Citizen Research of PFAs (polyfluoroalkyl) Contamination in Johnson County and Douglas County Kansas
A topic of increasing concern is PFAs (polyfluoroalkyl) “Forever Chemicals” contaminating our water, soil, and air across the globe.
As our traditionally agricultural, rural townships and smaller cities, in both Johnson and Douglas Counties (Gardner, Edgerton, DeSoto, Baldwin, Eudora and LeCompton) are being transformed by rapid industrial developments and massive infrastructure projects; there logically is an increased risk of PFAs contaminating our waterways, soils, and air which in turn contaminates our drinking water and food systems.
PFAs Concerns Over the World’s Largest Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturing Facility Located in DeSoto, KS in Johnson County, KS
“Just to be very clear…66 batteries a second, a second! That’s what we do in Nevada, that’s what we’ll be doing here, minimum. 66 batteries a second, 5 1/2 million a day, 2 bllion a year.”
Allan Swan – President, Panasonc Energy of North America
Of particular concern is the DeSoto, KS 9,000 acre US Army Sunflower Ammunition Plant Contaminated Site Clean-up and the Worlds Largest $4 Billion Dollar Subsidized Panasonic Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturing Plant.
Even More Battery’s…Large Scale BESS in Douglas County, KS?
In the Douglas County, KS Commission Meeting on July 31st, 2024 the Douglas County, KS Commissioners Karen Willey, Patrick Kelly and Shannon Reid voted to allow the county’s Zoning and Codes division to start drawing up specific rules for large scale battery energy storage (BESS) — as well as high-tech operations that store data to support AI and mine cryptocurrencies. This as a result of several requests from energy storage companies interested in expanding to Douglas County.
Lithium-Ion Battery manufacturing (Panasonic Plant) and large-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are huge concerns when it comes to PFAs. Citizens have already pushed back on Utility-Scale Solar and Wind Facilities over the last 5 years, now dangerous BESS facilities are on citizens’ doorsteps, another PFAs health risk to contend with.
Scrub to timestamp 10:55, in the video below to listen to discussion and approval of a Text Ammendment to study regulations for Battery Energy Storage Systems, Cryptomining, Data Centers and Digital Asset Retrieval (several buildings that contain batteries).
Are PFAs Tests Being Performed at Johnson and Douglas County Kansas Wastewater Treatment Facilities?
As of 09/22/2024, as far a citizen research can confirm, Wastewater Treatment Plants, themselves, in Johnson and Douglas Counties do NOT test for PFAs, nor does the KDHE (Kansas Department of Health). Only the EPA tests for PFAs and those program efforts are in their infancy, as increased concerns are only really starting to be understood and communicated to the public. These (forever chemicals) are contaminating everything… water, soil, and air and are making it into our food systems and drinking water. Hmmm, that might explain the marked increase in chronic health issues since the 1940s when PFAs were first introduced into our lives.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were first used in the 1940s, and the chemistry behind them was discovered in the late 1930s. Here are some highlights from the history of PFAS:
1938: Roy J. Plunkett accidentally discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), the first known PFAS compound in the U.S., while working for DuPont.
1941: DuPont patented PTFE under the name Kinetic Chemicals.
1945: DuPont registered the trademarked name Teflon for PTFE.
1947: 3M began mass-producing PFOA, one of the most well-known PFAS chemicals.
1951: DuPont began using PFOA to make Teflon.
1953: A chemist at 3M accidentally spilled PFOS on his tennis shoe, which led to the development of Scotchgard.
1960s: 3M and the U.S. Navy developed aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a firefighting foam that contained PFOS and PFOA.
1970s: The military began using AFFF to fight fuel fires.
2000: The U.S. Department of Defense and 3M voluntarily phased out PFOS-based fire-fighting foams.
PFAS are a group of chemicals that resist heat, oil, grease, and water. They are used in many products, including paints, cleaning products, stain- and water-resistant fabrics, and fire-fighting foams. However, PFAs can build up in the environment, animals, and people over time because they break down very slowly. Exposure to PFAs has been linked to serious health effects.
Per public comments made by concerned citizens back in January 17, 2024 at the Johnson County West Consolidated Zoning Board Meeting around the failed request for a Conditional Use Permit by Robert and Charles Finley for excavating tons of top soil and clay for transport to the Sunflower Ammunition Plant to “Cap” a contaminated soil landfill, further concerns developed with regards to the public being unknowinly exposed to contaminates.
The heightened concerns were revealed by questions around the Wastewater Class B Biosolids that the Finley brothers were hauling from the DeSoto Wastewater Treatment Plant to spread over the graded excavation sites to assist in the reestablishment of vegetation on the dead soil. These Class B Biosolids contain pathogens and the public wants confirmation that anyone hauling, handling, applying to land, and/or further distributing/receiving these Class B Biosolids are knowledgeable, and are adhering to the requirements set forth by the EPA’s 503 Rules/Chapter 40. Review the KDHE’s Septage Land Application Guide (refer to Section 3, pages 5-7).
The Bigger Concern Over PFAs
No PFA testing of these Class B Wastewater Biosolids is being performed. If there are PFAs in these Biosolids then our communities have a much, much bigger problem.
On 9/13/2024 samples were collected, of what are believed to be Wastewater Class B Biosolids, to be tested for PFAs by an EPA Certified Lab, not connected to the Panasonic Plant, Sunflower Ammunition Site, Sunflower Development, Johnson County Wastewater, KDHE, Finleys, etc. As soon as the Certified PFAs Test lab results are delivered, they will be shared here.
This article is incomplete, more to come soon.