Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Park Ridge, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Park Ridge, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Park Ridge, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
WOOD-RIDGE, NJ - Park Ridge defeated Wood-Ridge, 38-0, in a NJIC Patriot Division game Friday evening at Donna Ricker Memorial Field. With the loss, the Blue Devils fall to 1-2 on the year. Park Ridge improved to 2-0 on the year with the win.Park Ridge quarterback Cole Hughes rushed 21 times for 136 yards (6.48 yards per carry), 1 lost fumble, and 3 touchdowns. Hughes did not record an attempted pass in this game.The Owls got on the board to cap off a six-minute drive in the first quarter as Hughes ran it in from four yards out...
WOOD-RIDGE, NJ - Park Ridge defeated Wood-Ridge, 38-0, in a NJIC Patriot Division game Friday evening at Donna Ricker Memorial Field. With the loss, the Blue Devils fall to 1-2 on the year. Park Ridge improved to 2-0 on the year with the win.
Park Ridge quarterback Cole Hughes rushed 21 times for 136 yards (6.48 yards per carry), 1 lost fumble, and 3 touchdowns. Hughes did not record an attempted pass in this game.
The Owls got on the board to cap off a six-minute drive in the first quarter as Hughes ran it in from four yards out. A two-point conversion was stopped by the Wood-Ridge line, as Deron McLaughlin’s run from the fullback position was halted shy of the goal line. The score was 6-0 at 3:07 remaining in the opening quarter.
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McLaughlin made up for it on the ensuing drive, sacking Wood-Ridge quarterback Jimmy Masucci to force a turnover on downs.
The Owls capitalized, taking possession at the opponent’s 47-yard line, going up 12-0 to start the second quarter with Hughes’s second rushing touchdown on the day from three yards out. Kicker Charles O’Donovan did not convert the extra point.
The Park Ridge defense forced yet another turnover on downs on the following drive, on just four plays, stopping a fake punt attempt.
Taking over from the opponent’s 34, the Owls scored again on a 13-yard jet sweep to Michael Montgomery. Hughes’s quarterback draw on the two-point conversion attempt was stopped to keep the score at 18-0 with 5:28 in the half.
After punting, the Blue Devils got the ball back as freshman Melvin Zabaleta forced and recovered Hughes’s fumble.
The Blue Devils attempted to get on the board at the end of the half following the fumble, but Kledji Elezaj’s 31-yard field goal attempt came up short of the crossbar.
Park Ridge opened the half with a 26-yard touchdown run from running back Leul Cetoute. O’Donovan’s extra point was missed again, keeping the score at 24-0 with 9:22 in the third quarter.
McLaughlin made another defensive stand, blocking Elezaj’s punt to once again give Park Ridge great starting field position in enemy territory at the 44.
Hughes would score for a third time on the day, this time running into the end zone untouched from the one-yard line. O’Donovan’s third extra point attempt was successful as the Owls extended the lead to 31-0.
Following another turnover on downs by Wood-Ridge, Luke Macfie (who had 17 carries for 147 yards) burst off right tackle for a 48-yard touchdown run. With the extra point, the Owls would win with a final score of 38-0.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
Park Ridge (2-0) | 6 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 38 |
Wood-Ridge (1-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First Quarter | |||||
PR: Cole Hughes- 4 yd run (run failed | |||||
Second Quarter | |||||
PR: Hughes 3 run (kick failed) | |||||
PR: Michael Montgomery 13 run (run failed) | |||||
Third Quarter | |||||
PR: Leul Cetoute 27 yr run (run failed) | |||||
PR: Hughes 1 run (Charles O'Donovan kick) | |||||
Fourth Quarter | |||||
PR: Luke Macfie 43 run (O'Donovan kick) |
PARK RIDGE — Close games were a bugaboo for Boonton last season, partly due to erratic foul shooting.The 2023 Bombers will be remembered as North 1, Group 1 girls basketball champions because they made their free throws in crunch time.No. 5 seed Boonton topped No. 3 Park Ridge on Tuesday, 41-35, going 7-for-8 at the line in the final two minutes to earn its first sectional title since 1990.“Last year, we lost five games by five points or less, or we would have had like 21 wins,” said Mich...
PARK RIDGE — Close games were a bugaboo for Boonton last season, partly due to erratic foul shooting.
The 2023 Bombers will be remembered as North 1, Group 1 girls basketball champions because they made their free throws in crunch time.
No. 5 seed Boonton topped No. 3 Park Ridge on Tuesday, 41-35, going 7-for-8 at the line in the final two minutes to earn its first sectional title since 1990.
