How Risky Is 1,4-Dioxane In Your Water?
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According to an investigative report by the Orlando Sentinel, the toxic chemical 1.4-dioxance (which is used as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents) was found in parts of Lake Mary, Heathrow, Sanford, and some areas of Seminole County. In Seminole County, water sampling in potable wells within the county’s service area will soon begin. The Environmental Protection Agency says 1,-4 dioxane has been linked to liver and kidney cancer and other illnesses, but different regulatory agencies throughout planet earth has different advisory guidelines or limits with respect to 1,4-dioxane. U.S.EPA has deemed 1-4-dioxane “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” and therefore has set very low limit, at 0.35 parts per billion or 0.35 micrograms per liter (equivalent to 5 filled shot glasses (7.5 oz) of 1,4-dioxane in 150 million gallons of water), for 1,4-dioxane in drinking water. Research in impact of 1, 4-dioxane on human health needs an upgrade and is currently being conducted by Yale University, with result or conclusion expected in 2027. Three utility companies in Seminole County reached out to the state independently regarding this issue, but did not receive any help or direction for years. So they turned off the water wells that had the most 1,4-dioxane, reducing the levels of 1,4-dioxane substantially. But Lake Mary still have quite a bit of it in drinking water. Much more investigative work needs to be done to determine location of the 1,4-dioxane, where it is moving underground, what the concentrations are, and what to do about it. More future transparency is strongly encouraged.
1,4-Dioxane is a:
- manufactured chemical, used as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents
- colorless liquid below 53 degrees F
- dissolves well in water
- can have faint, ether-like odor
- limited information on human ingestion impacts
- targets liver and kidney
- EPA calls it a probable carcinogen
To see what Florida Health Department is saying about 1,4-dioxane, please click HERE.
Some parts of Seminole County’s drinking water contain a toxic industrial chemical, in the video published on July 12, 2023, by FOX 35 Orlando, as “Toxic chemical found in drinking water of this Florida county: report“, below:
Toxic Secret: Mystery surrounds for how long and at what levels the chemical 1,4-dioxane has been in the water of Lake Mary, Sanford and Seminole utilities pumped from the Floridian aquifer. Read the full report at OrlandoSentinel.com/toxicsecret (https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/…), in the video published on July 11, 2023, by Orlando Sentinel, as “Toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane tainted Central Florida tap water“, below:
Leaders in Seminole County are working to manage concerns about a compound found in the drinking water. Recent reporting from the Orlando Sentinel brought to light the contaminant called 1,4-dioxane has been in the water in Seminole County, Lake Mary, and Sanford for years, in the video published on July 25, 2023, by WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, as “Seminole leaders say they will take action after toxic chemical found in drinking water“,. below:
Seminole County officials discuss concerns about compound in water, in the video published on July 25, 2023, by WESH 2 News, as “Seminole County officials discuss concerns about compound in water“, below:
Orlando Sentinel reporter Kevin Spear discusses the paper’s investigative series, Toxic Secret, which looks into water in northwest Seminole County, Lake Mary and Sanford that has been contaminated for years by varying concentrations of a toxic industrial chemical, 1,4-Dioxane, in the video published on July 26, 2023, by WUCF TV, as “NewsNight| Orlando Sentinel reporter Kevin Spear discusses their investigative series, Toxic Secret“, below:
Seminole County officials discuss concerns about compound in water, in the video published on July 25, 2023, by WESH 2 News, as “Seminole County officials discuss concerns about compound in water“, below:
Seminole County District 3 Commissioner Lee Constantine says water in the county is, and always has been, safe to drink. However, Constantine said toxins like 1,4 dioxane need to be eradicated from the water systems. According to the Seminole County website, 1,-4 dioxane is present in common house cleaning products, paint strippers, dyes, greases, antifreeze and aircraft fluids. The site also says it’s a concern if it remains in groundwater for an extended period of time.
“It is frustrating that the departments that should have given us this information did not,” Constantine said. “However, now that we have the knowledge, Seminole County will do everything it can to ensure the water is not only safe today, but it will be safe for the future.” Despite not reaching any health advisory warning levels, Constantine said the county will do a countywide analysis of the water system.
Stuart, who was once the CEO of two different medical device companies, “You got a system over here that uses reverse osmosis,” Stuart said, opening the cabinet under his kitchen sink. Reverse osmosis is a multi stage water purifying system that has a cartridge filter that helps remove dust, rust, and sediment.
According to Water Science and Technology, a carbon filter for a home can reduce 1,-4 dioxane by 50% — but in combination with a reverse osmosis system, data show that users can achieve reduction rates up to 96%.
Experts say there is not a home test for the chemical, so the only true way to know for residents to know if 1,-4 dioxane is in their water at home is to have it tested by an EPA certified lab.
As for the source of the water, Seminole County leaders of Florida say environmental services will begin collecting samples from 25 wells.
