Case Studies in Water Contamination: Jersey

Not for the first time, and sadly, not for the last, in this entry in “Paws For Thought”, we will be discussing Forever Chemicals. Here are a few previous blogs just for reference: 

 

Forever chemicals in England's rivers 

 

TFA - a forever chemical on the rise 

 

Do plastic products leach harmful chemicals? 

 

Understanding microplastics 

 

The term “Forever Chemicals” refers to a group of around 10,000 man-made chemicals, so named due to their practically permanent nature – they take an extremely long time to break down, and are virtually omnipresent in the environment. 

 

They are used in the manufacture of a wide range of things, from non-stick cooking equipment to make-up. 

 

There is a real potential for these to be harmful. A major concern is the presence of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), in that long list of forever chemicals. The Endocrine System is a network of glands, which produce the hormones the regulate various functions of the human body, so chemicals that compromise this can be quite harmful. 

 

Various health issues have been associated with EDCs, including certain cancers – the potential impact of forever chemicals, EDCs , and the health risks associated with them, are only just starting to be understood. It’s an ongoing issue that won’t go away on its own. 

To highlight how long-term an issue this is, this specific case study dates back to the early 1990s!!! 

 

In Jersey, well over 30 years ago, during an exercise in the airport’s fire training ground, the foam that was used contained PFAS (per and polyflourinated alkyl substances - a group of forever chemicals). This foam leaked into the local area and even into private borehole water supplies. 

 

The foam was confirmed as being present in the drinking water in 1993. 

 

It was in this year that a local farmer noticed the foam coming out of his cold water tap. Samples were taken back to 3M, the manufacturers, who confirmed that they should not only avoid drinking it, but that they shouldn’t even bathe in it. Later this year, the same farmer found the hill between the fire training ground and his farm covered in this foam. His cauliflower crop was destroyed. 

 

Another local resident, who had been drinking water from a private borehole, was diagnosed with a blood cancer in his early 50s. Despite there being no known history of cancer in his family, his parents were diagnosed with it too – he was told it’s possible that he could have had it for over 20 years. 

 

A confidential deal between the Government of Jersey and 3M was struck, which saw 3M playing £2.6 million towards the clean-up, in exchange for there being no legal action. 

 

This happened in 2005 and only became public knowledge due to a journalist acquired leaking a document...in 2021. 

In response to the unusually high levels of PFAS in the blood of the local residents, a PFAS scientific advisory panel was set up in 2023. 

 

Two main treatments have been recommended; cholesterol lowering tablets and a blood-letting treatment. There has been some scientific research that supports cholesterol-lowering tablets (specifically chlorestyramine, a well-established cholesterol management drug), are effective in lowering PFAS levels in blood. 

 

As for the blood-letting treatment, this is called “Therapeutic phlebotomy”, which is a way of letting the body naturally replenish the blood, by drawing it gradually. There are a few different reasons people may receive therapeutic phlebotomy as a treatment, and it’s usually achieved over a few sessions and corrects imbalances in the blood. 

One of the many striking aspects of this case study, is how long-term the issue of Forever Chemicals is. It has been over 30 years since people noticed the firefighting foam in their water supplies and on their land, and the fallout is still being dealt with now. 

 

There are thousands of sites across Europe, including over 1,500 in the UK, where PFAS contamination has been detected. There could easily be many more - the events in Jersey clearly demonstrate how easily this can happen and how serious the impacts are, even decades later.