Bloom studying New York state communities exposed to PFAS contaminated drinking water

Michael Bloom, Associate Professor, Global and Community Health, is serving as co-investigator and environmental epidemiologist along with Drs. Erin Bell, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and Elizabeth Lewis-Michl, Research Scientist and Director, Division of Environmental Health Assessment at the New York State Department of Health, for the study. Bloom will work with Bell and Lewis-Michl and the other investigators in providing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure expertise and insight. He will participate in team conference calls, and will respond to requests for information or comments. He will also contribute to analytic design, interpreting results, preparing grant applications, and preparing conference abstracts and manuscripts on findings from the study.

"Perfluoroalkyl substances, comprise a large family of long-lived, biologically active, and widely distributed synthetic chemicals that have been employed for myriad industrial and commercial applications since the 1950s. Human populations accumulate many of these chemicals after ingesting contaminated food and water, using contaminated commercial products in person or in the home, and possibly being exposed in the workplace. Given their potential multisystem toxicity indicated by the results of experimental studies using cell culture and animal models, a greater understanding of the threat to human populations, and the design of efficient interventions to mitigate exposure, are critical for managing the adverse health impacts of perfluoroalkyl substances," Bloom said.

Bloom received $16,072 for this project. The money came through the University at Albany, SUNY, which was awarded the grant from the Centers for Disease Control/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding is a subcontract to the University of Albany award. Funding began in April 2021 and will end in late September 2021.

Provided by George Mason University