KIRSTEN JOHNSON, THANKS VERY
MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> TURNING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,
AT LEAST 45% OF TAP WATER
CONTAINS THE CANCER-CAUSING
FOREVER CHEMICALS KNOWN AS
P.F.A.S., ACCORDING TO A
RECENTLY NATIONWIDE STUDY FROM
THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,
VARYING GREATLY DEPENDING ON
WHERE YOU LIVE.
AS RESEARCH INTO P.F.A.S.
EXPANDS, SO DOES THE REACH OF
WHERE IT IT IS FOUND IN EVERYDAY
LIVES.
FOR MORE ON HOW TO MITIGATE
EXPOSURE TO THESE CHEMICALS IN
YOUR OWN HOME, WE TURN TO JOE
GRANDE, WATER QUALITY MANAGER
FOR THE MADISON WATER UTILITY.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> GLAD TO BE HERE.
>> SO WISCONSIN CLEARLY HAS
P.F.A.S. IN ALL CORNERS AND IN
SOME PLACE, THERE ARE DEFINITE
P.F.A.S. HOT SPOTS, BUT HOW DOES
SOMEONE KNOW IF THEY HAVE
EXPOSURE TO P.F.A.S. IN THEIR
DRINKING WATER AND WHETHER IT'S
ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT?
>> SURE.
SO REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT THE
SOURCE IS OF THEIR DRINKING
WATER, WHETHER THEY ARE SERVED
BY A PUBLIC UTILITY OR WHETHER
THEY HAVE A PRIVATE WELL AND
IT'S THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
SO IF THEY'RE ON A PUBLIC WATER
SYSTEM OR A PUBLIC UTILITY, THEY
SHOULD REACH OUT TO THEIR
UTILITY.
MAYBE THEY RECEIVE INFORMATION
FROM THEIR CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
REPORT OR THEIR ANNUAL WATER
QUALITY REPORT AND IT REPORTS ON
THAT.
SO THE LARGEST UTILITIES IN THE
STATE WOULD HAVE DONE THEIR
INITIAL TESTING LATE IN 2022, SO
THAT SHOULD BE REPORTED ON THEIR
CURRENT CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
REPORT.
SOME OF THE SMALLER UTILITIES
ACROSS THE STATE ARE CURRENTLY
DOING THAT TESTING, SO THEY
MIGHT NOT HAVE THOSE RESULTS
ALREADY REPORTED, BUT THAT'S ONE
WAY THAT THEY CAN FIND OUT,
CHECKING THE WEBSITES FOR THEIR
INDIVIDUAL UTILITY OR JUST
CALLING THE UTILITY AND ASKING,
HAVE YOU TESTED FOR P.F.A.S.
IF YOU HAVE, HAVE YOU FOUND
ANYTHING AND WHAT HAVE YOU
FOUND?
>> AND SO IF PEOPLE DO SEE IN
THOSE REPORTS OR THROUGH PRIVATE
WELL TESTING THAT THEY HAVE HIGH
LEVELS OF P.F.A.S., WHAT SHOULD
THEY DO ABOUT IT?
HOW DO YOU MITIGATE THAT IN YOUR
DRINKING WATER?
>> THERE ARE TREATMENT
ALTERNATIVES.
I'M NOT HERE TO ADVOCATE ONE WAY
OR THE OTHER, BUT THERE ARE
TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES THAT CAN
REDUCE P.F.A.S. CONCENTRATIONS
IN DRINKING WATER.
THOSE INCLUDE ACTIVATED CARBON,
LIKE A CHARCOAL FILTER, IT MIGHT
BE IN A PITCHER FILTER OR
SOMETHING THAT'S ATTACHED TO
YOUR KITCHEN SINK.
THERE'S ALSO IN-LINE EXCHANGE,
WHICH IS LESS COMMONLY USED.
THAT'S MORE FOR LARGE USERS LIKE
UTILITIES THAT ARE TREATING IT
BEFORE IT'S SENT OUT TO
CONSUMERS, AND THEN THERE'S
REVERSE OSMOSIS, AND THAT'S
ANOTHER WAY THAT YOU CAN REMOVE.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE GENERAL
TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
>> AND SO APART FROM KIND OF THE
PICTURES THAT YOU USE BY FILLING
IT WITH TAP WATER IN YOUR
KITCHEN, PITCHERS, CAN PEOPLE
ININSTALL THOSE OTHER KINDS OF
FILTERS THAT FILTER THE WATER AT
ITS SOURCE?
