Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are manmade chemicals used in industry and consumer products, such as nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, and stain-resistant fabrics. Studies have shown that exposure to PFAS can—among other things—affect growth, learning, and behavior of infants and children; reduce a woman’s chance of getting pregnant; affect the immune system; and increase the risk of cancer.
The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act allowed the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to look at PFAS exposure in communities near current or former military bases that are known to have had PFAS in the drinking water. In a pilot study, researchers conducted assessments in Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania (near Horsham Air Guard Station and former Naval Air Warfare Center), and in Westhampton, New York (near Gabreski Air National Guard Base).
Now, CDC/ATSDR have expanded the assessments to 8 other communities:
- Berkeley County (WV) near Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base
- El Paso County (CO) near Peterson Air Force Base
- Fairbanks North Star Borough (AK) near Eielson Air Force Base
- Hampden County (MA) near Barnes Air National Guard Base
- Lubbock County (TX) near Reese Technology Center
- Orange County (NY) near Stewart Air National Guard Base
- New Castle County (DE) near New Castle Air National Guard Base
- Spokane County (WA) near Fairchild Air Force Base
The researchers will randomly select people in each community to participate by having their PFAS levels checked in blood and urine samples. The sampling results will provide researchers and public health professionals with information about community-level exposure but also be used to help communities understand the level of risk and how to reduce PFAS exposure.
The assessments, expected to begin this year and continue through 2020, will also “lay the groundwork,” the CDC says, for a multisite health study that will examine the relationship between PFAS exposure and health outcomes.
For more information about PFAS and the Exposure Assessment, visit https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html.