The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Monday suspended testing of drinking water at the state laboratory, the latest twist in an expanding water-testing scandal that’s been going on for a year.
The scandal involves at least two chemists accused of cutting corners and falsifying data on quality-assurance tests — essentially practice tests run to make sure their machines are working correctly. The state says it has no evidence that public health was threatened through falsified data on tests of actual water samples sent into the lab for analysis.
“At no time did we find levels that we knew would pose an immediate threat to public health,” Dr. Ned Calonge, CDPHE’s chief medical officer, said in an interview.
While testing is suspended at the state lab, CDPHE has transferred testing duties to third-party labs that are certified by the federal government.
Here’s what else we know so far about the testing scandal.
What kind of tests are we talking about?
These are tests conducted on drinking water to look for harmful levels of various things like metals or toxins. The water samples could be submitted by a community or municipal water provider or they could be sent in by individuals whose drinking water comes from a well.
The specific test at issue is known as Method 200.7. It looks for metals like barium, chromium and copper. Calonge said this is not the test the state uses to look for lead.
To conduct the test, a lab chemist runs a water sample through a machine, which spits out a result. The result is then compared to federal water quality standards to see if it exceeds allowed limits.
What are the allegations?
These machines must be tested every so often to be sure they’re working right — otherwise, the chemist would have no way of knowing if the results they are getting are accurate.
To test the machines, the chemists use a reference sample with a known amount in it of whatever they’re looking for. This same sample can also be used to calibrate the machines.
For the test in question, this quality check is supposed to occur every 10 tests, Calonge said.
The allegations are that at least two chemists cut corners by not running the quality-control tests correctly on the machine used for Method 200.7. At least one chemist is accused of not inputting the actual value produced during the quality-control test into the state’s system, but rather cutting and pasting in a value from a previous test.
Why doesn’t the machine automatically record the test result in the state system?
Because it’s old.
Calonge said the state lab is a mix of old and new machines. The newer machines directly deliver results electronically into the state’s system. Some of the older machines do not.
“So you have to take the data directly from the machine and enter it into a different machine,” Calonge said.
That extra step provided an opportunity for the alleged data manipulation to occur.
Despite not being cutting-edge, Calonge said the machine would have met federal testing standards had the quality-control tests been run as required.
Were actual water tests affected?
The state is sending samples to outside labs to double-check. But Calonge said there’s no indication so far that people were at risk of drinking toxic water.
“We continue to have no evidence of values that would pose an imminent public health threat to people drinking that water,” he said.
How widespread is the problem?
Calonge said there are about 2,400 water providers in Colorado, and the state lab conducted testing for a minority of systems. Some larger water systems, like Denver Water, conduct their own testing. Others use third-party labs.
Of those tested at the state lab, Calonge said 69 systems were potentially affected by the quality-assurance issue, and all are smaller municipalities or water suppliers.
“The impact was really in those 69,” he said.
Of those systems, the state has determined that 24 required retesting.
The state has notified those systems. They have also notified well-users who may have been affected, and have sent well samples to another lab for a re-check.
When did the state know about this?
This started last December when a manager in the water chemistry unit of the state lab spotted concerns with the work of one chemist, Calonge said. This manager alerted a supervisor.
In February, after no action had been taken, the manager took the issue to the lab director, who notified CDPHE executive director Jill Hunsaker Ryan, who launched an investigation. The chemist whose work was questioned was placed on administrative leave, Calonge said.
The investigation continued until April, when CDPHE informed officials with the Environmental Protection Agency, Calonge said. The EPA certifies water-testing labs.
In May, the EPA revoked the state’s certification to do that Method 200.7 test, as well as other tests that the chemist had worked on, such as testing for nitrates or pesticides.
This week, CDPHE uncovered problems with the quality-assurance work of a second chemist. After finding that, the agency made the decision to suspend water testing in the chemistry unit of the state lab while it continues to investigate.
Are other parts of the lab affected?
CDPHE’s lab is divided into six units, working in everything from water quality to disease surveillance to food safety. Calonge said there is no indication so far there are problems with other units within the lab.
“We believe that this issue is isolated in the water chemistry unit,” he said.
Is this related to the allegations about DNA testing in criminal court cases?
No. That is separate and involves a separate lab — the state crime lab, which is run by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Is it related to the allegedly falsified data on toxic substances from oil and gas wells?
No. That data was allegedly submitted to the state by consultants hired by energy companies.
So Colorado has three, simultaneous, ongoing scandals related to data manipulation and lab testing?
Yes, that is correct.
Why would someone do this?
Calonge said the state has not determined a motive for the alleged data manipulation on the water tests. He said it’s possible short-cutting would be done to save time and hassle in doing the quality-assurance work correctly, but that’s speculation.
“The motivation we can only conjecture on,” he said.
What happened to the chemists involved in this issue?
The first chemist whose work was questioned has now retired. The second chemist whose work was flagged this week has been placed on leave.
What is the state doing now?
Calonge said CDPHE is continuing to investigate by diving deeper into previous test results.
“Now we’re at the point where we’re going through something like 550,000 lines of data looking for irregularities in the control values,” he said.
For tests that are EPA certified, like the Method 200.7 test, CDPHE has begun outsourcing that work to commercial, federally accredited labs. Some tests that aren’t EPA-certified have been shifted to other units in the lab. Meanwhile, CDPHE is talking with the EPA about how to get its water-testing program back online.
“We have to fix this,” Calonge said. “One of the biggest things it impacted was trust in the state laboratory. It was an important and critical lapse in our water quality assurance system.”