First blood tests in Bucks, Montco show above-average contamination after tainted water

Residents in Bucks and Montgomery Counties who participated in a blood-testing program because their drinking water was contaminated by chemicals on nearby military bases have a dramatically higher presence of some chemicals in their blood than the general U.S. population — in the case of one chemical, five times more than the typical American.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health mailed the averaged results to the 235 residents in Horsham, Warminster, and Warrington Townships who participated in the testing program, which was completed at the end of September.

In the Bucks-Montgomery area, the chemicals have also been found in lower amounts in several surrounding municipalities.

The average for one type of PFAS, known as PFHxS, in the Pennsylvania residents sampled was 7.63 micrograms per liter — more than five times the national average.

“It is important to remember that scientists are not sure about the health effects of human exposure to PFAS and do not know what these levels mean, if anything, in terms of affecting your health now or later in life,” the letter stated.

The agency has not set any guidelines for how much chemical is cause for concern in the human bloodstream, although a draft of a […]

Full article: First blood tests in Bucks, Montco show above-average contamination after tainted water

More about: forever chemicals (PFAS, etc.), pollution, and public health

More about: water and the U.S. Military

More about: forever chemicals (PFAS, etc.), pollution, and public health