PFAS on Nantucket | Local Articles & Info

Town of Nantucket Health Department PFAS Water Testing

PFAS Testing Analysis - $295

Pick up your kit at the Nantucket Board of Health
All testing kits include a separate shipping fee of $10 for each kit, payable when kits are dropped at BOH.
Each testing kit will include bottles, instructions, and a Chain of Custody form which must be completed, signed, and submitted with the samples. These samples will be analyzed by the Barnstable County Lab (or their designee) and the laboratory reports will be distributed to the property owner and the Board of Health for review and approval.

More Info: https://nantucket-ma.gov/1574/PFAS
Payment: Individual checks for sampling analysis must be made out to Barnstable County and included when samples are submitted to BOH for processing. A separate fee of $10 per kit must be paid when the kits are dropped at the BOH.

**Please be aware that the samples for the Barnstable County Lab must be dropped off at the BOH (with payment) on Tuesday mornings from 7:30 am - 9:00 am and will then be delivered by the Town to the lab for processing. Due to the volume, it is currently taking approximately 4-5 weeks for the samples to be processed by the lab.

MASSDEP Private Well Testing Program Resources

Now that your water results have come back, what do you do with the information? We have compiled some resources to help you understand what your levels mean in context to other communities and the nation as well as have information on how to limit your exposures.

MASSDEP Private Well Testing Program Overview
- See the current levels for the wells they’re testing HERE
  - Type NANTUCKET into the Search to pull up the island’s results.
Interpret Your Results:
- PFAS-REACH and PFAS Exchange (a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences funded program) built a helpful tool called “What’s My Exposure” where you can input your water or blood results, and it will help you understand your levels.
  - What’s My Exposure Tool: https://www-pfas.pfas-exchange.org/report/graphtool/
Understanding PFAS 101:
- PFAS in Drinking Water: What You Should Know: https://pfas-exchange.org/pfas-and-drinking-water-what-you-should-know/
- PFAS A Word About Drinking Water Guidelines: https://pfas-exchange.org/pfas-a-word-about-drinking-water-guidelines/
- Green Science Policy Institute Overview: https://greensciencepolicy.org/harmful-chemicals/pfas/
- PFAS Project Lab: https://pfasproject.com/
- URI STEEP Program: https://web.uri.edu/steep/pfas/
Take Action:
- Clean Water Action’s 10 Things You Can Do About PFAS: https://www.cleanwateraction.org/features/10-things-you-can-do-about-toxic-pfas-chemicals

ACK AIRPORT PFAS UPDATES

ACK Airport Information Portal on PFAS and Water Quality

Joint Message from Nantucket Airport Commission, Board of Health and Select Board

TOWN OF NANTUCKET PFAS UPDATES

The Town of Nantucket hired the consulting firm, CDM Smith, to perform an island-wide PFAS assessment. See their full report and factsheet below.

**If you’ve had your water tested, you live outside of the airport plume area, and it had PFAS levels over 20ppt, please reach out to MassDEP here so they can begin a source investigation.

Town PFAS Assessment Report Factsheet

CDM Smith Town PFAS Full Report

CDM Smith Presentation via Select Board Meeting Agenda - February 2021

CDM Smith Select Board Presentation - October 28, 2020

Town of Nantucket Finance Update - October 28, 2020

LOCAL ARTICLES

09.16.22 - Study Reveals Elevated PFAS Levels In Firefighters' Blood (Nantucket Current)

09.16.22 - Study: Elevated PFAS in firefighters’ blood (Inquirer & Mirror)

08.18.22 - Airport will continue to provide bottled water to homes affected by PFAS (Inquirer & Mirror)

07.21.22 - Bottled water ending for homes near airport affected by PFAS (Inquirer & Mirror)

06.06.22 - PFAS Problems (Nantucket Today)

06.02.22 - Participants in class-action PFAS lawsuit growing (Inquirer & Mirror)