Traces of a dangerous chemical have been found in an aquifer that supplies Wellington with drinking water.
Bisphenol-A, or BPA, showed up in the first tests done for the substance out of the Waiwhetu Aquifer under the Hutt Valley, NZME reports.
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According to the Mayo clinic BPA has been used in plastics and resins since the 1960s and could cause negative health effects on the brain, behaviour and prostate glands in babies and children. Other research suggests a link between BPA consumption and high blood pressure.
Wellington's water is already treated with chlorine and UV radiation by the time it makes its way to customers. Both the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Ministry of Health say it is safe to drink.
But environmental scientists are concerned by the find.
"It's starting to be a bit of a risk," environmental toxicologist Louis Tremblay told NZME. "It is concerning that we have such high levels in the bore water."
The highest amount of BPA found in the bores around Wellington was 280 nanograms per litre (ng/L) from a bore in the Hutt City CBD.
Contaminants expert Dr Lokesh Padhye told NZME he had not seen levels that high even when he was working in the United States, where BPA levels rose to 22 ng/L. That went down to 3 ng/L after treatment.
He said it was a stark warning for other communities around the country that drank untreated water directly out of aquifers.
Dr Tremblay told NZME it was concerning considering other contaminants that could be found in the water.
"When we start putting them altogether, then you have a soup of contaminants so over time what are the risks - we don't know," he said.
Newshub.
