Welcome to our August Newsletter!
For the past several years we have been creating and distributing separate monthly newsletters for our two laboratories. We distribute a newsletter to the mailing list for Granite State Analytical in Derry, NH and separate one for A & L Laboratory in Auburn, Maine. After much consideration we decided it was time to merge our two newsletters into one! Over the past five years we have been continually trying to unify the identities of our two laboratories and this seemed like the perfect next step for us. We will still bring you current news from across the United States and State specific information for Maine and New Hampshire. We hope you will enjoy all of the articles and maybe learn a bit about your neighboring state in the process. Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We greatly enjoy providing you with industry news and events each month. If there is something you would like to learn about, please let us know!
What is Giardiasis ?
Giardiasis is an illness that causes diarrhea by a microscopic parasite Giardia intestinalis. Other names for this parasite are Giardia lamblia or Giardia duodenalis. People affected by Giardiaisis experience severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fatigue. A laboratory analysis is needed to diagnose the parasite and infection requires medical treatment to resolve. Giardiasis is not life threatening in a healthy person but can lead to severe dehydration and can cause complications in the elderly, small children and people with a weakened immune system.

This parasite is common among beavers and muskrats and can infect humans and other animals by the fecal oral route. Giardia Intestinalis live in the intestinal tract spreading the parasite each time a stool is passed. Each stool passed by an infected human or animal can contain millions of the microscopic parasites. People’s drinking water can become contaminated by Giardia intestinalis when the fecal matter infected with the parasite comes in contact with drinking water reservoirs such as wells.

Some ways this can be passed into a well or drinking water reservoir can be malfunctioning sewage systems, sewage overflows that can leach into wells. Contaminated storm water and agricultural run-off is another source of Giardia Intestinalis in drinking water. The parasite has a protective shell which allows it to live outside of the body for long periods of time even for weeks in cold water. Well defects can allow pathogens such as the giardiasis parasite into your well. So the well cap and well should be inspected for broken casings, construction weakness or any other defects that would allow contaminated or unfiltered water into the well. Coliform is a common soil bacteria used as an indicator that the integrity of a well may be compromised allowing pathways for dangerous pathogens to enter. Wells should be tested on a regular basis for coliform bacteria to indicate if there are entry pathways for pathogens to get into the well.

There are no laboratories in Maine or New Hampshire that test for Giardia. For more information or to find a laboratory click here.
Algae Blooms
Algae are microscopic plants that are found in waterways. An algal bloom occurs when there is an excess of nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, from sources such as lawns and farmland. These nutrients can build up at a rate that overfeeds the algae that exist normally in the environment. High concentrations of these nutrients cause increased growth of algae and green plants. As more algae and plants grow, others die off from lack of oxygen creating even more nutrients; this causes the water to become murky and creates an unpleasant odor.


Many algal blooms contain cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria can produce harmful toxins know as cyanotoxins. Health impacts from cyanotoxins in drinking water may include fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, blisters, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, allergic reactions, liver inflammation and hemorrhage, acute pneumonia, acute dermatitis, kidney damage, and potential tumor growth promotion. Swimming or recreating in waters with harmful algal blooms may lead to allergic reactions, including irritated eyes, ears and throat, gastrointestinal distress, and rashes and skin lesions. 

Groundwater wells do not typically contain cyanotoxins. However, there could be exceptions if your well is directly affected by surface water. If your well or spring is located within 100 feet to a lake, pond or stream, your well or spring may be under the direct influence of those bodies of water and susceptible to contamination. If you suspect an algae bloom is present switch to bottled water until the bloom has been treated or the conditions are no longer favorable to support the growth of the algae bloom.

Copper sulfate has been used extensively to control algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs in the United States and is still considered to be the algicide of choice for control of most nuisance algal blooms. The copper sulfate dosage required for effective treatment of a reservoir is shown to depend on water chemistry and the copper sensitivity of algae species. ALUM (aluminum sulfate) is a nontoxic material also commonly used in water treatment plants to clarify drinking water. In lakes alum is used to reduce the amount of the nutrient phosphorus in the water, helping to prevent algae blooms. Treatment for more harmful toxic algae blooms are difficult to manage in treatment plants, and the most efficient way to address the problem is by controlling the organisms that produce the toxins and nuisance compounds in source water.
New PFAS Regulations for New Hampshire
PFAS are chemical compounds found in products we are all familiar with such as stain and water-resistant fabrics, non-stick cookware, food packaging and even shampoos. In towns across the granite state there have been problems with these compounds contaminating drinking water sources and private wells. PFAS do not break down easily and although health effects are still being studied, they point to things such as increased risk of cancer, pregnancy complications and problems with growth and development in children and infants. 

Up until now, the EPA and State Advisory level for two of the most studied PFA substances: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), has been 70 parts per trillion (PPT). It has been found through federal research that there are still human health risks with these standards. Petitions began to circle for NH law makers to bring the limits down to a safer level.

On July 18th, 2019 state legislature’s administrative rules committee approved the NH Department of Environmental Services’ proposal for new MCLs for the four substances, bringing the limits down to 18ppt for PFHxS, 11ppt for PFNA, 15ppt for PFOS and 12ppt for PFOAS. These rulings were decided based on the “most recent and best science available” and would be the new standards that public water systems will need to comply with. If passed, these new standards will be amongst the strictest in the country. More information regarding the implementation of these rules for public water systems is expected in the coming weeks. .

Private well owners are not required to test for PFAS and are not under the compliance regulations that public water systems will face. If a resident is concerned about PFAS in their area, it is recommended to test. If a homeowner’s well is contaminated with PFAS, the companies responsible for contamination are supposed to be helping with filtration systems or an alternate water source such as hooking them up to a public water system. There are currently lawsuits pending against the large companies that are responsible for the contamination.

The new regulations for PFAS are a work in progress, new and changing information is coming in all of the time. We at Granite State Analytical will continue to stay up to date on the topic and will provide our customers with the final ruling once it becomes available.  
Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Maine
Five miles off the coast of Cape Elizabeth, a vessel sunken 300feet below the surface was confirmed by dive researchers to be the USS Eagle PE-56. While according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) there are 700 known shipwrecks that have been discovered in the Gulf of Maine, there is one thing that is quite remarkable about the Eagle PE-56: it is one of the last WWII US Navy Battleships that was sunk before the conclusion of the war.
 
The boat was sunk on April 23rd of 1945 while it was towing bombing targets for Brunswick Naval Air Station pilots. Initially, the boat was thought to have sunk because of a boiler explosion, but the research team that discovered the ship now concludes that it was sunk by a German U-Boat that is a diving attraction sunk 130 feet below the coast of New London Connecticut. There were only 13 surviving sailors of the 62 on board ship.

The research team will be explaining their findings and showing exclusive video footage of the underwater Eagle PE-56 on the Smithsonian’s TV channel in a new documentary titled “Hunt for Eagle 56.”

This discovery and the researchers’ conclusions might just prompt other research divers to investigate the history of other shipwrecks in the Gulf of Maine. Who knows, perhaps colonial treasures, rare artifacts, or some other connections to worldwide events lie just beneath the ocean’s surface! 
NEWS THROUGHOUT OUR INDUSTRY
A & L Laboratory
Granite State Analytical www.granitestateanlaytical.com