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PFAS Found in Bottled Water Sold in Vermont

 

August 1, 2019

Montpelier, Vt. – Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) were detected by New Hampshire Health Officials in bottled water produced by Spring Hill Dairy, Inc., of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and sold in Vermont as well as other New England states.

The water, which is sold under various brand names and lists the source as spring water on the label, tested above Vermont’s drinking water standard. As a result, the state is working with the company and their distributors to ensure they remove the products from Vermont stores.  In the interim, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising people not to drink bottled water from that source.

Consumers should check the bottled water label to see if they have any of the impacted products. The affected products are those with dates before July 24, 2019. The date can be found on the shoulder of the bottles. The bottled water is sold under multiple brands, including the following:

  • 365
  • Best Yet
  • Cumberland Farms
  • CVS (Ice Canyon)
  • Food Club
  • HyTop
  • IGA
  • Shaw’s

The public should not use or consume bottled water produced by Spring Hill Farm Dairy, Inc. until DEC receives test results confirming the PFAS levels are below 20 parts per trillion (ppt). PFAS in bottled water ranged from 120 to 137 ppt. Since the discovery, the company worked with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to install a new filtration system to remove PFAS that became operational on July 24, 2019. As soon as DEC receives the latest test results, they will be posted at dec.vermont.gov/pfas.

“The bottled water produced in Massachusetts and sold in Vermont has PFAS levels above our drinking water standards,” said Peter Walke, Deputy Secretary for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. “We immediately contacted the company who confirmed that they have been working with their distributors to voluntarily remove the product from store shelves. We appreciate the company working with the State to address this issue.”

PFAS are a large group of human-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. Exposure to certain PFAS may affect different systems in the human body. The likelihood of having a health effect is influenced by how much an individual was exposed to PFAS, and for how long.

Since the discovery of PFAS contamination in Bennington in 2016, Vermont has been investigating potential sources of PFAS contamination statewide. Governor Phil Scott signed the Act 21 PFAS law on May 15, 2019. This law sets into motion several public health and safety actions. As part of the new law, DEC is requiring all five in-state bottled water suppliers sample for PFAS by December 1, 2019.

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