LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has released its first findings of the North Kent County Exposure Assessment (NKCEA), a public health investigation to learn about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in the blood of people drinking water from private drinking water wells in North Kent County.
In 2016, PFAS were found in some residential drinking water wells in certain areas of northern Kent County. Many of these wells had PFAS levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lifetime Health Advisory of 70 parts per trillion (ppt).
Households located north of Grand Rapids with private drinking water wells were eligible for the study if their wells had documented and measured PFAS levels. Clinics were held from November 2018 to June 2019 to measure PFAS levels in people’s blood.
The investigation found NKCEA participants’ PFAS serum levels varied by type of PFAS and ranged from low levels similar to those found in many people of the U.S. to high levels that exceeded what is commonly found in most people in the U.S.
“These findings suggest the need for continued public health action in the North Kent County area to investigate PFAS exposures and resulting long-term health effects,” chief medical executive and chief deputy for health Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said in a statement. “The assessment team continues to analyze data, including questionnaires and drinking water samples from study participants.”
While NKCEA information is still being analyzed, MDHHS is actively planning other studies to look at health outcomes that may be linked to high PFAS levels found in Michigan communities.
Upcoming research will be conducted in the Belmont/Rockford area in northern Kent County and two locations near Kalamazoo – Cooper Township and the City of Parchment.
Residents will be asked to participate in two MDHHS studies: Michigan PFAS Exposure and Health Study (MiPEHS) and a multi-site study coordinated in partnership between MDHHS and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
MiPEHS is a long-term study that will follow participants for approximately five years to measure their PFAS exposure, health history and levels of health markers, such as cholesterol, hormones and glucose.
Residents in these communities are also encouraged to take part in the Multi-Site Health Study, a multi-site study coordinated in partnership with ATSDR and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The multi-site study will examine the human health effects of exposures to PFAS in drinking water at locations around the U.S.
For questions, residents can call the MDHHS exposure assessment team at 844-464-7327.
