A report by two federal agencies found homes in New Castle near the Air National Guard Base have higher rates of PFAS than non-industrial Westfield, Mass.
The area around the base has previously been examined for PFAS in drinking water, but this study measured PFAS levels in home dust samples – along with residents’ blood serum and urine.
The study found there was a significant increase in PFAS in blood serum at New Castle homes.
PFAS can increase the risk of cancer and affect fertility and the immune system, according to the CDC.
Sandi Spiegel from the Division of Public Health’s Office of Drinking Water said PFAS is in the dust in people’s homes and in everyone’s bodies.
“And so it comes down to providing awareness, accessible solutions for the everyday person, making sure that they know how to protect themselves,” Spiegel said. “And the things that we offer that are easy is making simple choices like changing your dental floss to one that doesn't have PFAs covering.”
Todd Keyser, DNREC’s lead for emerging contaminants, focuses on PFAS in his work.
“We have years ahead of us of work,” Keyser said. “This study has reinforced the idea that each of us can contribute to our own betterment of health by making good decisions, by understanding a little bit better.”
Spiegel added there’s a long list of recommendations people can implement to lower their non-water exposure. They include choosing glass or metal containers for food instead of plastic, wet dusting as opposed to dry dusting and decluttering small objects that accumulate dust.
“It might just be prioritize and execute,” Keyser said. “In the sense of saying, maybe this week, I look at my personal care products and I go through that discovery to say, ‘Okay, this is saying there's a fluorinated compound in my face cream.’ And say, ‘what are my alternatives? Where can I look for resources like that?’”
Keyser suggested the next week, one could move on and consider reducing knick knacks around the house to limit clutter and the potential for dust.
New Castle was selected for the study based on its classification as an industrial area, which are known to have higher levels of PFAS. The area around the Air National Guard Base in particular was found to have PFAS in the water above the EPA’s health advisory level in 2014.
Most of Delaware now has drinking water that meets new federal health limits for PFAS and other “forever chemicals.”
The EPA finalized strict regulations on the maximum levels of these chemicals in drinking water, which will have to be obliged by 2029.
“Accumulation is how PFAs got here, and accumulating these best practices is how we're going to get to a safer and better health outcome for our Delawareans,” Spiegel said.