Study Finds Younger US Veterans Have Higher PFAS Blood Levels Than Civilians

The study, which analyzed federal health data, is the first to compare PFAS levels in veterans' blood with those in civilians, The Guardian reported. It estimated that 23 million veterans ages 20-39 have PFAS levels between 13% and 24% higher than non-veterans, depending on the specific compound measured.

Younger veterans were also more likely to have dangerous PFAS levels. They were 18% more likely than young non-veterans to exceed the threshold at which experts suggest people seek medical monitoring. About 13 million veterans in that age group, or 58%, are above the threshold set by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

"There is some amount of urgency here, and my hope is that this might accelerate the conversations that the government might have about providing [PFAS health monitoring] to all veterans," said Christian Hoover, a study co-author and a pre-doctoral fellow in epidemiology at Brown's School of Public Health.

PFAS are a class of at least 16,000 compounds often used to help products resist water, stains and heat. They are called "forever chemicals" because they do not naturally break down and accumulate in the environment. They are linked to serious health problems including cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders and birth defects.

Groundwater, surface water and soil around military bases show some of the highest levels of PFAS pollution in the US because the chemicals are used in firefighting foam deployed during training and emergencies. The military is phasing out PFAS firefighting foam because the highly toxic substance has widely contaminated water and the environment around more than 720 bases nationwide. The chemicals are also released by burn pits used to open burn or incinerate munitions and waste. Levels detected in groundwater around bases have been as high as 1.1 million parts per trillion. The EPA has found that one of the most widely present compounds increases cancer risk at .004 parts per trillion. Despite the health risks, blood levels of service members are not regularly tracked. Previous research found people living near a contaminated base in New Mexico to have elevated blood levels compared with the general population.

The Brown study did not find a similar elevation among older veterans. Hoover said that is likely because the chemicals are slowly excreted from the body via blood or urine over months and years, depending on the specific compound. Older veterans' bodies have likely expelled the chemicals to a level more in line with the civilian population, he said. Disease from PFAS exposure can take many years to manifest, so older veterans who were exposed may be at more immediate risk for developing health issues.

The study's limitations include not knowing the service members' occupations, or how or when they were exposed to PFAS. But Hoover said it strongly shows broad-level exposures. He said there was a social contract between the government and service members that the government should take care of those who choose to serve the nation after their service is complete. "If they still believe in that social contract then I would hope they would feel like this may be incumbent upon them to fix in some capacity," Hoover said.

Editor's Summary

The Brown University-led study found that younger US veterans have higher PFAS blood levels than civilians and that many exceed medical monitoring thresholds. It adds evidence linking military base contamination to veterans' exposure and renews calls for government health monitoring and cleanup. The findings also highlight gaps in tracking service members' PFAS exposure.