Study: 23 million younger veterans carry PFAS 13%–24% higher than non-veterans

58% of young veterans exceed PFAS monitoring threshold

A peer-reviewed study led by Brown University researchers found that millions of younger U.S. military veterans carry significantly higher levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” in their blood than civilians, the first direct comparison of PFAS levels in veterans’ blood with those in non-veterans.

The analysis of federal health data from 2003 to 2018 estimated that 23 million veterans ages 20 to 39 have PFAS blood levels between 13% and 24% higher than non-veterans, depending on the specific compound being measured. Younger veterans were also 18% more likely than young non-veterans to exceed the threshold at which the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recommends people seek medical monitoring. About 13 million, or 58% of veterans in this age group, are above that threshold, the study found.

Co-author Christian Hoover said he hoped the findings would accelerate government conversations about providing PFAS health monitoring to all veterans. Despite documented health risks, blood levels of service members are not regularly tracked.

How the contamination happens

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, and they are linked to serious health problems including cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, and birth defects.

Groundwater, surface water, and soil around U.S. military bases show among the highest levels of PFAS pollution in the country because the chemicals are used in firefighting foam deployed during training and emergencies. The military is in the process of phasing out PFAS firefighting foam because the substance has contaminated water and the environment around more than 720 bases nationwide. The chemicals are also released by burn pits, in which the military open-burns or incinerates munitions and waste, dispersing a toxic cocktail that includes PFAS.

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 documented health risks, blood levels of service members are not regularly tracked.

Researcher calls for government action

“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 pre-doctoral fellow in epidemiology at Brown’s School of Public Health.

Hoover invoked what he described as a social contract between the government and those who serve. “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,” he said.

The 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, and older veterans’ bodies have likely expelled the chemicals to a level more in line with the civilian population. 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, he added.

Study method and limitations

Brown’s researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national program that monitors U.S. residents’ health. The analysis covered the years 2003 to 2018.

The study’s limitations include not knowing the service members’ occupations or how or when they were exposed to PFAS. But Hoover said the analysis strongly demonstrates broad-level exposures.

Previous research has found people living near a contaminated base in New Mexico have elevated PFAS levels in their blood compared with the general population.