The Case of Water Pollution in Woburn, MA

Woburn Senior Center Water Dispenser PFAS Test Results 2.73 ppt (“part per trillion” or “ppt” is a microscopic measurement for substances in the water and is equivalent to a single drop of water in the combined water volume of 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools).

A sample result taken on Aug. 2 at the Horn Pond Water Treatment Plant in Woburn measured 22.9 ng/L, and a second August sample, taken on Aug. 22, was 19.6 ng/L. This made the monthly average 21 ng/L.

However, according to officials, a PFAS6 MCL violation has not occurred because violations are determined by a quarterly average based on three months of testing unless any single sample result would cause the quarterly average to exceed the MCL.

"City in compliance with Mass DEP PFAS6 MCL. This is (the) 4th consecutive quarter of compliance with MassDEP regulation dating back to October 2022," Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin said in a statement.

The City of Woburn also has taken several steps to address PFAS6 levels in the drinking water and their impacts.

City officials said Woburn is upgrading its water treatment plant to remove PFAS6, and that a design is nearly complete and will be submitted to MassDEP for approval by the end of the month.

Woburn water tested above the state's maximum contaminant limit for PFAS, sometimes called forever chemicals, across third quarter tests, the city said in a letter some residents received Tuesday.

The city's water again tested above the limit in October before falling just below it in November, according to an update on the city website.

The city's water tested on average at 24 parts per trillion across five tests from July to Sept., according to the letter. The state maximum contaminant level for drinking water, set in Oct. 2020, is 20 parts per trillion.

Nearly 30 years after that landmark court case, the wells that supplied both toxic drinking water and a legacy of cancer to Woburn remain contaminated despite a $21 million cleanup effort. And no one, not even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which monitors the site as part of the federal Superfund program, knows whether humans are still being exposed to its witch's brew of chemicals, federal records show.

The EPA completes a cleanup plan for the wells in Woburn, which includes the construction of a treatment plant to remove contaminants from the water.

The EPA designates the wells in Woburn as a Superfund site, meaning that they are among the most polluted sites in the country and require long-term cleanup efforts.

A settlement is reached between the plaintiffs and the defendants. W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods agree to pay a total of $69.5 million in damages.

A jury finds W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods liable for contaminating the wells in Woburn and causing the illnesses of the affected children.

The lawsuit goes to trial. During the trial, evidence is presented that suggests that W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods knew about the contamination of the wells but did not take adequate action to address the problem.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and CDC released an additional study that and concluded that the incidence of childhood leukemia in Woburn was significantly greater than expected. This study got around the lack of information in the rest of the state by using age- and sex-specific incidence data from the Third National Cancer Survey (TNCS). 

A group of families affected by childhood leukemia in Woburn file a lawsuit against W.R. Grace and Company and Beatrice Foods, alleging that the companies are responsible for the contamination of local wells with TCE and PCE.

On December 21, 1979 the Massachusetts Department of Public Health published the Woburn Health Data Analysis, 1969-1978.

In December 1979 the CDC asked the city of Woburn for permission to investigate the possible leukemia cluster. 

There was widespread concern In the wake of the disclosures about the contaminants found at the old Merrimac Chemical Company and the contamination of Wells G and H with TCE and perc. More than thirty people attended the meeting on October 4, 1979, including parents of children with leukemia and concerned citizens. reverend Bruce distributed a survey, and when they were returned, they had identified 12 leukemia cases over a 15-year period. Eight cases occurred in east Woburn, and six were in the Pine Street neighborhood.

The results showed that both wells were heavily contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent used to dissolve grease and oil. The concentration of TCE in Well G was 267 parts per billion (ppb), and the levels in Well H were 183 bpp. The wells also contained tetrachloroethylene, also known as "perc," another industrial solvent. The concentrations of both contaminants were above the maximum allowable limits, and the wells were shut down.

In the spring of 1979 it was discovered that someone had left 184 barrels of industrial waste on a plot of land in northeast Woburn just a half mile from Wells G and H. The barrels were removed before they leaked, but given the proximity to the wells, a state inspector tested water samples from Wells G and H.