CDC and ATSDR Release PFAS Exposure Assessment Report for Security-Widefield, El Paso County, Colorado Site

Tuesday, June 14, 2022
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Atlanta, GA – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released the report for the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure assessment conducted in and around the Security-Widefield area in El Paso County, Colorado, near Peterson Air Force Base.

The report summarizes levels of PFAS in blood and urine from a group of residents living in and around the Security-Widefield area in El Paso County, CO and compares them to national PFAS levels. PFAS levels are shown by age, race/ethnicity, sex, number of years living in the community, drinking water consumption patterns, and other exposure parameters. The report also presents results from household dust and tap water samples and explores relationships between blood results and the environmental sampling data.

The exposure assessment found that average blood levels of two PFAS, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in participants were higher than national levels, while the other PFAS tested were similar to national averages or not detected enough to calculate averages. The elevated levels of PFHxS and PFOA in blood may be linked with past contamination of drinking water. Tap water samples collected during the 2020 exposure assessment met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2016 Health Advisory (HA) for PFAS. ATSDR does not recommend community members use alternative sources of water.

The final PFAS exposure assessment report for El Paso County, CO, is available here: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/activities/assessments/sites/el-paso-county-co.html.

CDC and ATSDR invite residents living in and around Security-Widefield to attend a virtual information session to learn more about the results of the PFAS exposure assessment. Experts also will answer community questions.

When: June 28, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
To register: https://bit.ly/Security-WidefieldEAMtg

ATSDR staff will also host small meetings to answer additional community questions. Staff are available in-person at the Security Public Library, located at 715 Aspen Drive Security, Colorado, on June 29 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.; 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.; and 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and on June 30 from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. An online session will take place on July 1 from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. Those interested in participating are encouraged to stop by or sign up here: https://bit.ly/Security-WidefieldEASmallMtg.

Background: The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorized CDC and ATSDR to look at PFAS exposure in communities near current or former military bases that were known to have had PFAS in their drinking water. Peterson Air Force Base in El Paso County, CO used aqueous film forming foam containing PFAS for its firefighting training. These compounds later moved off-site in groundwater, likely affecting both municipal and private drinking water wells located downgradient of the base.

The area near the Peterson Air Force base site in El Paso County is one of several communities that took part in the exposure assessments to examine human exposure to PFAS. The primary goal of these exposure assessments is to provide information to communities about levels of PFAS in their bodies.

For ongoing updates about CDC’s and ATSDR’s PFAS exposure assessments, visit https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/PFAS-Exposure-Assessments.html.

For information about PFAS, visit https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html, call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), or email www.cdc.gov/info

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ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.


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Page last reviewed: June 14, 2022