PFAS Fund: Health

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Introduction to the PFAS Fund's Health Initiatives

The Plan for the Administration of the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination (PDF) includes various strategies to support physical and mental well-being. The first two initiatives currently being developed will provide access to blood serum testing and supportive mental health services.

Maine farmers and farm workers impacted by PFAS contamination will be eligible for these programs. Additionally, non-farm Maine residents whose well water was contaminated by the land application of biosolids (i.e., sludge) will also be able to access these services.

Detailed information about eligibility requirements and application procedures will be posted here once these programs come online.

Blood Testing

The PFAS Fund is working with medical laboratories to develop a system to provide free access to blood testing for eligible individuals.

PFAS are ubiquitous. They are in everything from food packaging to cookware to clothing to carpeting and have been used in commercial and industrial applications worldwide since the 1940s. Consequently, nearly all people in the United States have measurable amounts of PFAS in their blood.

For most people, exposure to PFAS does not have a noticeable impact on their overall health. However, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) reported potential adverse health effects, especially in sensitive populations, in persons with PFAS blood levels between 2 and 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), and an increased risk of adverse effects at PFAS blood levels over 20 ng/mL.

The risk of health effects associated with PFAS depends on many factors including exposure (e.g., dose, frequency, route, and duration), individual factors (e.g., sensitivity and underlying medical conditions), and other determinants of health (e.g., access to quality healthcare). To learn more, visit the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) website.

Health effects potentially associated with PFAS exposure include increases in cholesterol levels, decreases in birth weight, lower antibody response to vaccines, kidney and testicular cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and changes in liver enzymes.

PFAS blood serum tests provide actionable information. For instance, if a blood test reveals PFAS blood levels above 20 ng/mL, physicians can closely monitor that individual using routine testing (e.g., lipid panel, liver function test) to catch and treat conditions early.

The decision whether to get a PFAS blood serum test should be a mutual decision made between an individual and their medical provider based on factors such as the individual's exposure history,

Mental Health Services

The PFAS Fund is developing a system to provide free access to mental health services for eligible individuals.

Farming is generally recognized as a high-stress profession. Knowledge of PFAS exposure and concerns about health effects, financial stability, and an uncertain future can amplify existing feelings of stress and anxiety.

The PFAS Fund is working to address these concerns through a support system that will likely include:

1. Individual one-on-one supportive counseling delivered by mental health providers who understand the unique characteristics of farming and the associated health and mental health vulnerabilities, including those caused by exposure to contaminants,
2. A trained peer support network supported with ongoing supervision,
3. Web-based resources to assist farmers address, and where possible remediate, underlying sources of stress, and
4. Potentially
1. A 24/7 hotline
2. Trainings for agricultural service providers