“Last year, we lost five games by five points or less, or we would have had like 21 wins,” said Michael Carlin, coach of the now 23-5 Bombers. “We really worked on our foul shooting this year, and it’s made a difference down the stretch.”
Senior Ariana Jackson-Wach put Boonton ahead to stay by hitting both ends of a 1-and-1 with 2:05 to play, which broke a 32-all tie. Jaden Visioli and Jackie Cifelli followed suit with less than a minute remaining.
“It was definitely very nerve-wracking,” Cifelli said. “You just have to block everybody out and focus on what you need to do, and then follow through.”
Boonton advanced to Thursday’s NJSIAA Group 1 semifinal at Ramapo High School, where it will face North 2 champ University (Newark) at 7 p.m.
According to Daily Record archives, the Bombers’ 1990 team went all they way to the state final after winning North 2, Group 2 and finished 30-1. The current squad has posted back-to-back winning seasons, something the program has done only one other time in the 2000s.
“I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of these kids,” Carlin said. “We were 4-24 the year before I took over. … so, where we are now, it is incredible.”
Playing in its third North 1, Group 1 final since 2009, Park Ridge (17-14) remains in search of its first sectional crown.
The Owls held a 25-19 lead at the half after spreading around the ball effectively. Then, to start the third quarter, the Bombers hit three consecutive three-pointers – two by leading scorer Amanda Tuhoy – in a three-minute span to move ahead.
From that point on, Park Ridge managed just four field goals, all from top scorer Allie Shenloogian. No other Owl tallied a point in the second half.
“Our two best defenders, Ari [Jackson-Wach] and Sierra [Medina], they really stepped up,” Tuohy said. “Ari’s been battling an ankle injury since the first sectional game, but for her to come back and be able to stop the other team’s best player [Shenloogian], we really need her for that.”
? Tuohy netted 12 of her 17 points in the second half and added 14 rebounds and 3 assists. “I told Amanda, she was playing a little timid in the first half,” Carlin said. “We told her at halftime, ‘Go to the basket, play aggressive’.”
? Visioli chipped in 8 points and 4 assists.
? Shenloogian logged 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals, while freshman Annika Kivisikk led Park Ridge with 11 rebounds.
“We’ve been building up to this for four years. … All of the seniors, I’ve been playing with them since third grade, so we were building chemistry over the years.” — Tuohy
“We’re not one person. You look at our stats, it’s five girls – and we’ve had games this year where Amaya [Campbell]’s stepped up and been our scorer, Jaden’s stepped up and been our scorer. Amanda is always there, but teams figure it out. And when they go after her, the other girls step up and do their job.” — Carlin
By TAPinto Hasbrouck Heights/Wood-Ridge/Teterboro StaffHASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – Park Ridge defeated Hasbrouck Heights, 2-0, in a NJIC Independent Girl Volleyball game Thursday afternoon in the New Gym in Hasbrouck Heights It was the opening match of the regular season for both teams.Park Ridge won the first game 25-12, and finished off the Lady Aviators with a 25-18 victory in the second game.Priscella Escamilia had seven assists and four service points for the Aviators, including one ace. Vienna S...
By TAPinto Hasbrouck Heights/Wood-Ridge/Teterboro Staff
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ – Park Ridge defeated Hasbrouck Heights, 2-0, in a NJIC Independent Girl Volleyball game Thursday afternoon in the New Gym in Hasbrouck Heights It was the opening match of the regular season for both teams.
Park Ridge won the first game 25-12, and finished off the Lady Aviators with a 25-18 victory in the second game.
Priscella Escamilia had seven assists and four service points for the Aviators, including one ace. Vienna Skye Dates and Daniella LeConte each had five digs for Hasbrouck Heights, while Mackenzie Riordan and Samantha Russo each had three kills.
Park Ridge was led by Mia Izzo, who had 12 service points, including four aces, eight kills, six blocks and four digs.
Park Ridge (1-0) | 25 | 25 | 2 | |||
Hasbrouck Heights (0-1) | 12 | 18 | 0 | |||
Park Ridge | ||||||
Player | Kills | Blocks | Digs | Assists | Service Points | Aces |
Hailey Moran | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sydney Majdosz | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Kayla Hunt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Mia Izzo | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
Izzy Yarenis | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ella McDermott | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Katelyn Levinson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
Totals: | 16 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 8 |
Hasbrouck Heights | ||||||
Player | Kills | Blocks | Digs | Assists | Service Points | Aces |
Priscilla Escamilla | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
Anna Lisse Vasquez | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Samantha Russo | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Daniella LeConte | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mackenzie Riordan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Lauren Fausette | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Vienna Skye Dates | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals: | 7 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
Federal funds announced by a local congressman have helped Mahwah, Fair Lawn and now Park Ridge enhance removal of PFAS from drinking water.Patch Staff|Updated Sat, May 20, 2023 at 7:34 am ETThe investment, announced last Friday by Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), will help improve water infrastructure serving more than 5,000 residents in Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake; this is part of the lawmaker's broader plan, he said, to help Fifth District communities have clean water access."For years now, I've bee...
