August 9, 2024 — It is “very unlikely” that any chemicals released from the Vineyard Wind blade collapse pose a significant risk to humans or animals, according to Wendy Heiger-Bernays, the chief researcher at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Research and Standards, who attended Wednesday’s Nantucket Select Board meeting along with other state and federal regulators.
That assertion was made as even more debris from Vineyard Wind’s damaged Haliade-X turbine blade may be headed toward the island soon as a result of tropical storm Debby rolling through the region.
Many of the potential risks of the debris are difficult to quantify, officials said, because of dilution in the water column and the emerging status of the relevant science.
“[The science] is in the very early stages so we don’t have a very good understanding of what those human health impacts could be,” Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Assistant Director and Shellfish Program Leader Chrissy Petitpas said. “Pretty much all of your shellfish has microplastics in it…so the challenge is going to be discerning what this additional risk may be.”
There are currently no public health standards or tolerance levels for many of the contaminants that have caused concern on the island, such as microplastics, and long-term monitoring of the fishery will be key, as fish and shellfish will continue to ingest more plastic as the fiberglass and styrofoam debris breaks down further.