Water Resources at 631-852-5810.
For additional information about PFAS, please visit the Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website at: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html.