Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.
A recent study published in eBioMedicine continues to show the correlation between exposure to PFAS and Type 2 diabetes. Results showed that every additional exposure to PFAS correlated with a 31% increase in risk for developing Type 2 diabetes.
“Moreover, PFAS has been linked to Type 2 diabetes before, but mostly in vulnerable populations like pregnant [people] or in children and adolescents,” said Vishal Midya, corresponding author of the new study, in an interview with Medical News Today. “Very few works have investigated the detrimental effect of PFAS in a relatively healthy group of adults, and its potential effect even before any disease was clinically diagnosed. This study is one of the first to look into the effect of PFAS in a relatively healthy group of adults from New York City.”
In Canada, two sweeping investigations were recently published by the CBC, tracking the PFAS problem across the country. One investigation explored where PFAS is in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, which supplies drinking water to more than one fifth of the country. The other investigation looked into complications around water infrastructure in Canadian cities, as the burden of filtering toxic “forever chemicals” from public drinking water currently falls on them.
Hundreds of thousands of residents in Illinois have elevated levels of PFAS in their drinking water. The first notice came in April, influenced by the state’s pollution control board and stricter federal standards. One of the impacted neighborhoods, Crest Hill, plans to pipe in highly treated water from Lake Michigan through Chicago’s “state of the art treatment plants.”
Over three years, Pennsylvania State University tested 167 private wells across the state and found that 18% tested positive for PFAS levels well above the new federal limits. According to WHYY, the researchers did not find a connection between “forever chemicals” and proximity to biosolids or sewage sludge. However, they did find that the highest concentrations correlated to the most developed parts of the state, in particular, Montgomery County and other parts of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Two wells in Comstock Township, MI tested positive for high amounts of PFAS. The results show levels are so high that they are not “fit for human consumption.” More details to come.
More PFAS news in case you missed it:
- U.S. Right to Know recently put together a comprehensive article detailing research that links various health issues, like inflammatory bowel disease or cancer, to PFAS exposure.
- A new study from Nature Microbiology discovered that certain types of microbes found in the human gut can absorb PFAS so that they are excreted and removed from the body.
- The Hill recently reported on how “Scientists warn of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in reusable period products.”
- As awareness about PFAS continues to grow, Undark reported that many people in Maine are struggling to receive proper medical advice and access to blood tests.
- An Op-Ed in the Erie Times-News details how federal funding cuts could impact strides researchers have made to detect and treat “forever chemicals.”
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Baby bald eagles tested positive for PFAS and other legacy contaminants
New report shows PFAS contamination in 98% of waterways tested
Featured image: Firefighting foam remains on the ground surface following a tanker truck accident. EPA tests show that aqueous film forming foam used to fight flammable liquid fires have contaminated area drinking water with PFAS. (Photo Credit: iStock)
