Federal health officials announced they will study human exposure to a family of chemicals called PFAS.

They are looking at communities that surround eight military bases where toxic substances from firefighting foam had leached into surrounding watersheds. One of those is the New Castle Air National Guard base.

Water around the Dover Air Force Base also has been contaminated, though that area will not be part of the study. The feds said they may conduct similar exposure assessments in other communities, such as those around Dover, in the future.

Certain studies have shown that PFAS exposure may affect the growth, learning and behavior of infants and older children. It may also lower a woman’s chance of getting pregnant and increase the risk of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Over the next year, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will descend into neighborhoods around the New Castle National Guard base to determine levels of the substances within the blood and urine of area residents, health officials said on Thursday.

To read our full story available to subscribers about the study in New Castle, click here.

For more information about PFAS, go to www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html or call federal health officials at 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636).

Contact Karl Baker at kbaker@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2329. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.

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