Researchers from Emory University recently tested the blood of 177 residents in two Northwest Georgia cities — Rome and Calhoun — to evaluate the concentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in their bodies.
The samples revealed that roughly two of every five participants had a greater concentration of a specific type of so-called “forever chemical” in their blood — PFOA — than 95% of the United States population. PFOA is a component of stain-, oil- and water-resistant materials.
“We consider the 95th percentile of the U.S. population kind of a boundary, and anything over that is considered an unusual or an overt exposure,” Dana Barr, a professor of environmental health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, said in a phone call. “This told us that this population had a unique exposure source that was likely related to where they lived.”
(READ MORE: Shaw Industries invented a new test to eliminate PFAS from its supply chain)
Called “forever chemicals” because they can linger in the environment for decades, PFAS may increase the risk of certain cancers, cause developmental delays in children and reduce the body’s ability to fight infections, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.