HYANNIS – Researchers with the Silent Spring Institute are taking the next step in examining the health impacts on children exposed to contaminated drinking water.
Dr. Laurel Schaider and her colleagues with the Institute are about to begin the recruitment process in a bid to collect blood samples from children ages 4-6 in Hyannis that have been exposed to drinking water contaminated with PFAS.
The researchers will measure PFAS and antibody levels in samples taken shortly after the children receive their final diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.
“We will over the next couple of months be starting to recruit pre-school aged children in Hyannis to be part of this PFAS reach study,” said Schaider.
The project team will also document the experiences of affected communities by conducting in-depth interviews and ethnographic research.
The Hyannis water system has been impacted by PFAS contamination, mostly from the use of firefighting foams at the Barnstable Fire Training Academy and Barnstable Municipal Airport.
“Children who have more PFAS in their bodies may have less of a healthy immune response to vaccinations, and there haven’t been any studies to see whether that same effect might happen in children in the US who have been exposed to contaminated drinking water,” said Schaider.
Exposure to PFASs has been linked with a number of health effects, including cancer, thyroid disease and high cholesterol.
Previous research by a Harvard scientist has suggested children have more exposure to these chemicals and may have less of an immune system boost after they get vaccinations.
Silent Spring is in the process of developing protocols which will be externally reviewed before they start recruiting children for the study.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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