WBAL-TV, First-of-its-kind PFAS study finds 'potentially harmful' levels of forever chemicals in Marylanders, which isn't surprising since the EPA has said there is no safe level of PFAS.
A first-of-its-kind study testing the blood of Maryland residents for toxic forever chemicals found every participant had it in their blood — with nearly all of them at risk for health problems due to their levels of PFAS contamination.
Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland Pesticide Education Network collaborated for the study, which was obtained by 11 News Investigates before its publishing date, testing 41 volunteers from across the state during the fall.
Dr. Ana Rule, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, told 11 News Investigates that even with the study's small sample size, it's clear "that most people in Maryland have this in their blood."
The study's average result was 10.4. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) considers a value above a two as carrying potential health risks.
10.4 whats? Units are important. I'm still skeptical of the severity of the problem with PFAS. The data showing them to be harmful at the concentrations commonly encountered are just not that convincing. I think the efforts to regulate them are an example of the environmental movement seeking a new problem to continue funding after the majority of toxic contaminants have been shown to be minor, localized problems.
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The makers of Gore-Tex, a popular product commonly used to waterproof clothing by companies such as the North Face and Mountain Hardware, poisoned drinking water and sickened residents around their facilities in rural Maryland, two lawsuits allege.
The facilities, about 90 miles north-east of Baltimore, polluted drinking water with levels up to 700 times above federal limits with some kinds of Pfas, a group of toxins known as “forever chemicals” due to their environmental longevity. The tainted water caused high rates of cancers and other diseases linked to Pfas exposure in the area, a class action suit alleges.
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Meanwhile, Maryland is suing WL Gore and Associates, Gore-Tex’s parent company, over alleged environmental violations. Each suit claims Gore knew about its products’ dangers as early as the 1980s, but continued to put Pfas into local waters, which drain into the Chesapeake Bay, and emit the substances from smokestacks.
The company has said it only learned about PFOA, a common type of Pfas compound, in nearby groundwater two years ago, and has suggested it is not responsible for at least some of the pollution.
Philip Federico, an attorney for the plaintiffs, dismissed the idea, noting the chemicals in the water match what Gore used. “They’re really not in a position to say it’s not their Pfas – they know it is, and everyone else knows it,” Federico said.
Much to my chagrin, Grok informs me that Al Gore is not in any way related to Gore-Tex.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Eva Sinclair up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.
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