The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) announced September 23 seven new cooperative agreements with various partners throughout the country to study the human health effects of exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water. The multi-site health study, which was authorized by the National Defense Authorization Acts of 2018 and 2019, is meant to provide information to communities about the health effects of PFAS exposure.
The partners will collect data related to immune response, lipid metabolism, kidney function, thyroid disease, liver disease, glycemic parameters, and diabetes. CDC/ATSDR will also be collecting information about cancers, although the size of the study is not large enough to effectively evaluate the relationship between PFAS exposure and cancer. More information on this study can be found on ATSDR’s website.
Below is a list of the seven partners that were awarded the cooperative agreements and the location and subject matter of each study.
- Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, to look at exposures in El Paso County, CO;
- Michigan State Department of Health and Human Services to look at exposures in Parchment/Cooper Township, MI, and North Kent County, MI;
- RTI International and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to look at exposures in Montgomery and Bucks Counties, PA;
- Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences – School of Public Health to look at exposures in Gloucester County, NJ;
- Silent Spring Institute to look at exposures in Hyannis, MA, and Ayer, MA;
- University at Albany, SUNY and New York State Department of Health to look at exposures in Hoosick Falls, NY, and Newburgh, NY; and
- University of California – Irvine to look at exposures in communities near the UC Irvine Medical Center.