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1. What can residents, businesses, and visitors can do to prevent exposure to PFAS?

PFAS are slow to break down in the environment, and therefore are often found in food and the environment (soil, water). It is unlikely that you can avoid all PFAS exposure. However, you can take the following actions to limit your exposure to PFAS:

• Read product labels and avoid using products that contain PFAS
• Rinse home-grown produce with water prior to eating
• If your private (domestic) well drinking water contains PFAS above the MassDEP PFAS6 MCL, consider using a different or treated water source for the following uses:
  • Drinking
  • Food preparation and cooking
  • Brushing teeth
  • Preparing infant formula
  • Filling swimming pools

For more information check out the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry PFAS Fact Sheet: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/docs/pfas_fact_sheet.pdf

FAQ #28 has information on bottled water and private homeowner treatment

2. Should I stop growing and eating vegetables using co-compost that may have PFAS?

Significant research is underway to better answer this question. At this point, home grown produce likely contributes to less PFAS exposure than drinking water or food products like eggs and seafood. While PFAS may be present in co-compost, it is likely diluted when mixed with surrounding soils, so less PFAS ends up in the plants.  Note that co-compost has not been available to the public since August 2019.

The benefits of a healthy diet are likely to outweigh the potential risk from PFAS in home grown vegetables. All home-grown produce should be rinsed to remove any residual soil/co-compost and you should wash your hands after working in the garden.   Check out this biosolids fact sheet for more information: https://www.nebiosolids.org/pfas-biosolids

Want to learn more about how PFAS travels from soil or co-compost into plants?

Many factors affect how PFAS ends up in plants, including: 

• soil conditions: organic carbon, clay content, etc. 
• produce type: leafy green, root vegetable, fruit, etc.
• PFAS concentrations in the co-compost/soil or irrigation water 
• PFAS type: short chain versus long chain. Short-chain compounds are thought to pose less risk to human health than long chain. 

We generally know that shorter chain compounds that are more soluble (dissolved) in water are more likely to be found in the fruit of a plant. On the other hand, long chain compounds (like PFOS and PFOA) tend to stick to soils or translocate (move) into and store in the plant’s roots or leaves.

Check out Waste Options Nantucket Fact Sheet on Co-Compost sampling at: https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/38499/Fact-Sheet-for-Nantucket-Compost-PDF

3. Can I water my plants and garden with PFAS-contaminated water and eat that produce?

The health risk of watering plants with PFAS-contaminated water is uncertain. It depends on many factors, including: ² 

• level of PFAS in the water
• how often you are watering
• produce type: leafy green, root vegetable, fruit, etc.
• plant type: species
• how much water evaporates from the plant 
• soil conditions: organic carbon, clay content, etc.

For more information check out: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry PFAS Exposure Fact Sheet https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/exposure.html MassDEP PFAS in Drinking Water Fact Sheet https://www.mass.gov/service-details/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas-in-drinking-water

 

4. How can I limit my exposure to PFAS in my garden?

You can take the following actions to limit your exposure:

• Rinse all produce with PFAS-free water and remove any residual soil and co-compost prior to eating
• Wash your hands after working in the garden
• Limit growing and eating root vegetables, like carrots, in PFAS-impacted soils or co-compost
• Peel potatoes and other root vegetables if grown and eaten
• Add high organic carbon sources to soil, like fertilizer and manure, that do not contain PFAS
• Limit using PFAS-impacted water, if practical

 

Want to learn more about PFAS in irrigation water?

A recent study modelled how much PFAS was found in vegetables following watering with PFAS-impacted water. The study found that using water with the USEPA lifetime health advisory for PFOS and PFOA of 70 nanograms per Liter (ng/L) [or parts per trillion, ppt] would result in daily exposure below what state and federal agencies deemed high risk, for all age groups.³ In other words, water that the USEPA says is safe to drink is also safe to water ones plants with.  

    Cited References

1. Ghisi, R., Vamerali, T. and Manzetti, S., 2019. Accumulation of perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural plants: a review. Environmental Research, 169, pp.326-341.
2. Brown, J.B., Conder, J.M., Arblaster, J.A. and Higgins, C.P., 2020. Assessing human health risks from per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)-impacted vegetable consumption: a tiered modeling approach. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(23), pp.15202-15214.

5. What are the PFAS levels in fertilizer and other soil products coming onto the Island?

We know biosolid-based fertilizers often contain some level of detectable PFAS.⁴ Recent studies found that fertilizer products generally had higher PFAS concentrations than soil amendments containing biosolids, such as co-compost. However, fertilizers are typically added in smaller amounts than soil amendment products, suggesting that PFAS levels in bulk soil is lower when using fertilizers than when using soil amendment products. FAQ #9 includes actions you can take to reduce exposure to PFAS from fertilizers and soil amendments, including co-compost.

According to the Water Environment Federation, one’s exposure to PFAS from biosolids is unlikely and small. Risk Assessments from many states show that direct contact, breathing in, or ingestion (eating) of typical biosolids (such as residuals on grown vegetables) do not pose a significant health risk. - Water Environment Federation, Biosolids Communication Toolkit (https://www.wef.org/globalassets/assets-wef/3---resources/topics/a-n/biosolids/biosolids-communications-toolkit.pdf)

Cited Reference

1. Kim Lazcano, R., Choi, Y.J., Mashtare, M.L. and Lee, L.S., 2020. Characterizing and comparing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercially available biosolid and organic non-biosolid-based products. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(14), pp.8640-8648.

