Water contamination in Lawrence and Morgan Counties, Alabama

[2] Many Alabama residents have been suffering from contaminated water that can cause cancer, congenital disabilities for women of childbearing age, and developmental problems for children.[5] Companies in the area, such as 3M, Daikin, and its subsidiary Dyneon LLC, have been identified as the likely source of the introduction of pollutants in the water system.[6] There has been much controversy between government officials of varying levels as some question whether or not the alleged water pollution exists or if the numbers are not a concern.[12] Also, humans as well as other living species that consume the contaminated water are at a higher risk of contracting various health problems.[12] According to scientific studies, the leading cause for the introduction of the chemicals in various drinking water sources is due to contamination from nearby industrial plants.[14] Communities that are located nearby these factory plants have likely consumed the contaminated water, exposing residents to these harmful compounds.[21] As stated by the EPA, health advisories are mainly intended to give information about the chemicals in question and allow further research to take place before more action is taken.[22] On March 8, 2017, New York senators drafted new legislation that would require the EPA to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and have it set more strict levels for compounds such as PFOA and PFOS.[26] Although the levels of PFOA and PFOS were found in low concentrations, warnings were released indicating that prolonged exposure to these pollutants can cause serious health problems.[27] A proposed $4 million activated carbon filtration system by the water authority would be a temporary solution until a larger reverse osmosis treatment plant could be built.[4] Due to the state's budget cut, the amount of funding has declined over the years, and thus there is not enough financial support to enable strict water inspections in the area.In the meantime, the West Morgan East Lawrence Water and Sewer Authority is currently working on a new and improved filtration system, which is set to be finished in 2019.[29] As a result of miscommunication and a lack of definitive answers from officials, citizens of both Lawrence and Morgan are unsure of what the best solution to this pollution issue.[45] In relations to the settlement, Daikin admitted that they did no wrong in the disposal of the chemicals and customers are reimbursed for their water bills during the "do-not-drink warning" period.[45] Although the lawsuit has been ongoing for a while, the EPA issued a health advisory on May 19, 2016, to advised women of childbearing age to not use the drinking water.[50] For decades, studies have suggested that PFOA has been linked to many drinking water supplies and other fluorochemical-containing consumer products which can cause health problems.[52] The pollution was discovered in both public and private water supplies, and it is believed that facilities of the companies Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International are the sources.[52] The two companies were held responsible for the exposure of PFOA, thus they offered a settlement of over $1 million to cover the cost of the water contamination.In 2006, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection conducted a study to see if there were PFOA and PFOS contamination in the state's public water systems.