BARNSTABLE – Silent Spring Institute has released new research on chemicals present in Cape Cod’s groundwater.
The non-profit organization is reporting that highly fluorinated chemicals called PFCs have been found in the region’s water supply.
The presence of these chemicals in groundwater raises concerns because PFASs have been associated with numerous health effects including cancer and hormone disruption.
The institute will be presenting the information at a luncheon on Wednesday, October 25, at the Barnstable Town Hall 2nd floor Meeting Room. The event will begin at noon.
The ability of these chemicals to migrate into coastal ecosystems also raises concerns about potential impacts on the environment.
The goal of the state-funded research, done in collaboration with the Center for Coastal Studies, along with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Rhode Island, is to identify estuaries with relatively high levels of these emerging contaminants and the impacts of land use activities on water quality.
Silent Spring has previously published research indicating that exposure to such chemicals early in life is an important risk factor for the development of breast cancer later in life.
By DAVID BEATTY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
