While Mars borough council considers joining a national settlement for “forever chemicals” in the municipal water system, local officials said current levels “are not of any great concern.”

“If there was any concern for drinking water for our residents, we would have issued something, and it would have been handled in a timely manner,” Mayor Gregg Hartung said.

Three years ago, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection identified “slight traces” of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs, in the borough’s water system, according to public works foreman Andy Schultheis. PFAs are a group of synthetic compounds that break down slowly and have been linked to cancer.

“The DEP has set the maximum contaminant level (for PFAs) as they do with anything that’s in the water,” Schultheis said, “and the water department is in compliance.”

Public water systems in the state serving more than 10,000 customers were tested, according to the DEP’s study. The borough was the only water system sampled in the county with traces of the contaminant.

“The Environmental Protection Agency may be changing what those maximum contaminant levels may be,” Schultheis said, “but that still hasn’t been finalized.”

Since the testing in 2020, three major chemical companies — DuPont de Nemours Inc., Corteva Inc., and the Chemours Company — have reached an agreement for $1.185 billion to settle claims they contaminated public water systems in the United States with PFAs.

“This chemical is used as a waterproofing material, it was used in firefighting spraying foam, it was used on Teflon skillets,” Schultheis said. “It was in any kind of waterproof jackets, boot linings, McDonald’s cheeseburger wrappers.”

As part of the ongoing settlement, the borough received notice from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina that they were potential claimants.

Solicitor Chris Reese recommended at the Monday, Oct. 2, council meeting that the borough file a claim.

“The bottom line is: It’s still a work in progress,” Reese said. “It hasn’t been ‘blessed’ by a judge yet, but after that happens, there would be an effective date, and that’s when Mars would have to act within 60 days.”

The next hearing for the case is Dec. 14, according to Reese, with the settlement being presented to the judge.

While Schultheis was uncertain what portion of the settlement the borough would receive, he said any compensation would be used to help comply with changes to EPA’s threshold for PFAs.

“We do have to make sure that we stay in compliance with the DEP and the EPA, so if they change the standards, that’s what the class action lawsuit is supposed to help,” he said. “To help authorities either upgrade or do what they need to stay in compliance.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health released a statement on PFAs in January, stating the chemicals at high doses may impact blood cholesterol, blood pressure, liver enzymes, and developmental and reproductive systems.

And while some studies in the statement have also found possible links between the chemicals and cancer in humans, the statement warned there was no “consistent” scientific evidence.

“Because of the contradictory findings, more research is needed to understand the health effects of exposure to PFAs on humans,” the statement read.

The statement recommended installing an activated carbon filtration system or reverse osmosis system to reduce any risk.

Schultheis emphasized the borough’s water system remained at DEP-compliant levels, and it would follow any standard set by the EPA with the help of the settlement.

“We’re just trying to be a little forward-thinking here, if they do change this and we have to do some stuff at the plant to stay in compliance,” he said.