US veterans hae greater levels o Pfas in their bluid than civilians, new study finds

Mony US military veterans hae far heicher levels o Pfas forever chemicals in their bluid than non-veterans, accordin tae new peer-reviewed research, raisin mair questions aboot the health risks the nation’s service members face efter servin at polluted bases.

Grund watter, surface watter an soil roond military bases shaw amang the heichest levels o Pfas pollution in the US because the chemicals are uised in firefechtin foam deployed durin trainin an emergencies. While the problem has been clear for ower a decade, the new Brown University-led study is the first tae compare levels in veterans’ bluid wi thae in civilians.

The analysis o federal health data fund the problem tae be concentrated amang younger veterans. It estimatit that 23 million veterans ages 20–39 hae levels o Pfas in bluid that are atween 13% an 24% heicher than non-veterans, dependin on the specific compound bein measured.

The younger veterans were also mair likely tae hae dangerous levels o Pfas in their bluid – they were 18% mair likely than young non-veterans tae exceed the threshold at which experts suggest fowk seek medical monitorin.

About 13 million, or 58%, o all veterans in this age group are abuin the threshold, set by the US National Academies o Sciences, Engineerin an Medicine.

There is some amount o urgency here, an my hope is that this micht accelerate the conversations that the government micht hae aboot providin Pfas health monitorin tae all veterans, said Christian Hoover, a study co-author an a pre-doctoral fellow in epidemiology at Brown’s School o Public Health.

Pfas are a class o at least 16,000 compounds aften uised tae help products resist watter, stains an heat. They are cried forever chemicals because they dinna naturally break doon an accumulate in the environment, an they are linked tae serious health problems sic as cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders an birth defects.

The military is in the process o phasin oot Pfas firefechtin foam because the heichly toxic substance has widely contaminated watter an the environment roond mair than 720 bases nationwide. The chemicals are also released by burn pits in which the military open burns or incinerates munitions an waste, dispersin a toxic cocktail o chemicals, includin Pfas, in the process.

Levels detectit in grundwatter roond bases hae been as heich as 1.1m parts per trillion. The EPA has fund ane o the maist widely present compounds increases cancer risk at .004ppt. Despite the clear health risks, bluid levels o service members are no regularly trackit. Previous research has fund fowk livin near a contaminated base in New Mexico tae hae elevated levels in their bluid compared wi the general population.

Brown’s researchers analysed data frae 2003 tae 2018 frae the US Centers for Disease Control’s National Health an Nutrition Examination Survey, a national program that monitors US residents’ health.

It didna find a similar elevation amang aulder veterans. Hoover said that is likely because the chemicals are slowly excreted frae the body via bluid or urine ower months an years, dependin on the specific compound.

Aulder veterans’ bodies hae likely expelled the chemicals tae a level that is mair in line wi the civilian population, Hoover said. Disease frae Pfas exposure can tak mony years tae manifest, sae aulder veterans who were exposed may be at mair immediate risk for developin health issues.

The study’s limitations include no kennin the service members’ occupations, or hou or whan they were exposed tae Pfas. But Hoover said it strangly shaws braid level exposures. He said there was a social contract atween the government an service members that the government shud tak tent o thae who choose tae serve the nation efter their service is complete.

If they still believe in that social contract then I wad hope they wad feel like this may be incumbent upon them tae fix in some capacity, Hoover said.