Study will examine how PFAS affect older Mainers’ health

by Mehr Sher April 21, 2023, Bangor Daily News

Mainers over the age of 55 who rely on well water may soon be able to participate in a study to determine if there is a link between per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in their groundwater and the health conditions they have.

Bar Harbor-based MDI Biological Laboratory and the University of New England’s Center for Excellence in Aging and Health are launching a Healthy Water/Healthy Aging citizen science initiative for older Mainers. To conduct the PFAS testing, they are partnering with Maine Laboratories, Maine’s first PFAS testing laboratory, in Norridgewock. The study is still being developed and has not yet started.

Maine has been described as leading the country in understanding and trying to prevent PFAS contamination, and this study could be the first of its kind in examining the association between PFAS exposure in older people and how they age, including the health conditions they develop, said Jane Disney, associate professor of environmental health at MDI Biological Laboratory.

“Older people have been exposed to PFAS chemicals through a period of their life, perhaps when no doctors were asking them these questions,” said Disney at the grand opening of Maine Laboratories in Norridgewock on Thursday.

“We’re very concerned about the exposure that young children have, but this study will allow us to look through the lifespan,” she said.

The study will gather data on 14 metals — such as arsenic, lead, uranium and manganese — and 28 specific types of PFAS in participants’ well water. One question the study hopes to explore is whether people are getting diseases linked to PFAS. Many diseases that come with age are also the same diseases that are associated with PFAS exposure, Disney said.

PFAS are a class of chemicals used to make products resistant to water, grease and heat, and they build up in bodies and the environment over time. Some studies have linked certain compounds to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, high cholesterol, decreased response to vaccines and other health problems.

Currently, the Healthy Water/Healthy Aging initiative has received funding from an Ellsworth-based nonprofit organization, Healthy Acadia, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for a total of 45 samples to be tested for PFAS at Maine Laboratories, Disney said.

She expects the scope of the study to grow as the initiative receives more funding.

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