BURLINGTON - The Vermont Department of Health has added three more PFOA blood draw clinics for people in Bennington and North Bennington affected by PFOA contamination of drinking water. Two clinics are scheduled for June, and one will be held in late May for students who are returning home from college. The blood draw clinics are being conducted with support from Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
Private drinking water wells in the area around the former Chemfab/Saint-Gobain site have had detections of PFOA ranging from non-detect to nearly 3,000 parts per trillion, significantly above Vermont's advisory level of 20 parts per trillion for drinking water.
The blood tests will measure the level of PFOA in an individual's blood, and this can be compared to levels measured by CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for adults and older children in the U.S. Most adults have low levels of PFOA in their blood.
People eligible for the testing should register by
May 31, 2016. There is no cost to participants for the either the blood draw or laboratory analysis.
Eligibility - A person is eligible for the blood test if:
- The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation tested the well of the home in North Bennington/Bennington where you live now, or where you lived any time in the past eight years. - and/or -
- You worked or lived at the former Chemfab/Saint-Gobain site at 940/1030 Water Street in North Bennington, or you work or live there now.
The Health Department will contact eligible participants to schedule appointments. Before having blood drawn at the scheduled appointment, a health and exposure questionnaire must be completed for each participant regarding water consumption patterns, diet and exercise, work history, and health history.
Clinic Dates - Blood draw clinics for eligible people are by appointment only. The clinics will be held at the Health Department district office in Bennington for returning students on May 24, and for other eligible residents on June 24 and June 28.
Reporting Results - After the clinics are completed, it will be several months for the results to be analyzed and reported back to individuals.
It takes about two to four years for PFOA blood levels to reduce by half. The most important action to protect health is to remove the exposure. The State has been working to provide bottled water and install in-home filtration systems as the short-term solution for affected residents.
To view the press release on the Department of Health website, click here. |