{"id":11579295,"date":"2025-07-28T11:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T15:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11579295&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=11579295"},"modified":"2025-07-28T11:50:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T15:50:32","slug":"pfas-medical-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/28\/pfas-medical-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid PFAS fallout, a Maine doctor navigates medical risks with her patients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Marina Schauffler, KFF Health News<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Lawrence and Penny Higgins of Fairfield, Maine, first learned in 2020 that high levels of toxic chemicals called PFAS taint their home\u2019s well water, they wondered how their health might suffer. They had consumed the water for decades, given it to their pets and farm animals, and used it to irrigate their vegetable garden and fruit trees.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related left\"><h2 class=\"widget-title\" data-curated-ids=\"\" data-relation-type=\"automatic-primary-section\">Related Articles<\/h2><ul><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/28\/planned-parenthood-funding-cuts-blocked\/\" title=\"Judge blocks Trump administration\u2019s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tJudge blocks Trump administration\u2019s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/28\/hopkins-researching-danger-level-of-foul-pistachio-tides-on-magothy-river\/\" title=\"Hopkins researching danger level of foul \u2018pistachio tides\u2019 on Magothy River\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title premium\">\n\t\t\tHopkins researching danger level of foul \u2018pistachio tides\u2019 on Magothy River\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/27\/hiv-exposure-laws\/\" title=\"Louisiana upholds its HIV exposure law as other states change or repeal theirs\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tLouisiana upholds its HIV exposure law as other states change or repeal theirs\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/27\/harm-reduction-not-enough-baltimore\/\" title=\"Harm reduction helps, but Baltimore addiction crisis needs more treatment, advocates say\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title premium\">\n\t\t\tHarm reduction helps, but Baltimore addiction crisis needs more treatment, advocates say\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/27\/georgia-medicaid-work-requirements-example\/\" title=\"Georgia shows rough road ahead for states as Medicaid work requirements loom\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tGeorgia shows rough road ahead for states as Medicaid work requirements loom\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><\/ul><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to find out just what it\u2019s going to do to us,\u201d Penny Higgins said. They contacted a couple of doctors, but \u201cwe were met with a brick wall. Nobody knew anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Worse still, she added, they \u201creally didn\u2019t want to hear about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many clinicians remain unaware of the health risks linked to PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, despite rising medical and public awareness of the chemicals and their toxicity. PFAS can affect nearly every organ system and linger in bodies for decades, raising risks of cancer, immune deficiencies, and pregnancy complications.<\/p>\n<p>These \u201cforever chemicals\u201d have been widely used since the 1950s in products including cosmetics, cookware, clothing, carpeting, food packaging, and <a href=\"https:\/\/mainemorningstar.com\/tag\/pfas-firehose\/\">firefighting foam<\/a>. Researchers say they <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-drinking-water-rural-california\/\">permeate water systems and soils<\/a> nationwide, with a federal study estimating that at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/news\/national-news-release\/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us\">45% of U.S. tap water<\/a> is contaminated. PFAS can be detected in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atsdr.cdc.gov\/pfas\/blood-testing\/index.html\">blood of nearly all Americans<\/a>, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n<p>Maine was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saferstates.org\/priorities\/pfas\/\">among the first states<\/a> to begin extensive water and soil testing and to try to limit further public exposure to PFAS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pierceatwood.com\/maine-pfas-tracker-maine-standards-and-proposed-actions\">through policy action<\/a>, after discovering that farms and residences \u2014 like the Higgins\u2019 property \u2014 had been contaminated by <a href=\"https:\/\/themainemonitor.org\/a-spreading-problem-how-pfas-got-into-soils-and-food-systems\/\">land-spreading of wastewater sludge<\/a> containing PFAS. Exposure can also be high for people living near military bases, fire training areas, landfills, or manufacturing facilities.<\/p>\n<p>In regions where testing reveals <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewg.org\/interactive-maps\/pfas_contamination\/\">PFAS hot spots<\/a>, medical providers can be caught flat-footed and patients left adrift.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11579297\"  class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Lawrence and Penny Higgins and other Central Maine residents serve on an advisory board for a Maine study assessing mental health consequences of PFAS exposure in rural residents. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)\" width=\"2400\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"11579297\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-2-MCT_ef41a9.