Jan. 20, 2007: Chemical from 3M taints wells

State health officials have found low levels of a chemical formerly manufactured by the 3M Co. in the municipal drinking water wells of six more cities in Washington and Dakota counties. The wells serve tens of thousands of residents in Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, South St. Paul and Hastings.

"Finding this chemical at low levels does not pose an immediate health risk for residents," said John Linc Stine, director of the Health Department's environmental health division. However, Stine also said that little is known about the long-term effects of exposure to the substance, or about how long it has been in the water.

Residents who are concerned may wish to use bottled water for part or all of their drinking or cooking needs, he said, or to install filters containing granular activated carbon.

The chemical is perfluorobutanoic acid, or PFBA, and is part of a family of compounds called perfluorochemicals that were used to produce stain removers, lubricants, fire retardants, film and other products. 3M manufactured them at its Cottage Grove facility for decades before phasing them out around 2002.

The chemicals also have been detected previously in private and municipal wells near disposal sites that 3M used in Lake Elmo and Oakdale. .

Resident worried

Michelle Myrick, who lives in Cottage Grove but uses a private well rather than city water, is concerned that everyone's water is contaminated. "If it's in the groundwater that the city uses, it's probably in my well too," she said.

Myrick said she is worried about long-term effects. "If this is going to be a concern to my kids in 20 years, I'm concerned now," she said.

Stine said PFBA does not appear to accumulate in animals and people, unlike some other members of the perfluorochemical family. Based on its chemical properties and preliminary data from animal studies, PFBA is probably less toxic than a couple of other 3M chemicals that have caused liver and thyroid problems in some laboratory studies, he said. However, much more research is needed, he said.

Jacqueline Berry, a 3M spokeswoman, said the company stopped producing PFBA in 2000 for business reasons. "Our research shows that there are no health risks at these levels," she said, referring to Health Department findings. "We're continuing to work with the state and share our expertise," Berry said. .

Part of broader study

The latest Health Department tests are part of an ongoing investigation into groundwater contamination related to 3M manufacturing. Previous efforts have focused mainly on two other perfluorochemicals, but the department developed methods to detect PFBA and four more related substances last spring and has begun testing for them, too.

"This is the first place in the United States where this issue has been addressed, so we're really on the front edge of emerging science," Stine said.

The most recent groundwater samples were taken during November and December, he said. PFBA levels were detected at up to 1.8 parts per billion in Cottage Grove, and up to 2.3 parts per billion in St. Paul Park. Woodbury, Hastings, Newport and South St. Paul had levels below 1 part per billion, which is the department's well-advisory guideline that it uses to notify the public.

Stine said that because of the latest results, the department will conduct additional sampling in cities not yet tested, such as Inver Grove Heights and Rosemount.

Lee Flandrich, public works supervisor for St. Paul Park, said he's looking to health officials for guidance, and will meet with them next week. "I'm certainly comfortable with their approach," he said. "I'm not going to be jumping off the boat here."

Perfluorinated chemicals can be removed by special carbon filtration, and 3M has spent more than $5 million farther north in Oakdale and Lake Elmo to improve water systems after city and private wells showed detectable levels of the company's chemicals.

Ryan Schroeder, city administrator for Cottage Grove, said PFBA was detected in all 11 of his city's wells, which collectively serve about 11,000 companies and households. Schroeder said he's glad that the initial testing showed no acute health impact, but he's expecting much more information from health officials in the near future.

Stine said the Health Department will meet next week with officials from all of the affected cities and schedule evening public information meetings shortly after that.

State pollution control officials also are investigating the sources of 3M chemicals. For groundwater in Oakdale, Lake Elmo and Woodbury, perfluorinated chemicals have come from two former disposal areas that 3M used decades ago. .

Seeking the source

Michael Kanner, director of the state Superfund program for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, said a former 3M disposal site in Woodbury may be the source of groundwater problems in Cottage Grove and its neighbors. Kanner said that 3M used the dump from 1960 to 1966, and installed monitoring and pumpout wells in the 1970s to keep any groundwater contaminants from spreading.

The agency has now required 3M to hire an outside consultant to determine how successfully its cleanup system is working, said Kanner. The agency has also retested 15 private wells in the area to see if they contain PFBA.

"We don't know for sure, but that landfill would be the most likely suspect as the source," he said. .

Tom Meersman - 612-673-7388 .

WHAT ARE PERFLUOROCHEMICALS? Perfluorochemicals are a family of compounds that 3M began manufacturing in Minnesota in 1950. They have been widely used in household and industrial products such as water and stain repellents, fire retardants and pesticides, and were sold to DuPont for use in nonstick cookware. 3M announced in 2000 that it would phase out production of several of the chemicals and did so by 2002.

. FOR MORE INFORMATION Affected residents may call the Minnesota Health Department's environmental health division at 651-201-4897 or visit www.health.state.mn.us. .

Other details about perfluorochemicals also may be found at www.startribune.com/a2200.