Johnson Controls unit expands offer to treat tainted water tied to Marinette plant

A Johnson Controls-owned manufacturer is providing additional water treatment systems to homes and businesses in Marinette, in northeastern Wisconsin, where chemicals used by the company have been found in groundwater and are part of a group of compounds attracting attention nationally for their potential health impacts.

The announcement by Tyco Fire Products to install additional systems comes after the release of a draft federal report in June that showed people exposed to the chemicals face greater health risks to illnesses ranging from liver damage to cancer than previously known. 

Tyco said in a statement that it is offering to pay for, install and maintain the systems in 37 additional homes and businesses where the presence of compounds, known as perfluorinated chemicals, have been detected. The initial details were posted on its website devoted to the groundwater problems on July 5.

That’s a change from efforts last December when the company provided bottled water to properties where a pair of the chemical compounds were found in drinking water but were below a health advisory level from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Currently, the company said it has paid for the installation of the systems on eight properties where sampling showed levels above the EPA advisory of 70 parts per trillion. Three others are in the process of being installed. 

All told, the company has offered to install 13 point-of-entry water treatment systems to property owners where water has tested above the federal advisory. So-called POET systems use filters and activated carbon to remove the chemicals. 

With the latest announcement, all properties where tests have turned up the chemicals at any level are being offered the systems, which can cost $1,000 or more.

RELATED:Firefighting foam used by unit of Johnson Controls poses toxic threat to Green Bay

The chemicals are perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, or PFOS. They have traditionally been used in products ranging from Teflon to firefighting foam manufactured by Tyco and other companies.

Report cites health risks

The draft federal report said that epidemiology studies suggest that PFOA and PFOS are associated with increased risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension, liver damage, thyroid disease and asthma, as well as decreased fertility and a decline in response to vaccines. 

The report also said other research suggests the chemicals can increase the risk of some cancers.  

Nationally, environmental and public health groups have called for stronger standards than the EPA’s health advisory limit. They say their case was buttressed by a draft study released June 20 by an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry showed the risk level for the chemicals was at least seven to 10 times lower than the threshold the EPA has recommended.

The study was released after news reports of emails obtained in an open records request showing the White House and administration officials sought to delay the release of the study, with one official expressing concerns about the “public relations nightmare” that details in the report could cause. 

In a statement, Johnson Controls spokesman Fraser Engerman said the reason the company is expanding its offer to other property owners whose wells are tainted, but below the advisory limit set by the EPA, is that some residents said they wanted an option besides bottled water.

Engerman said in his email that the company is aware that some states have set stricter standards and is aware of the release of the Department of Health and Human Services report. 

“However, these did not have an impact on our decision to offer POET systems to local homes and businesses,” he said.      

Homeowner weighs options

Property owner Jeff Lamont expressed doubt that the company’s offer was solely for the convenience of residents like him, whose test results showed the chemicals were present, but below the EPA advisory. 

“They’ve read the report,” said Lamont, of Port Washington, a hydrogeologist and part-time resident of Marinette. “They’ve seen the numbers that have been published and know that they should be significantly more conservative.”

Lamont said he is not sure he will take up the offer. While some chemical compounds such as PFOA and PFOS can be removed from such systems, he thinks the verdict is out on other chemicals Tyco has found in groundwater.

“I am still going to think long and hard about this,” Lamont said. 

REALATED:New evidence of groundwater pollution turning up near Lake Michigan at Tyco plant in Marinette

Tyco said that it began an investigation in November 2017 into the extent of groundwater pollution at sites in Marinette and the Town of Peshtigo near a facility it operates.

The company said June 7 it had also discovered the chemicals in well samples at its manufacturing plant in Marinette on the banks of the Menominee River, a tributary to Green Bay.

The company had suspended all outdoor activities involving the use of the firefighting foam last winter. Last month, it said it was reviewing its procedures before resuming outdoor use of the foam. 

The company’s investigation is being overseen by the state Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health Services. 

A DNR spokesman said Wednesday that the Tyco has informed the agency of its plans to offer the water treatment systems. 

In March, the DNR asked the Department of Health Services to recommend safe levels for 16 substances found in groundwater, including PFOA and PFOS.

In Wisconsin, the rule-making process for adding new chemicals can take years to complete.