Drinking water threatened by harmful chemicals – and SC needs help, senators told
An emerging class of toxins increasingly threatens drinking water across South Carolina, but state officials have so far failed to set standards that could protect millions of people.
That was the message Wednesday from a coalition of environmental groups that wants the state Legislature to establish limits on the amount of the chemicals allowed in public water supplies.
The chemicals, known as PFAS, have in recent years been discovered to threaten water systems across the country. They can spread quickly in water and have been tied to cancer, development disabilities and kidney damage.
“Why are we waiting here in the state of South Carolina?’’ clean water advocate Letitia Dowling asked senators during an annual legislative briefing in which she urged the Legislature to set state limits.
Dowling, a Bamberg County resident speaking for the S.C. Conservation Coalition, said state regulators have taken some steps to address PFAS, but those haven’t been enough.
Legislation introduced by Democratic Sen. Thomas McElveen of Sumter and Rep. J.A. Moore, a Charleston-area Democrat, would require a drinking water standard to prevent PFAS over a certain level in drinking water. Similar legislation was introduced in the past but did not pass.
“Let’s make some smart decisions about regulations about these forever chemicals and other pollutants to improve our water quality,’’ she said, noting that multiple states across the country are moving to set standards for PFAS and related chemicals.
Wednesday’s briefing also included calls by conservation groups to tighten oversight of the plastics industry, which they said is polluting the landscape and water with plastic bags and tiny plastic beads. The groups also urged legislators to move the state away from coal and toward clean energy, while also increasing the amount of protected land in the state.
PFAS, short for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a growing concern for drinking water systems across the country.
Even small amounts can, in certain circumstances, make people sick. Research into the health effects still is ongoing, but PFAS are suspected to cause cancer and kidney problems, as well as development issues for children.
PFAS are chemicals associated with firefighting foam, non-stick cooking pans, cosmetics, dental floss and stain resistant carpets.
Military bases across the country are major sources of PFAS contamination, including those in South Carolina.
In the past two years, state regulators have found that several mobile home parks near Shaw Air Force Base — which has polluted groundwater with PFAS — were registering the same chemicals in drinking water.
After the findings, the state scrambled to provide carbon filters to some mobile home park residents near Shaw outside Sumter.
Problems also have been found at the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base and the McEntire Joint National Guard Base southeast of Columbia.
Last year, state regulators found PFAS in water systems in parts of the state, but none of the more than 40 systems examined exceeded a recommended federal safety level, DHEC says. Research shows that no levels of PFAS are safe, environmentalists say.
In a statement Wednesday, DHEC said it is continuing to test public water systems for PFAS pollution.
The federal government has determined the need to set national drinking water standards, but environmental groups say that could take years and compromise people’s health.
One study by the Environmental Working Group, a national organization, estimates that more than 200 million people could have PFAS in their drinking water.
There is no national maximum contaminant level, or limit, on PFAS, but the federal government has an advisory level of 70 parts per trillion. Some groups are advocating a far more restrictive standard because the chemicals are so toxic.
Materials provided to senators took aim at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control for what the environmentalists said has been a tepid response to protecting the public from per and polyfluoroalkyl pollution in drinking water.
“DHEC has concluded that this small amount of data from 2020 indicates we don’t have a PFAS problem in South Carolina,’’ the group said in a briefing paper for the state Senate. “They don’t want to sample more, and they don’t want to set up a system to regulate this toxic pollutant in our drinking water.’’
That’s a key reason lawmakers need to pass legislation requiring the state to set a drinking water limit for PFAS, as well as a handful of other chemicals, environmentalists say.
“When faced with such a toxic chemical in our water, DHEC should be overly cautious and work to protect our children, our families and every South Carolinian,’’ the briefing paper said.
A DHEC spokeswoman released a statement Wednesday, saying the agency favors a unified national approach to addressing contaminants in drinking water.
The department said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently chose to move ahead with regulation, although the November presidential election could affect the federal agency’s approach.
This story has been updated with comments from the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Drinking water threatened by harmful chemicals – and SC needs help, senators told."
