Temple U. Researchers To Study PFAS, Cancer

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Researchers at Temple University will study the possible links between PFAS — the hazardous chemicals found in the groundwater in the Hatboro-Horsham and Warminster areas, among others — and cancer.

The multi-site health study will specifically look into PFAS in contaminated drinking water, the university announced. It will be part of a federally funded, multi-site health study to better understand the impact of the chemicals.

"What we're doing is specifically designed to overcome limitations of previous studies that have suggested an association between PFAS water contamination and cancer incidence,” says Resa M. Jones, chair of Temple's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, who is helping lead the cancer arm of the research. "Rigorous studies, like what we've proposed, hopefully will advance what's known and provide a better understanding of how PFAS-contaminated drinking water could be impacting health."

The work by Temple researchers is part of a recently announced effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies to better understand the impact of PFAS in areas including Bucks and Montgomery counties.

The federal agencies are providing an initial $1 million per year to seven U.S. sites for the study. The total funding for the Pennsylvania project is expected to be $5 million, Temple announced.

Under the nationwide study, at least 2,000 children and 6,000 adults who were exposed to PFAS-contaminated drinking water will be recruited. Researchers will look for relationships between the exposure to the chemicals and their health.

They'll measure PFAS levels in the subjects' blood samples and urine, gather health information and compare results in communities exposed to PFAS to the general public.

While the overall study is more general, Temple's part of it will focus specifically on cancer.

PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1950s. They have been used in non-stick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, some firefighting foams and products that resist grease, water, and oil.

In the Montgomery and Bucks area, they are believed to have entered the water supply through a firefighting foam used on the now-closed Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham.

A 2019 Department of Health report determined that PFAS have contaminated 17 sites across Pennsylvania. Studies have linked PFAS to child development problems, elevated cholesterol levels, issues with pregnancy and certain types of cancer, Temple says.

But prior cancer studies have been limited and the core CDC drinking water study doesn't include a cancer component, according to the university.

"A lot of people have been hoping to get some answers, specifically on cancer," said Joanne Stanton, co-founder of the Buxmont Coalition for Safe Water.

Stanton has a degree in public health from Temple.

"I grew up in in Warminster and we were exposed for decades to this chemical in our drinking water," she said. "A lot of people in town had cancer at seemingly higher rates than other areas. People really want to know what they're exposed to, how that exposure affects their health, and what they can do about it. So this is going to help."

Part of Temple's cancer study will sample water from municipal and private wells in 13 Pennsylvania counties and estimate how much exposure residents have had to PFAS throughout their lifetimes because of it. Another piece will invite cancer patients and their families to participate in an "enhanced family cancer surveillance" program to determine whether PFAS exposure is linked to increased thyroid and kidney cancer risk.