How PFAS From A Military Base Has Sickened Nearby Residents
12:12 minutes
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For decades, residents of the small city of Newburgh, New York, were unknowingly drinking water contaminated with toxic PFAS—also known as forever chemicals. The source turned out to be firefighting foam used on a nearby air base that had seeped into streams and creeks, and ultimately the city’s main drinking water reservoir.
Now, Newburgh is one of 10 sites that are part of a CDC-led study investigating the health effects of PFAS exposure. Early data out of Newburgh links PFAS with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Host Flora Lichtman discusses the research with environmental epidemiologist Erin Bell and reporter Shantal Riley.
Read Shantal Riley’s full story about what PFAS contamination has meant for Newburgh.
Further Reading
- EWG interactive map of PFAS contamination in the United States.
- Read about the Trump administration’s rollback of limits on PFAS in industrial runoff via EWG.
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Segment Guests
Shantal Riley
Shantal Riley is an award-winning journalist and science writer, focused on environmental health.
Erin Bell
Dr. Erin Bell is an environmental epidemiologist at the University at Albany in New York.
Segment Transcript
The transcript is being processed. It will be available 2-3 days after this story’s publication date.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Rasha Aridi
Rasha Aridi is a producer for Science Friday and the inaugural Outrider/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellow. She loves stories about weird critters, science adventures, and the intersection of science and history.
About Flora Lichtman
Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.