On February 21, CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) announced eight locations for continuing the agencies' studies related to human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). All selected communities are near either current or former military installations. The eight locations are:
- Berkeley County, West Virginia, near Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base
- El Paso County, Colorado, near Peterson Air Force Base
- Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, near Eielson Air Force Base
- Hampden County, Massachusetts, near Barnes Air National Guard Base
- Lubbock County, Texas, near Reese Technology Center
- Orange County, New York, near Stewart Air National Guard Base
- New Castle County, Delaware, near New Castle Air National Guard Base
- Spokane County, Washington, near Fairchild Air Force Base
Randomly selected participants will have blood and urine samples screened to determine the level of PFAS within their bodies. According to the press release announcing the list, "[t]he assessments will generate information about exposure to PFAS in affected communities and will extend beyond the communities identified, as the lessons learned can also be applied to communities facing similar PFAS drinking water exposures. This will serve as a foundation for future studies evaluating the impact of PFAS exposure on human health."
These studies will build upon two previous pilot studies from Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania and Westhampton County, New York. CDC and ATSDR expect the studies to begin in 2019 and be completed by 2020. The two agencies are already involved in over 30 sites nationwide and plan to explore conducting exposure assessments in additional communities in the future.
This announcement followed EPA's release of the agency's PFAS Action Plan February 14.