A Manitowoc manufacturer announces the discovery of 'forever chemicals' likely linked to a former cookware manufacturer
Laura Schulte
A Manitowoc manufacturer has notified the state of the presence of toxic "forever chemicals" on its property, but it will not impact drinking water in the city.
Skana Aluminum said in a release Thursday that PFOA, one of the most well-known PFAS chemicals, was found on its grounds during recent testing.
Drinking water for Manitowoc residents is unlikely to be impacted by the chemicals because the city draws its water from Lake Michigan instead of groundwater like other cities in Wisconsin.
There are a few homes in the area that appear to have private wells, said Christine Haag, the director of remediation and redevelopment for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and those homeowners will be contacted to see if water is being consumed from those wells. If so, the DNR will likely request permission to test the water.
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The company processes aluminum and said PFAS are not used in its processes, so it is likely legacy contamination from businesses located on the site prior to Skana.
"PFOA is believed to be a byproduct of non-stick coatings that were applied to aluminum cookware in the south end of the Manitowoc property by various cookware companies," the release said. "These operations were terminated in 2019."
Tramontina U.S. Cookware was previously located on the site, but moved its operations to Brazil, where the company had existing factories, according to a 2019 report from the Herald Times Reporter. The company started manufacturing aluminum cookware vessels at the facility in 2005, with assembly and packaging of the cookware being done in Texas.
Mirro Aluminum Co. also previously operated at the site.
At the time Tramontina closed, Skana already owned the building in which the cookware was manufactured.
Haag said Skana has conducted cleanups on the site for other contaminations, but will not be considered the responsible party for the PFAS contamination. The DNR is working to establish who the responsible companies are, and when they are identified, they will be responsible for further testing to find the extent of the contamination.
"We'll get this figured out," she said.
Manitowoc is the latest city to discover a PFAS contamination, adding to a list of more than 50 other municipalities in the state, including Marinette, Peshtigo, Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire, La Crosse and Rhinelander.
Eau Claire was the most recent city to discover the compounds in its water system, requiring the city to shut down some wells.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and human body over time.
The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones. The chemicals enter the human body largely through drinking water.
The chemicals aren't regulated by the federal government and the state only has recommended standards, though formal standards are in the works.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura.