By Lynn Capuano
We have yet another threat to our water on Long Island — 1,4-dioxane.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 1,4-dioxane is a likely human carcinogen that has been found in groundwater throughout the United States. Exposure may cause testicular and kidney cancers, liver damage and developmental effects to fetuses or breast-fed infants, such as low birth weight and accelerated puberty.
Long Island is home to 82 of the 89 wells identified in the last four to six years throughout New York as having concentrations of 1,4-dioxane higher than the one part per billion recently recommended by a New York State drinking water quality council panel.
1,4-dioxane is a synthetic industrial chemical widely used as a stabilizer in chlorinated solvents, paint strippers, greases and waxes, as well as in some consumer products like deodorants, shampoos and cosmetics.
Though most use was phased out under the 1995 Montreal Protocol, 1,4-dioxane is relatively resistant to biodegradation underground and remains a threat to human health and the environment.
The current issue is not the presence of this carcinogen in our water, which is well-known, but the controversy over the cost to add treatment systems to the 185 wells on Long Island contaminated by 1,4-dioxane.
The Long Island Water Conference survey completed about a year ago found 185 wells to have 0.5 parts per billion of 1,4-dioxane.
For this contaminant, 0.5 parts per billion (half the recommended regulatory standard for 1,4-dioxane) is the point at which water providers would typically treat water contaminated by 1,4-dioxane.
The projected cost to install the treatment systems is $840 million. This amount is expected to double water rates for average residential water bills. In Suffolk County the average water bill is $410 and in Nassau County it is $750.
The question then is, would you rather pay more for water not contaminated with a human carcinogen or roll the dice and hope you don’t end up with one of the serious consequences of 1,4-dioxane exposure and the associated medical costs, employment disruptions and life limitations?
Long Island water providers are indicating they will seek a three-year delay in state enforcement of the one part per billion regulatory standard for 1,4-dioxane once the standard is approved.
Their stated reasoning is the shock their customers would feel in response to a potential 100 percent increase in water rates.
Sure, we would all rather pay less for services like water, but how and who is making the decision that water customers would choose to pay less for their water in exchange for continuing to consume and use contaminated water for a longer period?
Our water districts proclaim they are in the business of managing our water and providing a continuous supply of high-quality water at low cost. When low-cost and high-quality are at odds, who makes the choice of which one wins and how is that choice made?
The Suffolk Water Authority in 2017 and at least 10 Nassau County water providers this past month sued chemical manufacturers and distributors to recover 1,4-dioxane treatment costs, but it will be years before the litigation is settled.
In the meantime, we, the residents of Long Island and consumers of contaminated water, bear the risk.
The state announced in 2017 it would take action on regulating 1,4-dioxane since the federal government was not doing anything.
According to Newsday, the New York State Department of Health is expected to announce a drinking water standard soon with a timeline of 12 to 18 months for enforcement of that standard. Once announced, there will be a two-to-three-month public comment period.
We can expect the water providers to push for an extended implementation period because of the high cost of treating 1,4-dioxane contamination. That calculation and analysis should not be done without consideration of the cost of the risk of exposure to this chemical.
These sorts of decisions are not binary. They are complicated by ripple effects and long-term consequences.
It is not just the costs of treatment to consider but the costs to human health from exposure that we will all pay through increased insurance rates and overall increases in medical rates as more people get sick; the costs to the environment including possible harm to crops and materials; the economic costs from people not being able to work because of illness or caregiving responsibilities and from people not wanting to live somewhere with contaminated water.
This is a big deal with particular significance to residents of Long Island.
Please think about how much your health is worth to you and take the time now to let the New York State Health Department know when it comes to 1,4-dioxane, how much risk you’re willing to assume.
