St Peter residents to find out action taken on contaminated water

Environment experts will meet St Peter residents tonight to discuss how traces of a toxic chemical was found in a borehole used for drinking water.

PFOS (perfluorooctane sulphonate) pollutant was found near Jersey Airport in December.

The substance is an organic pollutant which is found in carpet and clothing treatments and fire-fighting foams.

It was banned throughout the European Union in 2008 due to fears that it can cause cancer.

The traces, which were discovered at the end of last year, were many times lower than the maximum concentration deemed safe by the World Health Organisation, the EU and the UK Drinking Water Inspectorate (UKDWI).

Despite this, Jersey's Environmental Health department is seeking to identify the source of the contamination

The department issued letters to 50 homes in February telling residents that it was okay to drink their tap water with the amount of PFOS found in the supply being less than a hundredth of the maximum limit.

The Minister for the Environment, Deputy John Young has said he will receive an interim report by the end of April with the latest findings as well as recommendations on what action to take next.