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lawrence and Penny Higgins and other Central Maine residents serve on an advisory board for a Maine study assessing mental health consequences of PFAS exposure in rural residents. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rachel Criswell, a family practice doctor and environmental health researcher, is working to change that. She was completing her residency in Central Maine around the time that the Higginses and others there began discovering the extent of the contamination. Her medical training at Columbia University included more than a year in Norway researching the effects of PFAS and other chemicals on maternal and infant health.<\/p>\n<p>When patients began asking about PFAS, Criswell and the state toxicologist offered primary care providers lunchtime presentations on how to respond. Since then, she has fielded frequent PFAS questions from doctors and patients throughout the state.<\/p>\n<p>Even knowledgeable providers can find it challenging to stay current given rapidly evolving scientific information and few established protocols. \u201cThe work I do is exhausting and time-consuming and sometimes frustrating,\u201d Criswell said, \u201cbut it\u2019s exactly what I should be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Phil Brown, a Northeastern University sociology professor and a co-director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/pfasproject.com\/about\/\">PFAS Project Lab<\/a>, said the medical community \u201cdoesn\u2019t know a lot about occupational and environmental health,\u201d adding that \u201cit\u2019s a very minimal part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aamc.org\/news\/experts-see-growing-importance-adding-environmental-health-content-medical-school-curricula\">medical school curriculum<\/a>\u201d and continuing education.<\/p>\n<p>Courtney Carignan, an environmental epidemiologist at Michigan State University, said learning of PFAS exposure, whether from their drinking water or occupational sources, \u201cis a sensitive and upsetting situation for people\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s helpful if their doctors can take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clinical guidance concerning PFAS improved after the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalacademies.org\/our-work\/guidance-on-pfas-testing-and-health-outcomes\">a report on PFAS<\/a> in 2022. It found strong evidence associating PFAS with kidney cancer, high cholesterol, reduced birth weights, and lower antibody responses to vaccines, and some evidence linking PFAS to breast and testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid and liver dysfunction, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.<\/p>\n<p>That guidance \u201crevolutionized my practice,\u201d Criswell said. \u201cInstead of being this hand-wavey thing where we don\u2019t know how to apply the research, it brought a degree of concreteness to PFAS exposure that was kind of missing before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The national academies affirmed what Criswell had already been recommending: Doctors should order blood tests for patients with known PFAS exposures.<\/p>\n<p>Testing for PFAS in blood \u2014 and for related medical conditions if needed \u2014 can help ease patients\u2019 anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere isn\u2019t a day that goes by,\u201d Lawrence Higgins said, \u201cthat we don\u2019t think and wonder when our bodies are going to shut down on us.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u2018Devastating but Incredibly Helpful\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>After finding out in 2021 that his family was <a href=\"https:\/\/foodprint.org\/what-youre-eating\/episode-16-pfas-the-forever-chemicals-in-your-food\/\">exposed to PFAS<\/a> through sludge spread on their Unity, Maine, farm decades earlier, Adam Nordell discovered that \u201cit was exceedingly difficult\u201d to get tested. \u201cOur family doctor had not heard of PFAS and didn\u2019t know what the test was,\u201d he said. A lab technician needed coaching from an outside expert to source the test. The lab analyzing the samples had a backlog that left the family waiting three months.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11579298\"  class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Before Lawrence Higgins discovered in 2020 that their home' s artesian well was contaminated with PFAS, he built a duck pond to help manage the overflow of water. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)\" width=\"2400\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"11579298\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-4-MCT.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Before Lawrence Higgins discovered in 2020 that their home&#8217; s artesian well was contaminated with PFAS, he built a duck pond to help manage the overflow of water. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe results were devastating but incredibly helpful,\u201d Nordell said. Their blood serum levels for PFAS were at roughly the 99th percentile nationally, far higher than their well-water levels would have predicted \u2014 indicating that additional exposure was probably coming from other sources such as soil contact, dust, and food.<\/p>\n<p>Blood levels of PFAS between 2 and 20 nanograms per milliliter may be problematic, the national academies reported. In highly contaminated settings, blood levels can run upward of 150 times the 20-ng\/mL risk threshold.