Harmful chemicals found in NC water

Potentially harmful levels of numerous chemicals have been identified in sources of drinking water throughout North Carolina.

New research has found high levels of the likely carcinogenic chemical 1,4-Dioxane in the North Carolina Cape Fear River Basin, which supplies water to more than 120 public water systems used by 1.5 million residents. In addition, scientists found elevated levels of Manganese in hundreds of thousands of drinking water wells in the Piedmont region.

“It’s becoming more and more clear that there are a number of threats to our drinking water even here in North Carolina, where water has often been really abundant,” said Katie Hicks, associate director of Clean Water for North Carolina.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 1,4-Dioxane can be found in many federal facilities because it is used as a stabilizer in certain chlorinated solvents, paint strippers, greases and waxes and is likely harmful if humans are exposed to the chemical.

Detlef Knappe, an N.C. State University professor and water researcher, studied the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in the Cape Fear River Basin. He said he found high levels of the chemical in the Haw and Deep rivers.

“There is a stream water quality standard in North Carolina of 0.35 micrograms (of 1,4-Dioxane) per liter and that standard is basically continuously violated in the Cape Fear River watershed,” he said. “Levels that are even 100 times that standard are not uncommon in the Haw River.”

Knappe said conventional treatment mechanisms used by water treatment plants do not effectively remove 1,4-Dioxane from the water and neither do point-of-use water filters like Brita and refrigerator filters.

He said he has not told people to stop drinking the water despite the risk.

“The risk — while I find it an unnecessary risk and therefore I argue that the 1,4-Dioxane should be taken out — it’s not a risk that is a serious health crisis where people are developing cancer in even measurable amounts,” he said. “If we were to do an epidemiological study, it would be potentially difficult to say that because of the 1,4-Dioxane, we have X number of extra cancer cases.”

Manganese has also been found in drinking water wells in the state, but is not classified as a human health risk.

“Manganese is at this time considered to be a secondary contaminant because it’s considered to be an aesthetic problem, even though there is some evidence that it can cause some health issues,” Hicks said. “There is no enforceable standard for manganese.”

Water quality standards are created and enforced through the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which regulates drinking water systems that provide tap water to more than 15 households or 25 people, Hicks said.

She said the act requires routine monitoring of these systems for certain contaminants and reports to state agencies. It also requires public access to annual water quality reports and notifications if standards are not met.

One weakness of the Safe Drinking Water Act is its lack of regulations regarding private wells, Hicks said.

Jackie MacDonald Gibson, a UNC research professor, co-authored a study that found an increased infectious disease risk among populations relying on private wells in North Carolina.

“Many people also have well water that’s clean, but the problem with large numbers of people relying on private wells is that there is no routine monitoring of the quality of the water in private wells,” she said. “Homeowners are left to do that on their own, and there is no funding available to help well owners maintain their wells adequately.”

Hicks said she suggests stronger protections for private well users, more expansive water standards and recommends people stay informed.

“The more people are informed, the more they can participate in decisions about drinking water and feel more confident that their concerns will be addressed,” she said.

@Beccaheilman

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