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Community PFAS Testing
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

BEDFORD

You might have seen recent news reports about per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (together abbreviated as PFAS). This is a class of human-made chemicals typically associated with certain fire-fighting foams. These chemicals are persistent and have been used in products we all use for decades.

On October 2, 2020, MassDEP published the drinking water standard or maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 20 nanograms per liter (ng/L), or parts per trillion (ppt), for PFAS based on the sum of concentrations for six PFAS compounds. The six PFAS are: perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS); perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA); perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS); perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA); perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA); and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA).

Bedford tested our local well water due to the presence of a potential source of contamination using extremely sensitive analyses. The MassDEP MCL is based on the first six compounds shown in in the table below; the others are additional compounds tested for using the same lab method. using test methods that can detect the presence of these chemicals down to levels below a part per trillion (ppt), Bedford detected some of these chemicals in local well water.

Based on the 2019 voluntary test results, Bedford took all three of its Shawsheen wells off-line and is using 100% MWRA water, while the town works with MassDEP to determine safe and cost-effective measures related to PFAS.

2019 PFAS Test Results for Bedford
PFAS Analyte (results in ppt) Shawsheen Treatment Plant - 10/7/19 Page Road Site - 10/25/19 Page Road Site - 11/14/19
Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) 9.6 7.45 Not Detected
Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) 1.84 Trace Trace
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 3.77 3.68 Trace
Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) 9.61 8.83 Trace
Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
Compare to MassDEP standard of 20 ppt for the sum of these six compounds 24.8 20.9 2.7

 
PFBS 2.23 1.94 Not Detected
PFHxA 3.98 3.95 Trace
NEtFOSAA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
NMeFOSAA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
PFDoA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
PFTeDA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
PFTrDA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
PFUnA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
11Cl-PF3OUdS Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
9Cl-PF3ONS Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
Adona Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected
PFPO-DA Not Detected Not Detected Not Detected

Information on MWRA PFAS Levels