Fire Department Service Announcement

toxic
tŏk′sĭk
adjective
    1. Of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or other poison.
    2. Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous.¹

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has been measuring PFAS in American blood since 1999.² ‘NHANES is a program of studies designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the health and nutrition of adults and children in the United States.’³

“PFAS blood test results can only tell you the amount of PFAS in your blood at the time of the test. The test will not tell you if PFAS has affected your health or if it will in the future. PFAS blood testing is not a routine test. If you have been exposed to high amounts of PFAS and or need to know the amount of PFAS in your blood, talk to your doctor.

‘Knowing PFAS blood levels helps to establish baseline exposure levels … Baseline testing could also lead to more definitive answers to health questions in the future. Currently, there is no established treatment for PFAS exposure.’⁴

Blood testing will not be able to measure PFAS already in your body’s tissues and organs.

‘There is evidence to show that these bioactive precursors are 10,000-fold more toxic than their perfluoroklyl daughter products, meaning it’s likely the precursors in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) will drive assessment of how harmful these fluorosurfactants are.”⁵

For more information, contact Vicki Quint, Foam Exposure Committee at codepfas@gmail.com

References

1. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5^th Edition, ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers, www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=toxic
2. PFAS in the U.S. Population, accessed Aug 28, 2022, https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/us-population.html
3. Ibid.
4. Michigan, PFAS Exposure and Your Health, accessed Aug 28, 2022, www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/PFAS-Response/Health/Fact-Sheet-PFAS-Exposure-Your-Health.pdf?rev=d1603c060f0449798bdd13f553b6ffc0
5. Envirotec, An enduring threat to water? Dr. Ian Ross, May 2021, https://envirotecmagazine.com/2021/05/10/an-enduring-threat-to-water/