>> THEY COULD BE ATTACHED UNDER
THE KITCHEN SINK, FOR EXAMPLE.
YOU MIGHT HAVE A SEPARATE FAUCET
THAT'S DELIVERING THAT FILTERED
WATER, AND THAT MIGHT BE, LIKE I
SAID, IT MIGHT BE CARBON-BASED
SYSTEM OR IT MIGHT BE A REVERSE
OSMOSIS SYSTEM, AND SO THOSE
SYSTEMS ARE AVAILABLE.
>> CAN YOU DO THOSE SYSTEMS
YOURSELF, OR DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A PLUMBER?
>> DEPENDS ON HOW HANDY YOU ARE.
SOME PEOPLE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO
THAT ON YOUR OWN, BUT IN MOST
CASES, IT'S PROBABLY A PLUMBER
THAT NEEDS TO COME IN AND DO
THAT.
>> WE GOT AN EMAIL FROM A VIEWER
WHO TALKED ABOUT THE DISPOSAL OF
USED FILTERS FOR P.F.A.S. AND
THAT THEY ARE THEN CONTAMINATED.
RIGHT?
AND HOW SHOULD THOSE BE DISPOSED
OF, THOSE FILTERS?
>> THERE REALLY ISN'T AN
INFRASTRUCTURE SET UP FOR
HANDLING THOSE.
QUITE FRANKLY, THE
CONCENTRATIONS OR THE AMOUNT OF
P.F.A.S. THAT MIGHT BE ON THOSE
FILTERS IS REALLY SMALL
QUANTITIES, AND SO THERE REALLY
ISN'T ANY REGULATION IN TERMS OF
SPECIAL IS DISPOSAL
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THAT.
TYPICALLY, YOU JUST PUT IT IN
THE TRASH AND IT ENDS UP IN THE
LANDFILL.
THE PROBLEM WITH P.F.A.S. IS
THAT THEY ARE THESE -- EXCUSE
ME, FOREVER CHEMICALS, AND SO
THEY DON'T BREAK DOWN.
WE'RE IS NOT DESTROYING THEM
WITH OUR TREATMENT PROCESSES.
ALL WE'RE DOING IS CONCENTRATING
THEM AND MOVING THEM SOMEWHERE
ELSE, AND WE HAVE TO FIND SOME
WAY, TECHNOLOGY HAS TO ADVANCE
TO BREAK THESE DOWN AND TO BREAK
THAT CYCLE.
>> SO P.F.A.S. IN GROUNDWATER
AND DRINKING WATER SEEMS TO GET
KIND OF THE BULK OF THE
ATTENTION, BUT WE'RE EXPOSED TO
THESE CHEMICALS IN A LOT OF
OTHER WAYS IN OUR DAILY LIVES.
HOW MUCH SHOULD WE FOCUS ON
WATER VERSUS THE OTHER AREAS OF
EXPOSURE?
>> YEAH.
I THINK WE SHOULD FOCUS ON ALL
OF THEM.
FOOD IN PARTICULAR, IN SOME
LOCAL BODIES OF WATER, THERE ARE
FISH ADVISORIES, SO THAT'S ONE
PIECE.
THERE'S THE DRINKING WATER, BUT
THERE'S ALSO CONSUMER GOODS.
WE'RE SURROUNDED BY P.F.A.S.
IT'S IN UP UPHOLSTERY, IT'S IN
OUR CLOTHING, IT'S IN OUR
CARPETING.
IT'S IN A LOT OF PAPER
PACKAGING.
SO IN ORDER TO MITIGATE OR
REDUCE OR EXPOSURES, WE NEED TO
BE LOOKING FOR P.F.A.S.-FREE
ALTERNATIVES, AND SOME OF THOSE
DO EXIST AND THERE'S A GROWING
LIST OF COMPANIES THAT ARE NOW
MAKING P.F.A.S.-FREE
ALTERNATIVES, BUT IF YOU SEE THE
WORDS "STAIN RESISTANT, STAIN
REPELLANT, GREASE REASSISTANT,
WATER REPEL MILITANT, ALL OF
THESE TYPICALLY MEAN THAT
THERE'S P.F.A.S. IN THEM."
LIKE YOUR ANTI-STICK COOK WARE,
THOSE KIND OF THINGS.
IN THE PAST CERTAINLY HAVE HAD
P.F.A.S. AND THERE ARE NOW
ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE TRYING TO
REMOVE THOSE FROM THE CONSUMER
SUPPLY CHAIN.
>> THAT'S GOOD, BECAUSE IT'S