Patch Staff
|Updated Sat, May 20, 2023 at 7:34 am ET
The investment, announced last Friday by Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), will help improve water infrastructure serving more than 5,000 residents in Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake; this is part of the lawmaker's broader plan, he said, to help Fifth District communities have clean water access.
"For years now, I've been sounding the alarm on the threat of contaminated drinking water to the health and safety of our families...," Gottheimer said. "...I believe that every child — every family — deserves to drink water that's free of lead and dangerous chemicals...".
Park Ridge will get three "problematic" wells replaced through this investment, which will, in effect, "make life more affordable," because water rates will be stabilized and a "burden" will be taken off of the borough's budget, Gottheimer said.
"This is a historic day for Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake, and the culmination of two years of hard work by (the congressman and local officials)," Mayor Keith Misciagna said at Friday's conference.
Misciagna said he reached out to Gottheimer when the state and federal government issued new regulations to get PFAS out of the drinking water, and that he had asked the Fifth District representative to help the town with this costly problem.
In implementing the new water system standards, Park Ridge took three wells offline in 2021 due to "increased levels" of PFAS, and was able to put two back online with $2.2 million in bonds funded by local taxpayers, officials said.
With this new federal investment, Park Ridge Water — the utility serving Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake — will install a filtration system to replace a temporary treatment center provided through the bond, and will get all three wells replaced, officials said.
Gottheimer said this investment also builds upon his "Clean Water Action Plan," which he has referenced in his recent announcements of federal dollars to Mahwah, Fair Lawn and others, to help those towns improve water treatment capabilities as well.
To wit, in January, the lawmaker announced a $800,000 federal investment to Mahwah for a new filtration system that would enable the town to turn a large well back on, and $3.4 million to Fair Lawn to help the borough bring its wells back online, Patch reported.
Gottheimer has now turned to Park Ridge Water, which operates 100-year-old wells that, he said, need updating to new water safety standards (specifically for PFAS — which are linked to numerous health risks).
"As a small, independent water company... to clean the water would have been very difficult for us to sustain (financially)," Mayor Misciagna said.
"You've been saying that you're clawing back federal dollars for New Jersey's Fifth District," he said to Gottheimer. "Here's proof."
Far more “forever chemicals” are present in New Jersey drinking water systems than are currently regulated by the state and some utilities would not meet new health standards the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed for them, according to new federal data.In mid-August, the EPA released the first tranche of results from a new round of national testing for the toxic chemicals in water systems. I...
Far more “forever chemicals” are present in New Jersey drinking water systems than are currently regulated by the state and some utilities would not meet new health standards the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed for them, according to new federal data.
In mid-August, the EPA released the first tranche of results from a new round of national testing for the toxic chemicals in water systems. In New Jersey, it found 28 utilities detected some of the 29 chemicals that EPA was testing for, some at levels that would not comply with rigorous new federal health limits if they are finalized.
Although the utilities mostly met the state’s health-based requirements for two of the PFAS chemicals — PFOA and PFOS — they would have exceeded much stricter levels proposed by the EPA for those chemicals, which are among the most common and well-studied of the PFAS class.
At Park Ridge Water Department, for example, EPA testing this spring found PFOA at 9.8 parts per trillion (ppt) in one system. Although that complies with New Jersey’s limit of 14 ppt, it would not meet the proposed federal requirement of 4 ppt if that is adopted, as expected, later this year or early in 2024.
At New Jersey American Water, the state’s biggest investor-owned water company, the EPA found PFOS at 6.3 ppt in the company’s Washington-Oxford system, well within the state standard of 13 ppt but outside the 4 ppt level that the EPA plans to require.
And in one system operated by Ridgewood Water, a municipally owned utility, PFOA was found at 29.8 ppt, a level that exceeded both the state standard and the one proposed by the EPA.
Rich Calbi, director of operations at Ridgewood Water, declined to comment on the new data, but noted that the utility is trying to recoup the costs of complying with state PFAS regulations by suing PFAS manufacturers including 3M.
