CDC Announces Much Needed PFAS Study

Washington, DC -- Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) announced that it will study eight military bases and adjacent communities  where there was long-term exposures to harmful per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are in the bloodstream of an estimated 98% of Americans and exposure is linked to decreased effectiveness of childhood vaccines, liver and kidney damage, increased risk of thyroid disease, decreased fertility, pregnancy complications, lower birth weights, and cancer. These toxic chemicals are fueling a water contamination crisis in hundreds of communities across the country. As many as 110 million Americans could be drinking PFAS contaminated water.  

The military use of PFAS chemicals in fire fighting foams contaminated more than 125 military bases over the course of decades. The community studies will take place in:

• 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

“For decades military service members and their families living on bases across the country have been drinking contaminated water -- they deserve answers and action,” said Rob Vessels, Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors program.

The eight chosen communities sit near current or former military installations, with assessments expected to begin in 2019 and continue through 2020 to lay the groundwork for CDC/ATSDR’s upcoming study of the relationship between PFAS exposure and health outcomes.

“My community has been burdened with contaminated water for decades, and we are pleased that the federal government is finally responding to our demand to know the facts of what PFAS is doing to our families,” said Liz Rosenbaum of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition and Colorado resident living with PFAS contaminated water. “Like others in the community, my blood had particularly high levels of PFHxS, a PFAS chemical that is still widely used in fire fighting. My levels were 14-times higher than the average American, and some people’s exposures were much worse.”