Transcript of Interview with Jeff Wills of Roux Associates Inc. – Environmental Consulting and Management

Transcript of Interview with Jeff Wills of Roux Associates Inc. – Environmental Consulting and Management

00:00 Jessica Wertling: Can you please tell me your name?

00:01 Jeff Wills: My name is Jeff Wills.

00:03 Wertling: Can you tell me the name of your company and what you do there?

00:05 Wills: Roux Associates. I am a staff geologist and I’m involved in groundwater and soil remediation, contamination.

00:12 Wertling: How dangerous is MTBE?

00:16 Wills: It’s hard to say, not many – there haven’t been that many studies. MTBE hasn’t been around long enough, really, to say if there are any long term health effects. But some studies have done with lab rats, saying that it’s a possible carcinogen, and there are possible acute symptoms such as nausea, headaches, kinda flu-like symptoms. But in terms of it being – posing a threat - a health threat, is really, it’s inconclusive right now.

00:50 Wertling: So, do you think it causes cancer, or…?

00:53 Wills: Do I? I can’t say, I haven’t –I personally haven’t run any studies to say that it does, but, I mean, it is, it’s ya know, an organic, ya know, volatile organic compound, it’s an oxidant, so…sure, I can see it absolutely in large doses causing health issues, definitely.

01:14 Wertling: Do you think Long Island drinking water, in general, is dangerous?

01:18 Wills: Actually, no, I don’t. I don’t think it is at all. There’s a big misconception, with drinking bottled water and tap water. Many people think that bottled water is a lot more healthier and safer for you than drinking your tap water and that’s completely false because your tap water is monitored and checked every day, a hundred times, they’re constantly checking, their constantly filtering it. Bottled water, there aren’t many restrictions on it, so it may be filtered, ya know, and cleaned out, but how much is being filtered out, what’s being filtered out and tested for? Ya know, so, personally, I feel the only issue with groundwater today, especially on Long Island, is dealing with chlorinated. If any time they’re going to have to chlorinate the water that should be filtered out, cause you don’t want to drink chlorine, over a long period of time will eventually cause cancer.

02:10 Wertling: So you think bottled water is more dangerous than tap water?

02:13 Wills: I think – I don’t – I’m not necessarily saying it’s more dangerous, but I think there’s a big misconception that people think it’s better for you than Long Island water. We have very good water here on Long Island and we have ya know, aquifer system – aquifer systems underneath Long Island, where we ya know, get our water from that are confined, that are clean; very, very clean water. Ya know, places like Manhattan where they get their water from the Catskills, it’s ya know, there are parts where it stops off and there are reservoirs where the water actually reaches the surface so they have to chlorinate it to kill any pathogens and bacteria that may, ya know, be come in contact with. But to say that bottled water and – it’s just – they’re – bottled water and – versus – tap water… I have – I would rather drink my tap water then spend money on buying bottled water – being in Long Island, that is.

03:05 Wertling: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

03:07 Wills: No, that’s it.