Let’s take a look at how other states had been dealing with this, below:
How worried should you be if 1,4-dioxane gets into your drinking water? 1,4-dioxane is an industrial chemical used as a solvent and a stabilizer — and in areas where there’s environmental contamination, safety is an important question, especially as the substance is a probable human carcinogen. The US Environmental Protection Agency has conducted an extensive assessment of the risks of drinking 1,4-dioxane contaminated water. This week’s risk bites takes a look at what this assessment means for the city of Ann Arbor, where there’s significant 1,4-dioxane groundwater contamination, in the video published on April 22, 2014, by Risk Bites, as “How dangerous is dioxane in your drinking water?” below:
The City’s Water Resources Department has been investigating sources of 1,4-Dioxane within the City’s sewer collection and wastewater treatment facilities since 2015. Considerable progress has been made and the department continues to work proactively with local industries through the Industrial Pretreatment Program. Greensboro has a long and strong working relationship with NCDEQ and appreciates its guidance and assistance in our efforts. Through these partnerships, the City fully commits to developing a management strategy to further reduce the release of 1,4-Dioxane into waterways that may potentially impact downstream communities who rely on the Haw River and Cape Fear River for their source water. For more information, please visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/Water, in the video published on April 28, 2023, by CityofGreensboroNC, as “1,4 – Dioxane Public Awareness for Industrial Business“, below:
It was an email from a colleague that tipped off environmental engineer Detlef Knappe of possible 1,4-dioxane contamination in the Cape Fear River Basin, North Carolina’s largest watershed and a source of drinking water for communities across the state. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified 1,4-dioxane as a probable human carcinogen. It is an industrial solvent used in the textile and paper industries and a by-product of manufacturing processes involving ethylene oxide, such as the production of certain plastics and surfactants used in laundry detergents and shampoos. With support from a National Science Foundation (NSF) RAPID grant, Knappe and his team at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have begun to identify 1,4-dioxane sources and how 1,4-dioxane impacts drinking water quality. (RAPID is short for Grants for Rapid Response Research.) Another research goal is to determine whether home filtration devices effectively remove 1, 4-dioxane from tap water and how long those filters will last. Knappe is also working with managers at water treatment plants and state policymakers in North Carolina to improve testing and treatment standards for 1,4-dioxane. Knappe says so far, the research team has identified three North Carolina communities as key sources of 1,4-dioxane and those communities are now working with the state and NCSU to identify which facilities are the source of the contamination. He says the team is also evaluating point-of-use devices, such as pitcher and refrigerator filters, and has identified a new adsorbent that is quite effective for 1,4-dioxane removal. The research in this episode was supported by NSF award #1449768, RAPID; GOALI: Sources of 1,4-Dioxane in the Cape Fear River Watershed of North Carolina and Treatment Options for 1,4-Dioxane Control. GOALI is NSF’s Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry program, in the video published on April 29, 2015, by National Science Foundation News, as “Testing the waters 1,4 Dioxane in North Carolina’s Cape Fear River Basin – Science Nation“, below:
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes 1,4-dioxane (C₄H₈O₂) as a colorless liquid or solid at cool temperatures below 53°F. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) reports it easily dissolves in water and is used primarily as a solvent in the manufacture of chemicals and as a laboratory reagent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that 1,4-dioxane has been found in groundwater at sites throughout the United States. The agency goes to share that it is highly mobile and does not readily biodegrade in the environment. 1,4-Dioxane is used in a number of industries. NIOSH lists some examples of workers at potential risk of being exposed to 1,4-dioxane, including: • Employees working in scientific laboratories • Workers exposed to certain types of industrial solvents • Factory workers involved in producing some cosmetics • Workers in paper pulping industries Workers may be harmed from exposure to 1,4-dioxane with the level of exposure depending upon the dose, duration and work being done. Exposure can occur by breathing contaminated air, skin contact, or by drinking water or consuming foods that contain it. NIOSH states that exposure can harm the eyes, skin, lungs, liver and kidneys, and that 1,4-dioxane may cause cancer. ATSDR reports exposure to high levels of 1,4-dioxane in the air can also result in nasal cavity damage. To help protect workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) and NIOSH has a Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for 1,4-dioxane. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added 1,4-dioxane to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of Proposition 65 back in 1988. These are just a few of the many things to know about 1,4-dioxane and potential occupational exposure risks. To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below. Clark Seif Clark https://www.csceng.com EMSL Analytical, Inc. https://www.emsl.com LA Testing https://www.latesting.com Zimmetry Environmental https://www.zimmetry.com CTSI https://www.ctsiweb.com Healthy Indoors Magazine https://www.healthyindoors.com, in the video published on Sep 14, 2022, by Paul Cochrane, as “1,4-Dioxane and Potential Occupational Exposure Risks“, below:
Virtual Symposium Sponsored by the Yale School of Public Health Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Oct. 30,2020. Part 1: Vasilis Vasiliou, Yale School of Public Health, “Welcome and Introduction” Linda Birnbaum, Former Director of National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, “Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water: Progress and Challenges”Mary Schubauer-Berigan, International Agency for Research on Cancer, “Evaluation of the Carcinogenicity to Humans of 1,4-Dioxane by the Monographs Programme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer” Gary Ginsberg, New York State DOH, Center for Environmental Health, “Process for Setting a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for 1,4-Dioxane in New York State” in the video published on Nov 23, 2020, by Yale School of Public Health, as “1,4-Dioxane: Occurrence, Toxicity and Population Risk – Part 1“, below:
New York state is proposing the country’s first firm limit on a chemical found in drinking water in heavy concentrations in some Long Island, New York communities. 1,4-dioxane has been labeled a “likely human carcinogen” by the EPA, but is not currently regulated in drinking water at the federal level. Hari Sreenivasan reports in this follow-up to our 2017 story, in the video published on Feb 23, 2019, by PBS NewsHour, as “New York moves to regulate a ‘likely human carcinogen’ in drinking water“, below:
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
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