WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 8, 2019 -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention selected eight communities for a study of PFAS exposure from military bases.
While not a health study, the goal of the assessment is "to provide information to communities about levels of PFAS in their bodies," according to the CDC.
Information gathered will also be used to help inform future studies evaluating the impact of PFAS exposure on human health, the CDC said.
People in each of these communities will be randomly selected to participate in these exposure assessments:
- Berkeley County, West Virginia (Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base)
- El Paso County, Colorado (Peterson Air Force Base)
- Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska (Eielson Air Force Base)
- Hampden County, Massachusetts (Barnes Air National Guard Base)
- Lubbock County, Texas (Reese Technology Center)
- Orange County, New York (Stewart Air National Guard Base)
- New Castle County, Delaware (New Castle Air National Guard Base)
- Spokane County, Washington (Fairchild Air Force Base)
Funding for the $10 million study came from a Defense Department spending bill last year.
The exposure assessments, which will begin this year and continue through 2020, are the first step in a two-part evaluation. The next phase will look for connections between exposure to PFAS and health problems.
