Researchers at Colorado School of Mines and the Colorado School of Public Health 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. Chris Higgins, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Mines, and Dr. John Adgate of 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, go to https://www.pfas-aware.org/.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Eddie Green
CONTACT
Emilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Colorado School of Mines | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.edu
Julia Milzer, Media Relations Manager, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus | 303-725-0733 | Julia.Milzer@ucdenver.edu