Word to the wise to Hallowell residents and visitors of Hallowell’s burgeoning restaurant and café scene: Don’t drink the water here. Why? Hallowell’s public drinking water is contaminated with more than three times the federal safe level of toxic chemicals for human consumption. These toxins, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), are a group of manufactured chemicals that build up in people, animals, and the environment.
In Hallowell Water District’s most recent available data, Hallowell has 14.4 parts per trillion (ppt) PFAS in its drinking water. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set a limit of 4 ppt, with a goal of eliminating these chemicals from water levels completely.
PFAS are harmful to human health. Current peer-reviewed scientific studies noted by the EPA have shown that human exposure to PFAS may lead to increased risk of cancer, including prostate, kidney and testicular cancers; developmental effects or delays in children, such as low birth rate, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes; reproductive impacts such as decreased fertility and increased blood pressure in pregnant persons; interference with the body’s natural hormones; increased cholesterol levels, and among other serious health problems. Despite the devastating impact of PFAS on human health, and despite that the Hallowell Water District has been aware of this problem, effective mitigation systems have not been implemented .