<\/p>\n<p>Nordell and his family had been planning to remain on the farm and grow crops less affected by PFAS, but the test results persuaded them to leave. \u201cKnowledge is power,\u201d Nordell said, and having the blood data \u201cgave us agency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The national academies\u2019 guidance paved the way for more clinicians to <a href=\"https:\/\/pfas-exchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/PFAS-Blood-Testing-Document-May-2022.pdf\">order PFAS blood tests<\/a>. The cost, typically $400 to $600, can be prohibitive if not picked up by insurance, and not all insurers cover the testing. Deductibles and copays can also limit patients\u2019 capacity to get tested. Less costly finger-prick tests, administered at home, appear to capture some of the more commonly found PFAS as accurately as blood serum tests, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acs.est.2c09852\">Carignan and colleagues found<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Maine legislators recently <a href=\"https:\/\/mainemorningstar.com\/2025\/05\/14\/overwhelming-support-from-maine-lawmakers-to-require-insurance-coverage-for-pfas-blood-tests\/\">passed, with overwhelming support,<\/a> a bill \u2014 modeled after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurance.nh.gov\/pfas-faqs\">one in New Hampshire<\/a> \u2014 that would require insurers to consider PFAS blood testing part of preventive care, but it was carried over to the next legislative session.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn my mind, it\u2019s a no-brainer that the PFAS blood serum test should be universally offered \u2014 at no cost to the patient,\u201d said Nordell, who now works as a campaign manager for the nonprofit Defend Our Health. Early screening for the diseases associated with PFAS, he said, is \u201ca humane policy that\u2019s in the best interests of everyone involved\u201d \u2014 patients, providers, and insurance companies.<\/p>\n<p>Criswell tells colleagues in family practice that they can view elevated PFAS blood levels as a risk factor, akin to smoking. \u201cWhat\u2019s challenging as a primary care doctor is the nitty-gritty\u201d of the testing and screening logistics, she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11579299\"  class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Penny and Lawrence Higgins, after living at their home in Fairfield, Maine, for decades, discovered in 2020 that high levels of PFAS are present in their well water. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)\" width=\"2400\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"11579299\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-5-MCT.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Penny and Lawrence Higgins, after living at their home in Fairfield, Maine, for decades, discovered in 2020 that high levels of PFAS are present in their well water. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In trainings, she shares a handout summarizing the national academies\u2019 guidance \u2014 including associated heath conditions, blood testing, clinical follow-up, and exposure reduction \u2014 to which she has added details about lab test order codes, insurance costs and coverage, and water filtration.<\/p>\n<p>Criswell served on an advisory committee tasked with allocating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dacf\/ag\/pfas\/pfas-fund.shtml\">$60 million in state funds<\/a> to address PFAS contamination from past sludge-spreading in Maine. The group recommended that labs analyzing PFAS blood tests should report the results to state public health authorities.<\/p>\n<p>That change, slated to take effect this summer, will allow Maine health officials to follow up with people who have high PFAS blood levels to better determine potential sources and to share information on health risks and medical screening. As with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pierceatwood.com\/maine-pfas-tracker-maine-standards-and-proposed-actions\">many earlier PFAS policies<\/a>, Maine is among the first states to adopt this measure.<\/p>\n<p>Screening for PFAS is falling short in many places nationwide, said Kyle Horton, an internist in Wilmington, North Carolina, and founder of the nonprofit On Your Side Health. She estimates that only about 1 in 100 people facing high PFAS exposure are getting adequate medical guidance.<\/p>\n<p>Even in her <a href=\"https:\/\/genxstudy.ncsu.edu\/our-findings\/\">highly contaminated community<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019m not aware of anyone who is routinely screening or discussing PFAS mitigation with their patients,\u201d Horton said. Knowledge of local PFAS threats, she added, \u201chasn\u2019t translated over to folks managing patients differently or trying to get through to that next phase of medical monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Patients as Advocates<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>In heavily affected communities \u2014 including in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehn.org\/pfas-testing-2653577444.html\">Michigan<\/a>, Maine, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pfasactiongroup.com\/testing-labs\">Massachusetts<\/a> \u2014 patients are pushing the medical field to better understand PFAS.<\/p>\n<p>More doctors are speaking out as well. Testifying before a Maine legislative committee this year in support of a bill that would limit occupational PFAS exposure, Criswell said, \u201cWe, as physicians, who are sworn to protect the health of our patients, must pay attention to the underlying causes of the illnesses we treat and stand up for policy solutions that reduce these causes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even where policy changes are instituted, the physical and psychological toll of \u201cforever chemicals\u201d will extend far into the future. Criswell and other Maine doctors have observed chronic stress among patients.