6. Waste Options Nantucket makes products for beneficial re-use. What are they?

The Nantucket landfill and WON’s operations take materials delivered from the public and commercial vendors to use as ingredients to produce several products for re-use: 

1. Co-Compost Facility Compost (also known as Nantucket Natural Compost) is a blend of dewatered sludge (residuals) from the WWTF that are processed through a composter to create biosolids, Compostable Waste (Municipal Solid Waste-MSW), and leaf/yard waste. This material is regulated for reuse under an Approval of Suitability permit by MassDEP, and currently this material is not provided for public use.  
2. Leaf/Yard Waste Compost, combination of grass clippings, leaves, very small branches and twigs and plant material (with no soil). This material is stockpiled, screened to separate materials by size, and placed into windrows. The material is then screened again and windrowed before distribution. The majority of leaf/yard waste is delivered to the Landfill Facility by landscapers with some directly from homeowners in smaller quantities. The vast majority of this material is from maintenance of homeowner gardens, lawns, etc.
3. Mulch, a blend of branches, stumps and other wood material from trees, pallets, and other clean wood waste, and large plants. This material is stockpiled in raw form until it is chipped with a grinder. Once chipped, the material is screened to remove the fines.  Some of this material will be screened a second time to make a double ground mulch.   The rest remains in a single ground mulch. Both are placed into windrows before distribution. The majority of this material is delivered by landscapers and commercial haulers from homeowners or sites on the Island being developed. 
4. Mixed Excavation Waste, the majority of this material is from homeowner properties and consists of natural soils found on the Island that also contains clay, large inert materials such as stones, bricks, large branches, etc. This material is primarily used as a bulking agent to make topsoil or other soil blends. The material is screened to separate by size before being used as a bulking agent. At times, a high-grade sand can be extracted by screening the material depending on where on the Island it originated.  Most of this material is delivered from commercial haulers from new construction sites or existing structures.
5. Topsoil, a blend of leaf/yard (compost) mixed with screened mixed excavation material or high-grade sand (special orders) at 2:1 to 3:1 ratio of mixed excavation material to leaf/yard.
6. Sand, a product occasionally produced depending on what gets delivered for Mixed Excavation Waste.

Product	PFAS Testing Required by MassDEP	Currently Available for Public Use?
Leaf/Yard Waste Compost	No	Yes
Mulch	No	Yes
Topsoil	No	Yes
Co-compost/Nantucket Natural Compost	Yes	No (unavailable starting August 2019)

7. Is it safe to shower using domestic well water that contains PFAS?

Yes. While some exposure to PFAS may occur from accidentally swallowing or breathing in steam while bathing or showering, it is not significant.

8. Is it safe for me to bathe my baby using domestic (private) well water that contains PFAS?

Yes. PFAS are not easily absorbed through the skin, so bathing is not a significant source of exposure. Take care to limit accidental swallowing or breathing of PFAS-impacted water during bathing.

9. What can I do as a private well owner to remove PFAS from my water?

You have two options: 

• Use bottled water
• Install a PFAS treatment system:
  1. point of entry treatment system treats the water when it enters your house
  2. water filters that remove PFAS at the countertop or under the sink (at the point of use)

For more information on bottled water and home water filters, see MassDEP’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/per-and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas#bottled-water-and-home-water-filters-

When installing a private treatment system, talk to a professional to make sure it will correctly treat PFAS, and work with them throughout the process, including how to maintain the system and dispose of the PFAS-laden treatment media.

10. Am I at risk if I drink or drank water with PFAS above health standards?

Not necessarily. The MassDEP PFAS6 MCL and USEPA lifetime health advisories are set to overestimate potential exposures. Their goal is to make sure that sensitive populations, like infants and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, are protected. The advisories also take into account differences between animals and humans, and differences between humans. As stated by MassDEP, “a risk would be expected only if an individual continuously drinks only contaminated water at a level significantly higher than the MCL.” The best way to reduce the potential health risks is to limit your exposure as much as possible (more info in FAQs #20, #23, and #28).

11. Is there a way to test my or my family’s blood serum levels for PFAS?

Yes. If you would like to have your or your family member’s blood tested, talk to your health care provider. You can also seek guidance on how to interpret blood test results from your regional Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU). However, PEHSU does not offer PFAS testing.

For more information on PFAS Blood Testing and Talking to Your Doctor check out ASTDR’s website: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/blood-testing.html

Remember that PFAS are found in the blood of humans and animals worldwide. Most people in the United States have one or more specific PFAS in their blood, especially PFOS and PFOA. If you are concerned and choose to have your blood tested, test results will tell you how much of each PFAS is in your blood but it is unclear what the results mean in terms of possible health effects. The blood test will not be diagnostic (attributable to an existing health condition) or prognostic (predictive of a future health condition), nor will it provide information for treatment. The blood test results will not predict or rule-out the development of future health problems related to a PFAS exposure. At this point, the benefit of a PFAS blood test is to identify the PFAS in a person’s blood, relative to the broader population.