PFAS Exposure Assessment Finds and Follow-up Environmental Sampling
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The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) conducted eight exposure assessments (EAs) in communities near military installations that have documented exposures to PFAS in drinking water. In all cases, exposure to PFAS in drinking water was mitigated prior to initiation of the biomonitoring efforts. These EAs built upon two pilot investigations conducted by state health departments. In total, EAs were conducted in ten communities, including sites in MA, WV, DE, WA, TX, AK, CO, PA and NY (2 sites), to determine the distribution of PFAS serum concentrations in communities with recent or past exposure to PFAS in drinking water. A random sampling approach was conducted, where appropriate, to allow the results of the EAs to be generalizable. PFAS were measured in urine samples from a subset of participants and in indoor dust and tap water from a subset of participating households at all eight EA sites and one of the pilot sites.
The following PFAS were present in serum above the national average (2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), after adjusting for the age of participants in each community:
· PFHxS (10 communities)
· PFOS (8 communities)
· PFOA (7 communities)
Relationships between historical concentrations of PFAS in drinking water at the sites and serum PFAS concentrations will be presented and evaluated based on age, sex, residency duration, historical drinking water PFAS levels, and use of filtration. Overall, higher PFAS serum levels were found in participants that were older, male, had lived in the community for a longer period of time and had higher PFAS levels in their water source. Lower PFAS levels were associated with participants who used filtration devices or reported not drinking tap water. This presentation will include associations for the combined data set and differences observed among the sites.
Following completion of the EAs, ATSDR teamed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete sampling and analysis of PFAS and PFAS precursors in non-drinking water media at two of the EA sites: Westfield MA and New Castle DE. The goals of the exposure investigation were to sample environmental media located both inside and outside the home to evaluate: 1) the presence or absence of PFAS in each medium; 2) if present, the detectable levels of PFAS in each medium; and 3) whether PFAS detected in the medium may be associated with the existing measured body burden levels of PFAS identified during the EA. Samples in indoor media (filtered and bulk dust, surface wipes, air) and outdoor media (air, soil) were collected along with samples of locally-grown produce. Silicone wristbands were also worn by participants to evaluate personal exposure. The results are being analyzed by ATSDR and EPA.
The findings and conclusions in this presentation have not been formally disseminated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry or the Environmental Protection Agency and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.