[A]LBANY, N.Y. — The New York Department of Health said Tuesday it has enlisted the support of five states, including Vermont, in its request to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to launch a national health effects study of communities impacted by perfluoroalkyl substances like PFOA and PFOS.
The letter, sent last week, calls upon the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to move quickly to build upon states’ own data collection by launching a longitudinal study of health outcomes in communities affected by PFAS from legacy industrial sources and from firefighting foams used by the military and others.
The other states signing on are Alaska, Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
In New York, according to a media release, the Health Department has collected PFAS blood levels from affected communities throughout the state. The department also has collected an extensive amount of public water system and private well testing data in each of the communities. Vermont has also collected significant data on wells and residents’ blood levels.
In a longitudinal study, these combined data could be used by the CDC as it collects future health information to study the relationship between health effects and varying levels of PFAS exposure.
“As communities across the nation are impacted by PFAS contamination, we have asked our federal partners to join us in our efforts to develop a better understanding of the clear association between long-term exposure and certain health effects,” said New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “To date, New York has conducted PFAS blood testing for more than 6,000 individuals, tested more than 1,600 private well samples, and collected more than 1,700 community health surveys from individuals.”
He added, “This multistate request to the federal government … is the next step in our aggressive response to industrial water contamination and its impact on communities across the state.”
The request follows a recently released draft document from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry on the feasibility of epidemiological studies at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The document outlines an approach for appropriate follow-up health studies for children and adults, but acknowledges the challenges of conducting these studies in communities with small populations.
A national study, with access to information already gathered in multiple communities, is expected to help develop a greater understanding of the potential health impacts of PFAS exposure.
The New York Health Department said it has also launched an online survey tool for residents of communities in that state affected by PFOA/PFOS, in hopes of gathering information about the potential health impacts of exposure.
According to a news release, more than 1,700 current and former residents of the Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh area have already completed a community survey. It asks questions about where and when they lived in the area, their occupations, and any health conditions they have.
The department is encouraging current and former residents of PFAS-impacted communities across New York to complete this survey.
A survey of residents in Bennington, Vermont, in addition to nearby areas of New York, was also announced Tuesday in Albany.