Commissioner Shawn LaTourette of the state Department of Environmental Protection warned in June that more than 70 public water systems do not meet New Jersey’s required health limits for the three state-regulated PFAS chemicals, and that number is likely to rise into the “hundreds” when the EPA finalizes its much stricter health limits on PFAS in drinking water.
In March, EPA published its plans to require a “maximum contaminant limit” on six PFAS chemicals including PFOA and PFOS. The action addressed a long-standing lack of PFAS regulation at the federal level, which led New Jersey and some other states to protect public health by setting their own standards. Those levels are now expected to be superseded by the EPA rules, whenever they become effective.
The new requirements would mean utilities would have to install a higher standard of filtration on their water supplies, resulting in higher costs that could be passed on to ratepayers.
PFAS, synthetic chemicals that are resistant to heat and stains, have been used in a wide range of products since the 1940s, including fire-fighting foam and non-stick cookware. They are linked with an array of serious health problems including some cancers, developmental issues in young children, reduced vaccine response and elevated cholesterol. They are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment, and accumulate in the human body. Scientists say the chemicals are present in the bloodstream of virtually every American.
The new requirements would mean utilities would have to install a higher standard of filtration on their water supplies, resulting in higher costs that could be passed on to ratepayers.
New Jersey American Water said it is studying how it would comply with the new federal standards. “As we examine our facilities against the EPA’s proposed national standards for PFAS, we are analyzing where investments will need to be made, in both our ground water and surface water treatment plants,” the company said in a statement.
The new test results show both a broader and deeper assessment of PFAS contamination in New Jersey than has been undertaken by the DEP so far, said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the environmental nonprofit Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and a longtime campaigner for tighter public-health standards for PFAS.
By testing water systems for 29 PFAS chemicals, plus lithium, rather than just the three that New Jersey regulates, and by sampling to a much lower level than it did in earlier rounds, the EPA is looking harder at the problem, and is discovering new sources of contamination, Carluccio said.
“We can clearly see that New Jersey’s PFAS contamination problem is as big and even bigger than everyone has thought,” she said.
In addition to the well-known and increasingly regulated PFAS chemicals, the new testing also found other kinds of PFAS which may turn out to be just as toxic, Carluccio said.
“Just because we don’t have much information about a compound doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous,” she said. “Just look at the ones we do regulate — not long ago PFOA and PFOS were not considered dangerous either and now EPA is saying even a trace level of PFOA and PFOS in drinking water is too dangerous to tolerate.”
The new tests are part of the fifth round of a federal process called the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR), which aims to test water systems of all sizes over the next three years. So far, it has only tested 7% of the total. In a sign of how much more rigorous current testing is than previous rounds, samples are sought at one-fifth of the detection level used previously.
But in its own PFAS testing, New Jersey has also used a low detection limit, and in 2016 found PFOA in more than 10% of public water systems, or some five times higher than the 1.9% rate seen nationally.
‘To protect people from these highly toxic compounds, water suppliers should voluntarily install treatment technologies or replace water supplies if there is any trace of PFAS in the tap water they deliver.’ — Tracy Carluccio, Delaware Riverkeeper Network
DEP spokesman Larry Hajna said it’s not helpful to compare state and federal testing because the EPA regime tests for many more chemicals.
“The purpose of UCMR5 is to provide EPA and other interested parties with data on the occurrence of these chemicals to improve EPA’s understanding of the frequency of their occurrence in the nation’s drinking water and at what levels,” Hajna said. “It is much too early to draw any conclusions or attempt to make any comparisons.”
In early August, the DEP’s PFAS regulations were strongly defended by the state’s Superior Court, which rejected a claim by the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and other business groups that the agency had been “arbitrary and capricious” in regulating the chemicals.
Meanwhile, Carluccio predicted the DEP would respond to the expected new federal standards by lowering its current maximum contaminant limits on the three regulated compounds, and perhaps by regulating more of them.
In advance of any change in state or federal regulations, water companies should voluntarily ensure their water is PFAS-free, she said.
“To protect people from these highly toxic compounds, water suppliers should voluntarily install treatment technologies or replace water supplies if there is any trace of PFAS in the tap water they deliver,” Carluccio said. “This will protect public health and also be a sound investment by water suppliers because the requirement for compete removal is going to come.”
DELAWARE RIVERKEEPER NETWORK DEP EPA NEW JERSEY AMERICAN WATER PARK RIDGE WATER DEPARTMENT PFAS CHEMICALS PFOA PFOS PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS RIDGEWOOD WATER SHAWN LATOURETTE TRACY CARLUCCIO WATER UTILITIES