Some industrial sites in Indiana may be discharging toxic 'forever chemicals,' report says

About one-hundred industrial facilities in Indiana could be discharging toxic "forever chemicals" also known as PFAS substances, according to a new report. 

Indianapolis alone contains 14 of these sites, with another six in the East Chicago area and five in Fort Wayne. The other sites are spread out throughout the state, in both rural areas and cities. 

These facilities join roughly 2,400 others nationwide suspected of discharging these chemicals, according to the report from the Environmental Working Group, a research and environmental advocacy organization. Data from the report was compiled using multiple sources from the Environmental Protection Agency and one source from the state of New York.

As PFAS chemicals are an emerging contaminant, not much yet is known about the toxins, which are commonly used in products ranging from food packaging to paper to stain-resistant fabrics.

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The chemicals are known to build up for years in the environment and have been associated with a range of health problems, including complications to the immune system and hormonal issues.

Hundreds of PFAS compounds are still used in manufacturing processes, meaning industrial sites could be discharging them through the water, air or waste. But as reporting for these compounds isn't currently required under federal law, it's hard to say exactly where — or how much — these toxins are being released.

PFAS chemicals spread easily, said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs at the working group, meaning people living near these industrial sites aren't the only ones affected by their discharges.

"One of the features of PFAS chemicals is that they are incredibly mobile. It's one of the reasons why we find PFAS not just in the blood of every American, but in the blood of polar bears and penguins," Faber said. "We need to end releases, or at least begin to restrict releases, of PFAS into the air and water."

Monitoring PFAS

The thousands of PFAS compounds, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, take years to break down and build up both in the environment and the body — which is what earns them the nickname "forever chemicals."

Even so, there are no current caps on PFAS discharge under the Clean Air Act or the Clean Water Act, Faber said.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently added 172 PFAS chemicals to the Toxic Release Inventory, a list of chemicals that companies are required to report when they discharge them. But this reporting requirement won't take effect until July 2021, and it leaves out hundreds of other PFAS chemicals also used in manufacturing, Faber said.

Almost all of the 2,500 industrial sites identified in the Environmental Working Group's report are already reporting other chemical discharges required by the Toxic Release Inventory, Faber said, meaning adding PFAS compounds to the list would likely be a relatively simple change for the companies.

"I think that we're hopeful that this administration or the next administration will simply require all of the PFAS that are actively being used to be reported," Faber said. "Ideally, Congress or EPA would simply require this reporting. But until that happens, this is the best we’re going to have.”

In Indiana, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has established screening levels for three specific PFAS compounds, under which the agency deems their concentration to be okay for human health, a spokesperson for the agency said in an email.

And while the Environmental Protection Agency has established groundwater standards for PFOA and PFOS, two of the most well-known PFAS compounds, the state environmental management department said sampling and analysis for the chemicals in other parts of the environment such as in the air or soil are still in development. 

Linda Lee, an agronomy professor at Purdue University with years of research on PFAS, said although it's possible industrial sites are emitting PFAS chemicals, it's more likely a person will get exposed to the toxin through products in their own homes.

"As a person in Indiana, I would be foolish to think I’m not exposed to PFAS," Lee said. "But I also don't think that we’re likely getting a lot of direct exposure from these industries, it's probably more from the products we buy from these industries.”

However, Lee said she would like to see industries pre-treating their waste before discharging it, as well as a reduction in PFAS chemicals used in manufacturing entirely.

“The fact that we do see these in our water supplies and they've been seen in some of the water supplies in Indianapolis suggest that they’re coming from somewhere other than just everyday things," Lee said. "I just think we don't need to fight about whether they’re toxic or not — they last forever, let's just get rid of them.”

PFAS in Indiana's drinking water, military sites

The most recent report on industrial sites follows two others from the EWG this year also revealing PFAS presence in Indiana.

The first found the chemicals in Indianapolis' tap water at levels of 15 parts per trillion. This level is much lower than the EPA's established standard, which is 70 parts per trillion, but higher than standards set by researchers and other state governments — a recent Harvard study, for example, asserts these limits should lie closer to one part per trillion. 

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Another EWG study released last month highlighted 12 military sites in the state, of more than 600 others nationwide, that have known or suspected PFAS contamination. 

Part of the contamination on military sites has been attributed to firefighting foam, made with PFAS chemicals in order to fight difficult fires caused by flammable liquids such as fuels. 

House Bill 1189 limiting the use of this firefighting foam passed out of the Indiana legislature this year. Under this bill, authored by Rep. Peggy Mayfield, the foam can still be used to fight fires, but is restricted during training and testing. 

PFAS chemicals in part are dangerous because of their ubiquity — hundreds of compounds are used to product sandwich wrappers, food containers, makeup and more products in a variety of industries. Not only are the toxins within products, but they have also leached into the water, air and soil.

As such, Faber said, avoiding contact with the chemical is next to impossible, and eradicating PFAS from the environment would require addressing multiple systems ranging from manufacturing to waste disposal.

“Unfortunately," Faber said, "there’s no silver bullet when it comes to PFAS."

Contact IndyStar reporter London Gibson at 317-419-1912 or lbgibson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @londongibson. 

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IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.