More testing of Elburn’s water is in the works after a screening conducted by state environmental regulators found a high amount of a so-called “forever chemical” in one of the wells that provides drinking water to town.
Elburn Village President Jeff Walter Walter said the results should come back in mid-March.
The village is conducting two tests – one from the lab that reported a positive result for a type of PFAS, and one conducted at another Illinois EPA-certified lab. The tests will measure two separate samples – one from water before it’s treated and another after treatment for radium and chlorination.
He has said the results reported by the IEPA are “too weird,” adding that tests conducted on samples from 60 other communities in the surrounding area, sourcing water from the same aquifer, all tested under the standard threshold for PFAS.
The IEPA notified the village on Feb. 11 that testing performed in December detected a type of PFAS in the water system at 7.5 parts per trillion, above the IEPA’s groundwater quality standard of 4 ppt.
According to the National Institutes of Health, studies of lab animals given large amounts of PFAS have found that some PFAS may affect growth and development, reproduction and fertility, thyroid function, the immune system and the liver.
The Illinois EPA said long-term exposure may increase the risk of certain cancers, including kidney, prostate and testicular. Exposure may also increase blood pressure during pregnancy and increase cholesterol levels.