CCB MEDIA PHOTO: Dr. Laurel Schaider with the Silent Spring Institute.
HYANNIS – Researchers are making a push for more Hyannis volunteers as deadlines approach for the study examining the long-term health impacts of PFAS.
Study lead Dr. Laurel Schaider recently told the Barnstable Town Council they are looking for those who lived or worked in Hyannis before July 2016, including children, to volunteer for some tests including a blood sample.
She said that they have only collected a third of the samples they need for the CDC-funded study.
“We are currently required to complete data collection by the end of May. We may be able to extend that by a couple of months, but clearly we need to pick up the pace in order to be able to come close to meeting our goal,” said Schaider.
She said that they have had 294 participants, including 261 adults and 33 children.
Meanwhile on Beacon Hill, lawmakers including Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr are considering a bill that would phase out the chemical in food packaging by 2026, and prohibit the sale of all other products with PFAS by 2030.
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