NYSDOH
Health Monitoring
Webpage (click here)

Emotional Health

Celebrate Recovery— Water Crisis Group

If you are feeling emotionally stressed from the Hoosick water contamination, the faith community is offering a program to help. Information on the weekly recovery sessions can be found here.

Health

In recognizing the health concerns of the residents of the greater Hoosick community, the New York State Department of Health has initiated a program of biomonitoring for possible effects from PFOA exposure. Complete information on the program can be found at the PFOA in Drinking Water in the Village of Hoosick Falls and Town of Hoosick page on the NYSDOH website. Other information related to potential health impacts on our community will be provided on this page.

PFOA Community Health Questionnaire

Recently, a new Health Questionnaire was released as part of the “Understanding PFOA Project” at Bennington College.  The survey is meant to collect information from residents Hoosick Falls, North Bennington, and Petersburg related to PFOA exposure, and is focusing on collecting information regarding the 6 adverse health conditions that were named in the C-8 Study.

Mayor Robert Allen is encouraging past and current residents to participate.  View his comments here: https://youtu.be/i-1e_VdFcis

Take the survey by clicking the following link: https://bennington.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5hjQyad1za9AFPD

For more information regarding the survey, click here: http://www.bennington.edu/center-advancement-of-public-action/pfoa-questionnaire

From New York State Department of Health

Biomonitoring Study—The State Health Department is collecting blood samples as part of a PFOA biomonitoring study for people who live in or near Hoosick Falls. People who wish to participate will be asked to sign a consent form and complete a questionnaire that tells them about your potential exposure to PFOA. This blood testing is a way to learn more about people's actual exposure to PFOA. It will also tell the DOH how the levels of PFOA in the blood of people living in or near Hoosick Falls compare to people living elsewhere.

June 4, 2016—The results of the first round of sampling have been compiled, and residents who have had blood tests have begun receiving their individual results. The NYS Health Department has prepared a PFOA Blood Testing Program Fact Sheet to help residents understand how their results compare with other populations that are being monitored for elevated PFOA exposure.


Contact Information Form—If you are interested in biomonitoring, please fill out the Contact Information Form. DOH will use this information to stay in contact with you about biomonitoring events. Notices about biomonitoring events will be posted on this webpage. You can also call the State Health Department at 518-402-7950 and they can take your contact information by telephone. If you have already talked to someone at the State Health Department and told them you wanted to participate, they have your request and you do not need to complete this form.

Biomonitoring Events—The State Health Department is scheduling dates for blood testing events to be held at the HAYC3 Armory in the Village of Hoosick Falls. They will be calling people who have signed up for blood testing to schedule a time for them to come in for the testing. Blood testing will be by appointment only.

Cancer Investigation—The State Health Department will conduct an investigation to see if there are unusual elevations of cancer among Village residents. The investigation will include total cancers and specific types of cancer diagnosed from 1995 through 2012. To accomplish this, the State Health Department will use data from the New York State Department of Health Cancer Registry, which receives reports on all cases of cancer occurring in New York State. The planned start date is 1995 because street address at the date of diagnosis is available in computerized form for all cases starting with that year. The planned end date is 2012 because 2012 is currently the most recent year for which data are available. The State Health Department will produce a report on the findings of the investigation.

Hoosick Biomonitoring Updates
August 4, 2016—PFOA Biomonitoring Preliminary Group-Level Results
August 4, 2016—February-April 2016 Blood Sampling Data Sheet
August 4, 2016—Blood Level Comaprisons—Hoosick vs. Other Effected Community Results
August 4, 2016—PFOA Biomonitoring Questions and Answers

Other PFOA Health-Related Resources
EPA: America's Children and the Environment—Biomonitoring PFCs
CDC: National Biomonitoring Program—PFOA
EWG: PFOA is a pervasive pollutant in human blood, as are other PFCs
ELSEVIER: Perfluorinated compounds—Exposure assessment for the general population in western countries
A critical review of perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctanesulfonate exposure and cancer risk in humans
EPA's Draft Health Effects Documents for PFOA (Peer Reviewed 2014)
Epidemiologic Evidence on the Health Effects of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
Minnesota Department of Health; Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) and Health.
Biomonitoring 101—from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
PFAS Fact Sheet for Physicians—from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Perfluoroalkyls-ToxFAQs™—from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Medical Monitoring
After the findings of the C-8 Science Panel, the C-8 Medical Monitoring Program was established to monitor the ongoing health of the residents of the effected communities in WV and OH around the DuPont PFOA manufacturing facilities. While this program focuses primarily on that population, there are resources on the program website that are relevant for any population with PFOA contamination and exposure. Specifically, recommendations and guidance on health monitoring based on exposure and symptoms that offer significant value to exposed populations, and physicians that treat those populations.

A Biomonitoring Study Example
A biomonitoring study was begun on a cross-section of the population of Arnsberg, Germany that had been exposed to PFOA in drinking water. The PFOA levels in the water were comprable to what has been reported in Hoosick Falls drinking water. Nearly 700 residents took part in the study when contamination was discovered. The links below are of the results reported in the initial study, and follow-up findings reported at one-year intervals after the installation of GAC filtering. This information is presented as an informational example only and does not indicate that Hoosick Falls' results will be the same.

C8 Science Panel Health Study
Drinking Water & Serum Levels in C8 Health Study

 

Contaminants in Drinking Water Advisory Level Methodology
Advisory Levels Methodology

 

PFOA in Blood Serum Calculator
This online calculator developed by Scott Bartell, PhD estimates the reduction of PFOA in exposed adult blood serum over time as the exposure source is reduced or eliminated and displays it graphically. This calculator is provided as a general resource only. Accuracy of the results may be impacted by other factors and are not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice.