Warrington Township
The Gateway to Bucks County Since 1734

Update from the ATSDR concerning PFAS

From the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR):

Hello to you all!  Happy spring 2021. In the past, you have reached out to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with health questions about exposures to  per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water near the Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, PA. Here is another update on the work both ATSDR and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) are doing related to PFAS in your community.  Our intent is to continue to provide updates to you on the public health side via this email group from time to time.  If for any reason you would not like to receive these emails from me, please just let me know and I will remove you from our email distribution list.

  1. Today, ATSDR released our final Toxicological Profile (Tox Profile) for Perfluoroalkyls (PFAS). Tox Profiles are a compilation of toxicological information on a given hazardous substance. ATSDR’s Tox Profile on Perfluoroalkyls includes finalized Minimal Risk Levels health screening values for PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA. The MRLs in this final profile release were not revised or changed from the MRLs in the previous draft profile posted for public comment. Here are the related Internet links – PFAS Tox Profile (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxProfiles/ToxProfiles.aspx?id=1117&tid=237), PFAS ToxFAQs (https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=1116&toxid=237), and PFAS Tox Guide (https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxguides/toxguide-200.pdf).
  2. Please note, the next US Navy/Air Guard virtual public Willow Grove Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting will be on 5/19/21 at 6 pm (https://www.bracpmo.navy.mil/brac_bases/northeast/reserve_base_willow_grove.html). Connectivity info TBD.
  3. Please continue to visit  the RTI and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) national PFAS Multi-site Health Study website (https://papfas.rti.org/) for updates and sign up for emails related to the ongoing study work in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania! Under the community engagement tab, you can find links for recordings to previous community public meetings (including the most recent one on 3/25/21) and a community video testimonial. I will be in touch again when study recruitment begins later this year.
  4. ATSDR published an FR notice inviting public comment thru 6/4/21 on our proposed viral illnesses and PFAS investigation (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/04/05/2021-06882/proposed-data-collection-submitted-for-public-comment-and-recommendations). This will be a self-reported questionnaire-based effort that will involve community members that had PFAS blood testing as part of previous ATSDR investigations. The title of this project is “Evaluating the Association between Serum Concentrations of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Symptoms and Diagnoses of Selected Acute Viral Illnesses.” The proposed study will examine the relationship between PFAS serum levels and susceptibility to certain acute viral illnesses, including but not limited to COVID-19. I will share more information as it becomes available.

If you have any questions about these health activities, please feel free to contact PADOH (717-787-3350, [email protected]).

Warrington Township The Gateway to Bucks County Since 1734
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