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What is an Aquifer?

Just a few possible soil contaminants that are not included in Table 1 of the Soil, Ground Water and Sediment Standards for Use Under Part XV.1 of the Environmental Protection Act of Ontario.

Looking at the Ministry of the Environment's list of contaminants to be tested for in soils to be used in Residential/ Parkland/Institutional/ Industrial/Commercial/ Community Property Use, we do not see many of the chemicals that have recently come to be known as hazardous to human health. Relying on this act to protect our soil and groundwater from hazardous chemicals is therefore inadequate. We must not rely solely on adherence to table 1 of the EPA to safeguard our health and the safety of our groundwater.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

PAHs are mostly found in things like creostoe. Naptha and benzine are PAHs. They usually come from incomplete combustion of organic matter. Wood burning, biofuels, and fossil fuels are all sources of PAHs. Sites that burned wood, paper, sludge, coal, oil, gas, etc, could have PCA contaminated soils. Sites that use industrial, commercial or residential cleaners could have PAH contaminated soil.

 

Many PAHs are on the list, as they have been discovered in nature or synthesized long ago. However, these are some PAHs that are not on the Table 1 list of possible soil contaminants.

Perylene, Coronene, cyclopenta pyrene, dibenzo pyrene, 5-methylchrysene, perylene.

 

The primary hazard of PAHs is that they cause cancer. (1)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

PFAS are a group of man made chemicals that include PFOA, PFOS, GenX, and many other chemicals. They are very persistent in the environment, and are bio-cumulative. If you ingest them, they will remain in your body for a long time.

 

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs ), perfluoroalkyl sulfonate (PFSA) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (PFCA) are some PFAS that are not listed in Table 1.

Manufacturing facilities that may be sources of PFAS releases to the environment include textile and leather processors, paper mills, metal finishers, wire manufacturers, plating facilities, manufacturers, as well as facilities using surfactants, resins, molds, plastics, photolithography, and semiconductors. Pretty much any location that cleans things might have used these chemicals, and contaminated the soil in the area.

PFASs have been found to cause liver toxicity, disruption of lipid metabolism and the immune and endocrine systems, adverse neurobehavioral effects, neonatal toxicity and death, and tumors in multiple organ systems.(2), (3), (4)

 

GenX chemicals, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propanoate (FRD-902) and heptafluoropropyl 1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl ether are the new kids on the block. They have replaced most of the PFOAs that have been removed from the market recently, as their dangers have become known. They aer also used primarily as cleaning and anti-fouling agents. There has been very little testing done in regards to their effects on human health, and therefore they are not listed on Table 1. Early studies indicate that they cause many of the same health problems as PFOAs. (5), (6)

 

This list is by no means complete.

 

  1. Baird, W. M.; Hooven, L. A.; Mahadevan, B. (2015-02-01). "Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts and mechanism of action". Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. 45 (2–3): 106–114. doi: 10.1002/em.20095. ISSN1098-2280 . PMID15688365 .

  2. Blum, Arlene; Balan, Simona A.; Scheringer, Martin; Trier, Xenia; Goldenman, Gretta; Cousins, Ian T.; Diamond, Miriam; Fletcher, Tony; Higgins, Christopher; Lindeman, Avery E.; Peaslee, Graham; de Voogt, Pim; Wang, Zhanyun; Weber, Roland (2015). "The Madrid Statement on Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)". Environmental Health Perspectives. 123 (5): A107–A111. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1509934. ISSN 0091-6765. PMC 4421777. PMID 25932614.

  3. "Stockholm Convention Clearing". chm.pops.int. Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention. Retrieved 26 October 2016.

  4. (Lau et al. 2007; Post et al. 2012).

  5. Caverly Rae, JM; Craig, Lisa; Stone, Theodore W.; Frame, Steven R.; Buxton, L. William; Kennedy, Gerald L. (2015). "Evaluation of chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity of ammonium 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)-propanoate in Sprague–Dawley rats". Toxicology Reports. 2: 939–949. doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2015.06.001.

  6. Lerner, Sharon (2016-03-03). "New Teflon Toxin Causes Cancer in Lab Animals". The Intercept. Retrieved 2018-12-14.

 

 This site is currently dedicated to protecting the highly vulnerable aquifer that flows beneath several municipalities, including but not limited to Wainfleet, Port Colborne, and Fort Erie in Ontario Canada.