<\/p>\n<p>Nordell, the former farmer, described his family\u2019s contamination as \u201cdeeply, deeply jarring,\u201d an ordeal that has at times left him \u201cunmoored from a sense of security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To assess the mental health consequences of PFAS exposure in rural residents, Criswell and Abby Fleisch, a pediatric endocrinologist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research, teamed up on a study. In its first phase, winding up this summer, they collected blood samples and detailed lifestyle information from 147 people.<\/p>\n<p>Nordell, the Higginses, and other Central Maine residents sit on an advisory board for the study, a step Criswell said was critical to ensuring that their research helps those most affected by PFAS.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe urgency from the community is really needed,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I would be as fired up if my patients weren\u2019t such good advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Criswell has faced what she calls \u201ccognitive dissonance,\u201d caught between the deliberate pace of peer-reviewed medical research and the immediate needs of patients eager to lower their PFAS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/body-burden\">body burden<\/a>. Initially she considered inviting residents to participate in a clinical trial to test therapies that are considered safe and may help reduce PFAS levels in the body, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ehn.org\/pilot-study-finds-fiber-helps-reduce-pfas-levels-in-the-body-2671379113.html?vgo_ee=G3Tfe%2BO798v9tixm2YJac7uRlv7W2KTqNi1qI3aeZ9NnhBxYkE8%3D%3Ac0KBxWlEw8PE15u%2FL%2BMQRPbbyNNr86iZ\">high-fiber diets<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0160412024000837\">a drug<\/a> designed to reduce cholesterol called cholestyramine. But the clinical trial process could take years.<\/p>\n<p>Criswell and Fleisch are instead planning to produce a <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5630458\/\">case series<\/a> on PFAS blood-level changes in patients taking cholestyramine. \u201cWe can validate the research results and share those,\u201d Criswell said, potentially helping other patients.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11579300\"  class=\"wp-caption aligncenter size-article_inline\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A view of Skowhegan, Maine, on June 18, 2025. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)\" width=\"2400\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"11579300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-3-MCT.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of Skowhegan, Maine, on June 18, 2025. (Brianna Soukup\/KFF Health News\/TNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Alan Ducatman, an internist and occupational physician who helped design the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.c8sciencepanel.org\/\">largest PFAS cohort study<\/a> to date, said providers should convey that \u201cthere is no risk-benefit analysis\u201d for any of the current treatments, although they\u2019re generally well known and low-risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome people want to be treated, and they should be allowed to be treated,\u201d he said, because knowing they have high PFAS levels in their bodies \u201cpreys on them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a92025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many clinicians remain unaware of the health risks linked to PFAS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":11579296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-07-28T15:50:35Z","apple_news_api_id":"c9fa36ba-ab96-4222-be4e-6d6e2be01ed3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-07-28T15:50:35Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/Ayfo2uquWQiK-Tm1uK-Ae0w","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"subheadline":"Researchers say these &quot;forever chemicals&quot; permeate water systems and soils nationwide, with a federal study estimating that at least 45% of U.S. tap water is contaminated.","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[89,85],"tags":[],"feature":[],"location":[],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[23261],"class_list":["post-11579295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-news"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"89","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":"","print_workflow_exported_ts":"","print_workflow_exported_username":"","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":"","really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":{"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2025\/07\/28\/pfas-medical-risks","id":"cG9zdDoyMTczMDIz","siteName":"Sharing Dash","syndicationSourceStack":[{"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bostonherald.com\/2025\/07\/28\/pfas-medical-risks","id":"cG9zdDoyMTczMDIz","siteName":"Sharing Dash","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/sharingdash.medianewsgroup.com"}],"source_url":"https:\/\/sharingdash.medianewsgroup.com"},"market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"metered","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":11579296,"title":"202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-MCT-1","filename":"202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-MCT-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/202507240400MCT_____PHOTO____LIFE-HEALTH-MAINE-PFAS-MCT-1.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/28\/pfas-medical-risks\/202507240400mct_____photo____life-health-maine-pfas-mct-1\/","alt":"","author":"13","description":"","caption":"Rachel Criswell, a family practice doctor and environmental health researcher in Central Maine, works with colleagues and community residents to assess PFAS health impacts and fields questions about the&#8220; forever chemicals&#8221; from doctors and patients throughout the state. 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