CDC and ATSDR Release PFAS Exposure Assessment Report for Orange County, NY Site

Wednesday, June 29, 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 Orange County, New York, near Stewart Air National Guard Base.

The report summarizes levels of PFAS in blood and urine from a group of residents living in and around the City of Newburgh in Orange County, NY 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 factors. 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 the age-adjusted level of one PFAS, perfluorohexane sulfonic acid or PFHxS, in the blood of participants was higher than national levels, while the other PFAS tested were similar to national averages or not detected enough to calculate averages. The elevated level of PFHxS in blood may be linked with past contamination of the city’s drinking water. Tap water samples collected during the 2020 exposure assessment met the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 Health Advisory for PFAS and New York State public health standards for PFAS in drinking water. ATSDR does not recommend community members use alternative sources of water.

The final PFAS exposure assessment report for Orange County, NY, is available here: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/activities/assessments/sites/orange-county-ny.html.

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

When: July 12, 2022
Time:  6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. EST

To register, please visit: https://bit.ly/OrangeCountyEAMtg.

ATSDR staff will also host small meetings to answer additional community questions. Staff are available in-person at the Newburgh Free Library, located at 124 Grand Street Newburgh, NY, on July 13 from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. An additional in-person meeting will take place on July 14 from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. A virtual session is also scheduled for July 18 from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Those interested in participating are encouraged to sign up online at: https://bit.ly/OrangeCountyEASmallMtg.

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. The Stewart Air National Guard Base 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 Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County, NY 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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Related News Releases For Orange County, Newburgh, New York


Release Date:  Tuesday, September 29, 2020
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will resume field activities of the PFAS exposure assessment in Orange County, New York, beginning door-to-door recruitment Tuesday, October 13, 2020. Testing individuals will take place from October 23 through November 1.


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Page last reviewed: June 29, 2022