New study tests levels of chemicals linked to cancer in Pittsburgh-area water

PITTSBURGH — Concerning chemicals found in our water.

They’ve been linked to a variety of diseases including several cancers, and a recent study turned up these chemicals in our Three Rivers.

Essentially what’s going through these wastewater treatment plants is being dumped in our rivers.

The impact of PFAS in Western Pennsylvania is being looked at through a new lens. It’s never been done before in Greater Pittsburgh.

PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily so they can stay in our bodies for a long time. They’ve been linked to cancer, immune system issues, and developmental issues.

Women for a Healthy Environment tested for PFAS contamination near wastewater treatment plants. They chose one on each of our three rivers: ALCOSAN, Pennsylvania American Water’s McKeesport Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority.

They tested the water where it comes out of the wastewater treatment plants and compared it to the water upstream.

“We found an increased concentration of PFAS chemicals at the mixing zone where its being discharged from the wastewater treatment plant as opposed to those collections that were done upstream,” said Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, Executive Director of Women for a Healthy Environment.

And what that told Michelle is: “Essentially what’s going through these wastewater treatment plants is being dumped in our rivers because there’s no filtration system that’s collecting that.”

Pitt Professor Carla Ng studies PFAS around the world and in the Pittsburgh region. She looked at the Women for a Healthy Environment report and spoke about the level of PFAS emitted into the river.

“I was happy to see the levels were not very high,” said Ng. “So for people in the region, it means we do need to think about what these sources (of PFAS) are and try to control the sources because without that we’re not going to be able to control what’s in the water.”

That’s because, Carla explains, sources like chemicals in household items, cleaning products, runoff and stormwater enter wastewater treatment plants and break down to form PFAS.

“The processes that happen in a wastewater treatment plant help some of that transformation happen but they don’t capture the PFAS that are formed,” said Ng.

Earlier this year, the EPA set its first drinking water standard for PFAS, which will require public water systems to install systems to reduce PFAS if they don’t meet the new standard. But that’s for drinking water systems, not wastewater systems.

Right now, it would be an expensive process for the wastewater treatment plants to put these filtration systems in.

Naccarati-Chapkis says she shared the results of the study with the three wastewater treatment plants. And so did Channel 11 Anchor Jennifer Tomazic. She asked each of the plants if they had implemented any changes after seeing the report.

Here are the responses:

ALCOSAN:

“The report did not recommend any operational changes for the three wastewater treatment facilities, but ALCOSAN has been undergoing significant upgrades and expansion of its treatment plant, as part of its approximately $2 billion Clean Water Plan project. These changes will increase secondary treatment capacity to 295 million gallons per day, with an additional 600 million gallons per day of wet weather capacity. These upgrades will result in significant benefits to the community and the environment. In addition, ALCOSAN is continuing to comply with the requirements and effluent limitations of its discharge permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

The ALCOSAN wastewater treatment system collects wastewater produced by over 900,000 residential, commercial, and industrial sources within 83 customer municipalities covering 310 square miles. Because the presence of PFAS is globally pervasive in the environment, ALCOSAN supports regulatory agency efforts to evaluate and address PFAS. We are committed to serving our municipal customers and will continue to comply with our wastewater discharge permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.”

Pennsylvania American Water:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not yet set any final rules for limiting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sewage outfall water or for addressing PFAS levels in biosolids from wastewater treatment. Pennsylvania American Water is getting ready to follow future regulations on this issue.

In January 2024, Pennsylvania American Water began sampling its drinking water in response to regulations enacted by the U.S. EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Our sampling results indicate that the drinking water in the Greater Pittsburgh area complies with these regulations. Pennsylvania American Water continues to take water quality samples on an ongoing and year-round basis.”

Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority did not return the request for a comment.

Naccarati-Chapkis and Ng agree that stiffer regulations on the uses of PFAS is what is needed to try to reduce the amount that ends up in our water.

Naccarati-Chapkis says several bills have been introduced to limit the use of PFAS in consumer products.

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