Dr. Laurel Schaider
HYANNIS – A study in Hyannis by the Silent Spring Institute is looking for volunteers who lived in the village between 2006 and 2016 to help determine some of the long-term health impacts of exposure to PFAS—a contaminant that does not break down easily in the environment.
Though low now, PFAS levels in drinking water were high then, said study lead Dr. Laurel Schaider.
“The water is now being filtered but we are conducting a health study because it is a community where people may have had elevated exposures in the past and we can learn from that to better understand how the chemicals can harm our health.”
Schaider added the data collected will help address elevated PFAS levels being seen across the region and beyond.
“Ultimately, we hope that this information will inform future regulations for PFAS in drinking water and elsewhere in the environment.”
Those who volunteer for the study, which includes a blood sample, will receive 50$ in gift cards as well as the results of their lab tests, or $75 for children volunteers.
The Silent Spring Institute’s webpage on the study can be found here.
About Grady Culhane
