Should Cambridge be freaking out over PFAS?

Also: The big debate in the Mass. AG race; meet the 4 finalists for Mass.' next higher ed commissioner [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 30, 2022 ☀️ Mostly sunny and muggy, with a high near 90 Good Morning Boston, Not to jinx it, but we've made it almost all the way through August without any major box truck incidents on Storrow Drive (despite [at least one close call](. Unfortunately, the same [can't be said for Logan Airport](. Remember: [pay attention to the signs](. To the news: - Cambridge is [switching to a different drinking water source beginning today through the rest of the year]( after finding elevated levels of PFAS chemicals in its municipal water supply. Exposure to the high amounts of these ["forever chemicals"]( have been linked to cancer, high cholesterol and poor fetal growth. So, how concerned should the nearly 120,000 residents of Cambridge be? The message from officials has been mixed. - The move to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority system comes after a sample earlier this month found the combined levels of six PFAS chemicals in the city's public water supply to be 21.6 nanograms per liter, or parts per trillion (ppt). That's just above the state's limit of 20 ppt, which [has been described]( as "equivalent of about 20 grains of sand in an Olympic-size swimming pool." It's also a fraction of the levels found in [more alarming contamination cases like Westminster]( and [many other rural towns' groundwater](. - Cambridge city spokesman Lee Gianetti is cautioning against a freakout, saying "there is no reason for concern or special steps residents need to take." He noted that it's just one sample and that the state's [relatively strict]( standard is based on a three-month average. (They're also resampling the water over quality control questions.) - The city's water department director, Sam Corda, said they plan to switch back to its own municipal water supply after installing an upgraded filter to keep PFAS levels in the city water consistently low. - Not everyone is on board. City Councilor Quinton Zondervan says Cambridge "should never switch back" from MWRA water. In [a series of tweets Monday]( he argued that Cambridge's water will never be able to match MWRA's quality and that the $2 million monthly cost to tap into the state system could be offset by switching off their own supply. Plus, Zondervan thinks the city's reservoir, Fresh Pond, "would make a great recreation center." - Zoom out: There are no enforced federal PFAS standards, but the EPA [recently released guidance]( that the two most common chemicals — PFOA and PFOS — can pose health risks, even at near-trace levels. And testing over the past [two]( [years]( has shown Cambridge's water has higher levels of PFOA and PFOS than the [MWRA](. - We'll soon know who will be the next person in charge of overseeing Massachusetts' colleges and universities. The state's Board of Higher Education is slated to vote on who will replace [retiring Commissioner Carlos Santiago]( during a special meeting this morning. - We got to know the four final candidates during [interview sessions last week](. Here are the highlights, [via State House News Service]( - Noe Ortega, the former Pennsylvania education secretary, highlighted his work opening satellite college campuses as an official in Texas and expressed concern about people increasingly questioning the value of a college degree. - Marty Alvarado, a California community college administrator, called for "disruptive change" and said she wants to break down the "false dichotomy” between liberal arts and technical courses. - Mary Churchill, a dean at Boston University’s Wheelock College, called for more collaboration among community colleges, state universities and the UMass system, as well as more partnerships between schools and employers. - Lane Glenn, the president of Northern Essex Community College, called out the state's Hispanic-white college attainment gap and suggested there should be more public funding for community colleges. - PSA: Nighttime drivers on the Tobin Bridge are going to finish the year feeling a bit squeezed. Last night kicked off the first of what officials say will be roughly three months of right-lane closures on the bridge's upper southbound deck, each Monday through Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. - The other two lanes of traffic will remain open during the closure. P.S.— If you, like me, had the [viral TikTok "corn kid" song]( stuck in your head the past several days, here are [three recipes from Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst]( to make the best of peak corn season. If you weren't aware of the corn kid song until now, you're welcome — and I'm sorry. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Mass. AG candidates battle over fundraising in Democratic primary]( The three Democrats running for attorney general in Massachusetts are all taking shots at each other. But instead of debating public policy, they’re fighting over something more basic: Money. Specifically, how they’re funding their campaigns. [Read more.]( [Mass. 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[Read more.]( [Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the triumphant return of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at Tanglewood]( After a two-year hiatus of this epic fan favorite, the BSO and Tanglewood Festival Chorus closed out the summer season with a one-hour performance that was met with multiple standing ovations. [Read more.]( Before you go: Hard to beat [this commute](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.