The chemicals in the firefighting foam are suspected to have polluted more than 700 active and former military installations as well as thousands of towns across the U.S., potentially exposing millions of people to long-term health risks, say the scientists and public health experts who study the chemicals.
The new testicular cancer findings, as well as new requirements to fund PFAS testing in some communities, have firefighters like Rhodes on edge.
In 2020, Congress required the Department of Defense to offer active-duty military firefighters blood tests for PFAS, thousands of compounds dubbed “forever chemicals” because they accumulate in the human body and don’t break down in the environment. Some states followed suit or even preceded the federal legislative action.
But even with these published guidelines, finding doctors knowledgeable about interpreting the blood test results and inferring the possible health effects of PFAS exposure can be slow going. To muddy matters further: With so many types of PFAS, not all of them show up in the blood tests. Some compounds manifest elsewhere, such as in organ tissue or other parts of the blood, said Neil McMillan, the International Association of Fire Fighters’ director of science and research.
The aggressive disease has only sparsely been studied and its causes are not understood, although scientists suspect environmental exposures may be to blame.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North Korea's Kim visits Russia's nuclear bombers, hypersonic missilesRussian officials showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un how missiles were fired from Russian bombers.
Read more »
Plastic-grabbing fungi could help keep microplastics, PFAS out of rivers and oceansEarly studies show fungi may be effective at removing man-made toxins from rivers and oceans.
Read more »
US to sanction 150 Russian-supporting entities over war in UkraineThe U.S. is set to sanction more than 150 Russian-supporting individuals and entities over the war in Ukraine, the departments of State and Treasury announced Thursday.
Read more »
US to sanction 150 Russian-supporting entities over war in UkraineThe U.S. is set to sanction more than 150 Russian-supporting individuals and entities over the war in Ukraine, the departments of State and Treasury announced Thursday.
Read more »
US to sanction 150 Russian-supporting entities over war in UkraineThe U.S. is set to sanction more than 150 Russian-supporting individuals and entities over the war in Ukraine, the departments of State and Treasury announced Thursday.
Read more »
Slovakia expels one Russian diplomat, but doesn't explain whySlovakia says it is expelling a diplomat from Russia’s embassy in the Slovak capital for violations of international conventions.
Read more »