Canton school water tested for toxic chemicals from firefighting foam

Concerns that a Canton elementary school’s water supply could have been contaminated by chemical firefighting foam used for training on school grounds has led to well tests, the use of bottled water and a public meeting Wednesday night on the issue.

Results of tests for PFAS pollution in the well water at Canton’s Cherry Brook Primary School aren’t expected back for several weeks, Farmington Valley Health District Director Jennifer Kertanis said Wednesday.

Kertanis said that, “out of an abundance of caution,” town officials decided to provide alternative water supplies to the school. The well that normally provides the school’s drinking water was shut down and alternative water supplies started at the school on Nov. 6. A letter to parents explaining the reasons went out the same day.

Samples from the school’s wells were taken on Nov. 7 and 8 and sent for analysis, Kertanis said.

State and local officials answered questions about the potential problem at a Wednesday evening public meeting at the school. The meeting was set up by Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton.

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Canton Superintendent of Schools Kevin D. Case

The situation in Canton is the first time that concerns have been raised in Connecticut about possible PFAS contamination of any school’s drinking water.

PFAS stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds, man-made chemicals that research has linked to various types of cancer, immune system troubles, reproductive and child development issues, obesity, diabetes and other health problems.

PFAS is used in firefighting foam to suppress chemical and fuel fires and was involved in major releases from Bradley International Airport in June and October that reached the Farmington River in Windsor.

Unsafe levels of these chemical compounds have been found in private wells in Greenwich, Willimantic and Ellington. A state task force has recommended widespread PFAS testing for all public water supplies, around airports, firefighting schools, closed landfills and industrial sites where the compounds were used.

Kertanis said local health and municipal officials were first alerted to the possibility of PFAS well contamination at the school on Oct. 31. “The local fire chief recently learned about the historic use of PFAS firefighting foam for training at the school,” Kertanis said.

“It is believed the [fire training exercises at the school] occurred in 2013,” Canton Superintendent of Schools Kevin D. Case said in his Nov. 6 letter to parents. He said the school’s drinking water wells are “upgradient and more than 250 feet away from where the foam was used.”

The local fire chief recently learned about the historic use of PFAS firefighting foam for training at the school.","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"inline_comments":[]},"_id":"4AVBP25UZJHKJBWXGTZXSBH7DY

Farmington Valley Health District Director Jennifer Kertanis

Case said state and local school, health and municipal officials “are taking all steps necessary to gather water quality data as quickly as possible, and to assess any potential risks to protect students and staff.”

There are at least 322,000 drinking water wells serving more than 820,000 people in Connecticut, according to state records. Experts are worried that many of those wells could be near old landfills, airports, industrial sites and firefighting training schools where PFAS chemicals have been used or where they were disposed.

Connecticut’s major public water supply systems have been tested and there have been no instances found where PFAS levels exceeded state safety standards. But there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of smaller drinking water systems that also need testing, experts say.

The wells at Canton’s Cherry Brook Primary School, which serves pre-K to third grade and has about 450 students, are considered a public water supply because the drinking water serves more than 25 people. Many such small system serve schools, restaurants and other facilities and institutions around Connecticut.

PFAS was invented in the 1940s and has been used in lots of industrial processes, to fight chemical and fuel fires, and in a broad array of consumer products that include non-stick cookware, rainwear, stain-resistant carpeting, cosmetics, food packaging such as pizza boxes and microwave popcorn bags.

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