Researchers at the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Colorado School of Mines shared the preliminary blood results from a study on poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found at high levels in groundwater wells associated with public drinking water systems near Colorado Springs in 2013. The contaminants are linked to firefighting foam used at nearby Peterson Air Force Base.
Researchers tested the blood of 220 residents in Security, Widefield and Fountain, and discovered PFAS levels well above the national average. John Adgate, PhD, MSPH, a professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, said blood samples show some chemicals at rates twice as high and up to 12 times as high as median levels found across the country.
Blood testing is just the first step in the study, which will look further at signs of immune function and other health markers among participants in the year to come.
For more information on the preliminary results, visit https://www.pfas-aware.org/