Many US military veterans have much higher levels of Pfas “forever chemicals” in their blood than non-veterans, new peer-reviewed research finds, raising more questions about health risks the nation’s service members face after serving at polluted bases.
asserted
members → have → bases
Ground water, surface water and soil around military bases show among the highest levels of Pfas pollution in the US because the chemicals are used in firefighting foam deployed during training and emergencies.
asserted
chemicals → show → training
While the problem has been clear for over a decade, the new Brown University-led study is the first to compare levels in veterans’ blood with those in civilians.
asserted
study → lead → civilians
The analysis of federal health data found the problem to be concentrated among younger veterans.
asserted
problem → find → veterans
It estimated that 23 million veterans ages 20–39 have levels of Pfas in blood that are between 13% and 24% higher than non-veterans, depending on the specific compound being measured.
asserted
that → estimate → compound
The younger veterans were also more likely to have dangerous levels of Pfas in their blood – they were 18% more likely than young non-veterans to exceed the threshold at which experts suggest people seek medical monitoring.
asserted
people → have → monitoring
About 13 million, or 58%, of all veterans in this age group are above the threshold, set by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
asserted
million → set → Sciences
“There is some amount of urgency here, and my hope is that this might accelerate the conversations that the government might have about providing [Pfas health monitoring] to all veterans,” said Christian Hoover , a study co-author and a pre-doctoral fellow in epidemiology at Brown’s School of Public Health.
uncertain
Hoover → be → Health
Pfas are a class of at least 16,000 compounds often used to help products resist water, stains and heat.
asserted
products → use → water
They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and accumulate in the environment, and they are linked to serious health problems such as cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders and birth defects.
The military is in the process of phasing out Pfas firefighting foam
asserted
military → call → process
because the highly toxic substance has widely contaminated water and the environment around more than 720 bases nationwide.
asserted
substance → contaminate → bases
The chemicals are also released by burn pits in which the military open burns or incinerates munitions and waste, dispersing a toxic cocktail of chemicals, including Pfas, in the process.
asserted
military → release → process
Levels detected in groundwater around bases have been as high as 1.1m parts per trillion (ppt).
asserted
Levels → detect → trillion
The EPA has found one of the most widely present compounds increases cancer risk at .004ppt.
asserted
one → find → .004ppt
Despite the clear health risks, blood levels of service members are not regularly tracked.
asserted
levels → track → members
Previous research has found people living near a contaminated base in New Mexico to have elevated levels in their blood compared with the general population.
asserted
people → find → population
Brown’s researchers analyzed data from 2003 to 2018 from the US Centers for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a national program that monitors US residents’ health.
asserted
that → analyze → health
It did not find a similar elevation among older veterans.
asserted
It → find → veterans
Hoover said that is likely because the chemicals are slowly excreted from the body via blood or urine over months and years, depending on the specific compound.
asserted
chemicals → say → compound
Older veterans’ bodies have likely expelled the chemicals to a level that is more in line with the civilian population, Hoover said.
asserted
Hoover → expel → population
Disease from Pfas exposure can take many years to manifest, so older veterans who were exposed may be at more immediate risk for developing health issues.
uncertain
who → take → issues
The study’s limitations include not knowing the service members’ occupations, or how or when they were exposed to Pfas.
asserted
they → include → Pfas
But Hoover said it strongly shows broad level exposures.
asserted
it → say → exposures
He said there was a social contract between the government and service members that the government should take care of those who choose to serve the nation after their service is complete.
asserted
service → say → nation
“If they still believe in that social contract then I would hope they would feel like this may be incumbent upon them to fix in some capacity,” Hoover said.
uncertain
Hoover → believe → capacity
The Aporia
