These residents didn't know their water was contaminated until a professor showed up

In a restrained residential neighbourhood on the outskirts of St. John's, alchemy prof Karl Jobst parked his getaway and crossed the street to a succulent wetland. 

"This is essentially industrial wastewater that's being discharged from the airport," he said.

A nearby sign warns no dumping is allowed in the marsh, which is part of a conservation area called The Gully. The irony isn't lost on him. 

"It frustrates me as a scientist. It frustrates me as someone who lives in the area."

Research by Jobst's lab at Memorial University shows toxic forever chemicals are contaminating The Gully and the drinking water in several homes nearby in Torbay, N.L.

The neighbourhood is 3½ kilometres downstream from a decommissioned firefighting training area at St. John's International Airport that is listed in the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory as contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Professor finds unsafe drinking water in N.L. Neighbourhood

Transport Canada is responsible for the site, one of 80 federal sites contaminated with PFAS.

PFAS, a class of synthetic chemicals, can take hundreds of years to break down. Some have been linked to cancers, liver damage and issues with reproduction and fetal development. In March, the federal government committed to adding them to the toxic substances list.

"I thought it would be good to have an independent look at this," Jobst said. 

Jobst and PhD student Emmanuel Tolefe began testing water in a pond and creek downstream from the contaminated site. 

Jobst said they found high levels of PFAS in South Pond. They followed the trail of chemicals from there, finding levels 15 times higher than Canadian drinking water limits in a creek that runs from South Pond through The Gully.

Jobst worried the chemicals could be leaching into groundwater in the neighbourhood around the wetland, so he started going door to door, offering to test water for free.

When the analysis for the first samples came back, the numbers were so high he thought it was a mistake.

"These are not conversations that are easy because it's obviously very upsetting to people. But I think it's the right thing to do."

So far, Jobst's research group has tested 15 homes within 500 metres of The Gully and found slightly more than half of them have contaminated water. Some showed no trace of contamination or had levels within drinking water guidelines.

Four homes had levels above Canadian drinking water guidelines, which recommend no more than 30 ng/l PFAS total. Four were within Canadian standards but above American limits, which call for no more than four ng/l of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) each.

"I wish I hadn't found that. We were shocked," said Jobst, who is concerned the extent of the contamination is not being fully mapped. 

If the contamination is coming from the airport, it wouldn't be the first time forever chemicals have spread that far. In one case, PFAS contaminated wells in La Baie, Que., that were 10 kilometres from the source — a military base.

"I would certainly be very disturbed, to say the least, if I was drinking that tap water," said Miriam Diamond, a professor at the school of the environment at the University of Toronto.

"None of these are 'drinkable,'" said Sebastien Sauvé, an environmental chemistry professor at the University of Montreal.

Hayley Hussey-Smart lives with her four-month-old son, parents and younger brother in a house that backs onto the wetland. 

"It's not really what I want to be putting in a baby's body," said Hussey-Smart, who drank the water while pregnant and breastfeeding. 

If Jobst hadn't knocked on their door, Hussey-Smart said they would have never known their water was contaminated. Worried about the health risks, the family bought a filter for their kitchen tap. 

"We just want to make people aware because we weren't aware, and that's the least that we can do."

After Jobst discovered high levels of contamination in drinking water, he reached out to the province and the town. 

"We would suggest that testing be expanded into this area and bottled water be provided accordingly," Hounsell wrote in her July email. 

The department continues to provide bottled water to people in Pine Ridge who have levels above Canadian limits.

Resident Lisa Snook, who has levels above Canadian guidelines, called Transport Canada on July 22 and received a form response by email. 

It stated an environmental consultant has been hired to analyze the situation and "the study will assist in determining TC's next steps, including the need, if required, to expand the current sample area.

The email also said residents will be contacted if sampling at their residence is necessary.

Snook followed up by email on July 25 and asked for advice on choosing a water filter. She has not received a reply.

In 2012, a report by environmental consultation firm AMEC for Transport Canada identified contamination in South Pond Brook, including where the brook feeds into South Pond.

It states "two of the six sample stations contained concentrations of PFOS in surface water that exceeded the 2011 Health Canada Drinking Water Guidance Values."

Years later, he heard of contamination in Pine Ridge, but thought it was a localized issue and never imagined it could reach them two kilometres away. Still, for peace of mind, he sent samples to an accredited lab and found out their levels are more than double the Canadian limit. 

Baird said it felt "akin to someone breaking into your house."

Jobst wondered why Transport Canada didn't connect the same dots he did.

"To me it seems like an obvious thing to do to follow this river, to follow this contamination here."

Jobst said he can't think of another source in the area that would explain the high levels and types of PFAS he's detected.

"I'm very confident that the contamination we're observing comes from St. John's International Airport and the firefighting activities that occurred previous to 2005."

Diamond said while it's difficult to pinpoint a source with complete certainty, it is "possible, if not likely, that the PFAS measured in The Gully and nearby drinking water originated from the airport."

"It's the stuff that keeps you awake at night, thinking how are you going to help these residents." 

Scott said one long-term solution they're considering is finding a way to connect the municipal water supply to homes near The Gully.

In the meantime,several homeowners have installed filters. 

At two homes, one using a portable filter that costs about $500 and another using a $3,500 whole house water filter, Jobst said levels dropped from above Canadian guidelines to below detectable limits.

"There are solutions. There's ways to filter this from people's water. But they can't do that if they don't know they have it."

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