Researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health and partner institutions will expand on a groundbreaking study examining the effects of contaminated drinking water on residents of El Paso County thanks to a $5 million grant from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Initial research, which began in 2018, sought to identify how poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, found in drinking water in communities in El Paso County affect the health of more than 200 exposed adults. PFAS are man-made chemicals used in a wide array of industrial and consumer products, mostly as non-stick and stain-resistant agents. They’re also known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down once in the human body. Residents of the El Paso County communities of Fountain, Security, Widefield and Stratmoor Hills who had PFAS-contaminated water supplies prior to 2016 were recruited for this study.
Now, researchers aim to recruit 1,000 adults and 300 children from these communities for a more comprehensive examination of PFAS exposure and health effects called CO-SCOPE, the Study on Community Outcomes from PFAS Exposure. CO-SCOPE will not only include participants under the age of 18, it will also examine a wider set of health outcomes, including biomarkers of cancer risk, thyroid and liver disease, and learning and behavior in children.
“Not enough is known about the long-term effects PFAS can have on the health of people exposed through drinking water, so the continuation of our research is critical,” says John Adgate, PhD, MSPH, Colorado School of Public Health Professor and co-Principal Investigator. “PFAS contamination has been identified in hundreds of water sources in Colorado and around the United States. Understanding how PFAS exposure affects their health can help Coloradans understand the risks from PFAS and decide what interventions are needed to help protect their families.”
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