Newly Released Federal Report Highlights Complexity of PFAS Exposure

NEW CASTLE – A dual-federal-agency supplemental report released today outlines findings from settled dust samples collected from a small number of homes near the New Castle Air National Guard Base. The findings, which also included a similarly sized sample of homes in Westfield, Massachusetts, will help environmental scientists and public health officials gain a better understanding of environmental factors that affect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and its effects on human health.

Researchers hope the study, which shows the results of testing for seven different types of PFAS in household dust, may also help further educate consumers about PFAS. While the synthetic “forever chemicals” have tended to be most prominently associated with drinking water to date, scientists are now discovering that as much as 80% of a person’s exposure to PFAS may stem from use of everyday products.

Officials from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) and its Division of Public Health, plan to model methodologies from the federal report to further study local PFAS sources and potential exposures, and advance both immediate and long-term mitigation strategies to protect Delawareans’ health and the local environment.

Among the most important topics Delaware experts are tackling to protect public health and the state’s natural resources is the proliferation of PFAS, that break down very slowly and can persist in the environment, including in the air and on surfaces within our homes.

“Delaware agencies are fully committed to collaborating with state, federal and community partners to protect the health of every Delawarean,” says DHSS Cabinet Secretary Josette Manning. “We’re well familiar with the need to monitor PFAS in drinking water. This latest study underscores our shared responsibility to study, recognize, and address the potential impacts of PFAS exposure from a wide range of other sources as well.”

New Castle, DE and Westfield, MA, were both included in an initial exposure assessment conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). That 2019 assessment found that while all tap water samples met health advisory requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for drinking water, levels of some PFAS found in blood samples from those areas were as much as 9.8 times higher in those communities than national levels. Scientists believe these higher levels may have been linked with past drinking water contamination, as well as some demographic and lifestyle characteristics.

This latest study, conducted by EPA with the ATSDR, includes testing results for seven different types of PFAS in the household dust in 41 New Castle homes, as well as 51 Westfield residences.

Researchers say this study provides a better understanding of environmental factors that affect PFAS exposure and can inform future studies looking at the impact of PFAS exposure on human health.

“PFAS contamination is vast and complex and this latest report underscores that exposure likely goes well beyond drinking water,” says DNREC Cabinet Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Unfortunately, PFAS is not a problem with a quick and easy solution. This issue did not occur overnight and finding solutions will take time. But we are making progress.”

Over time, PFAS gradually release chemicals into the air from treated consumer products. To lower your risk of PFAS exposure from contaminated household dust:

• Clean your house on a regular basis.
  • Dust with wet cloths.
  • Vacuum with HEPA filters.
• Change heating and cooling unit filters regularly.
• Choose furniture and carpets that are not labeled “stain-resistant” and don’t apply stain resistant treatments to items.
• Don’t use products with the words “fluoro” and “perfluoro” on the label.
• Replace or remove worn products with newer, PFAS-free items.

More information regarding Delaware’s work on PFAS and links to other reports are available at De.gov/pfas.