Harford Technical and Fallston High School students are encouraged to bring their own refillable water bottles to school and avoid drinking water from school facilities after the Maryland Department of the Environment found concerning levels of PFAS in the water.

PFAS — short for per- and polyfluo​​roalkyl substances — are human-made chemicals that have been used since the 1940s in a range of products including stain ​and water-resistant fabrics and carpeting, cleaning products, paints, cookware, food packaging and fire-fighting foams.

These chemicals are commonly referred to as “micro-plastics” and “forever chemicals” as they do not naturally break down in nature.

Countywide school water testing is ongoing, and schools found to have concerning levels of PFAS will provide bottled water to students. Signs will also be posted to ensure students are using school water for handwashing only; school kitchens will use water dispensers for on-site food preparation, according to Harford schools manager of communications, Jillian Lader.

“Any other schools who test above acceptable levels and above acceptable consuming levels will also be informed before students return to school,” Lader said.

Parents of Harford Technical High School students received an email Tuesday from the school’s principal, Erin Mock, informing them that the Maryland Department of the Environment “has strongly recommended we ensure no one drinks the water” and advised student-athletes returning before the start of the school year to bring plenty of their own water.

“Please ensure your athlete brings enough water with them to practice in a refillable water bottle,” Mock wrote. “Water dispensers with bottled water will be available, should they need to refill their bottle.”

Mock noted that ice will be produced on-site but will be used for treatment only.

The advisory for students follows a National Drinking Water Regulation issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in April.

The regulation sets a maximum contamination level for six PFAS commonly found in drinking water:

PFOA: 4 parts per trillion
PFOS: 4 parts per trillion
PFHxS: 10 parts per trillion
PFNA: 10 parts per trillion
HFPO-DA: 10 parts per trillion
Mixtures containing two or more PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and PFBS: Hazard index

Lader confirmed that PFAS levels at Harford Technical and Fallston High exceeded acceptable levels but did not specify which type of PFAS was found in the water at the schools.  

“EPA expects that over many years the final rule will prevent PFAS exposure in drinking water for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses,” the EPA stated on its website.

Researchers are studying the health impacts of PFAS. Current research from the Maryland Department of the Environment suggests that high levels of PFAS may lead to high cholesterol; changes in liver enzymes; decreased infant birth weight; decreased vaccine effectiveness in children; increased risk of high blood pressure in pregnant women and increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer.

The EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment began tracking PFAS in 2013. Three years later, the EPA issued a Health Advisory Level of 70 ppt for PFAS in drinking water.

Maryland began the first phase of water testing for PFAS in 2020 and has since monitored each water system, statewide. Through the testing and recent regulations, the Maryland Department of the Environment found that 16% of Maryland systems have higher than acceptable levels.of PFAS.

A majority of the higher PFAS levels were found in groundwater in the western part of the state, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The regulation mandates that monitoring of public water systems must be completed by 2027 and that public water systems have until 2029 to implement solutions to reduce PFAS to meet government standards.

However, funding for the removal of PFAS is an expensive process that Maryland Department of the Environment officials said “is a continuing concern.”

To assist in the costly treatment process, federal lawmakers passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that allocates an additional $1 billion to be used for PFAS water testing and treatment.

The funding is through President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda that aims to help states and territories address PFAS-contaminated drinking water. The EPA will award the funding to states based on an allocation formula that includes population, number of waterways and data related to emerging contaminants as factors.

Scientists with the EPA and the Maryland Department of the Environment will continue to test local drinking water and inform residents if they are at risk of exposure to high levels of PFAS contaminants.