The Town of Stella was selected for a multi-year study looking into the effects of PFAS on residents.
As WXPR has previously reported, private wells in the Oneida County township have some of the highest rates of PFAS in the country.
PFAS are a group of manmade chemicals used in some nonstick products and things like firefighting foam.
The study is led by Dr. Amy Schultz, a senior scientist in the department of population, health sciences at UW-Madison. The study has received a grant of more than $3 million from the National Institute of Health to conduct the research.
“The main goal is to understand how PFAS in the Stella Township area is getting to people's bodies, and whether those exposures are related to specifically changes in cholesterol and other blood lipids,” said Schultz.
The study will also be looking into household dust, indoor and outdoor air, garden soil, garden produce, deer meat, fish, and household drinking water. The study will dig into various understudied PFAS.
Recruitment will be looking for roughly 450 to 500 participants to collect a current blood sample, and then return in two years for another study visit. This is to monitor current exposure and how it changes over time.
“We'll be looking at associations with fats in the body, and that's because there's evidence to suggest that PFAS can dysregulate or disrupt lipid metabolism," said Schultz. "That might be an important biological pathway to study that might uncover future just findings in terms of how PFAS affect other health outcomes as well."
Schultz is working with the Town of Stella to allow residents to have a leadership role in the effort and tailor the study to best serve them as it is conducted.
“I plan to present at town hall meetings, and I've been updating the board as soon as I know things," said Schultz. "Transparency is front and center."
To be eligible to participate, the study is looking for those with Stella as their primary residence, live within a four to five mile radius from the Stella Town Hall, and have lived in their residence for at least a year. Schultz says that they are looking for participants beginning at age six.
The eligibility may change depending on how many participants they get.
Recruitment is anticipated to begin in December or January.
Maria Peralta-Arellano is a reporter covering water quality and the environment for WXPR and a Report for America corps member. Report for America recruits, places and supports talented journalists in local newsrooms across the United States. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work and Report for America will match it dollar for dollar. Donate here.
