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Sean Oshima spent two summers at Songbird Farm in Unity and created some of his happiest memories. Five years later, in 2022, this organic farm discovered PFAS contamination in its soil and water.
Worried that he might have been infected, Oshima was reluctant to undergo a blood test for “eternal chemicals” linked to diseases such as kidney and testicular cancer. At the urging of his mother and the owner of the farm, he finally did so in December.
“At first I thought, ‘Maybe I’m being influenced by this,'” said Oshima, 31, a musician based in Portland. “But it’s kind of nice not to know.”
In the fall, the state program sent nearly 700 letters to people whose wells tested high for PFAS, encouraging them to get tested and offering state assistance in paying for the tests. But the effort has been slow to get started, and as of mid-February, the state had collected just 164 positive tests, likely only a fraction of those exposed to high levels of PFAS.
Resistance to testing and other barriers, such as lack of insurance, leave few Maine residents tested despite statewide efforts aimed at tracking health conditions related to exposure and finding new contamination hotspots.
“Some people are very interested in getting tested,” says Dr. Rachel Criswell, a family physician and PFAS health expert at Redington Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan. “And some people say, ‘I don’t want to know if I’m going to die from something. There’s nothing I can do about it. The damage is already done.'”
Maine officials have identified more than 90 farms with dangerous levels of PFAS. In 2022, lawmakers approved a $60 million PFAS fund aimed at helping farmers and others whose land has been affected by the spread of sewage sludge. The fund began in the 1980s and unwittingly caused widespread pollution, a practice that is now prohibited.
Most of Criswell’s patients were from central Maine, where PFAS exposure from sludge spraying was more common than in other parts of the state. She said only about 10% of people at risk choose to get tested at her clinic.
Blood being drawn at Quest Diagnostics’ Patient Service Center. Maine regulators recently contracted with the company to draw blood for PFAS testing at its centers in Bangor, Topsham and Presque Isle. Photo courtesy of Quest Diagnostics
PFAS exposure is important information for future treatment, Criswell said, as is knowing genetics and smoking history. If someone has been exposed, she may recommend annual screenings for cholesterol, thyroid problems, or kidney cancer.
Some people want to get tested but are running into hurdles. Lisa Toles, a 61-year-old immigrant farm worker who has worked on contaminated farms and greenhouses throughout central Maine for 20 years, received one in the mail and immediately wanted to get tested.
“The letter I received was a total shock. No one knew there was PFAS in the area where I worked,” she said. “I picked and planted things and moved by hand an old pile of sludge with old toilet paper sticking out. No one told us it was going to be a pile of chemicals forever.”
However, to participate in this program, you must have health insurance or a doctor’s signature authorizing a blood test.
Toles said she is waiting because she doesn’t have insurance and can’t afford to see a doctor. She said her work has slowed as farms have closed or suspended operations after learning they were contaminated with PFAS. She just got a job at a call center and will be buying insurance for the first time in 10 years.
“I want to know my numbers so I know what I need to do proactively to monitor my health,” she said of her plans to get tested in a month when her insurance covers it.
As of mid-February, nearly 30% of blood tests reported to the CDC were considered high. The letter touting the state’s testing assistance comes months after the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking PFAS-positive blood tests, whether or not they come from state-led programs.
Insurers appear to be paying more for testing than state officials initially expected. The state has allocated $1.3 million for blood tests, but has received just over $1,300 in bills so far.
Insurance is one reason state officials can’t track the total number of people who have taken blood tests. Beth Valentine, director of the PFAS Fund, said if the plan covers the entire test, the fund will not receive a bill. The Maine CDC does not collect data on people who test negative.
Sean Oshima was exposed to PFAS while working at Songbird Farm in Unity. At first I was hesitant to ask about my PFAS levels, but after getting two PFAS blood tests and receiving treatment, my levels have come down, so I encourage others to get tested as well. Photo courtesy of Sean Oshima
Valentine said the state has recently made efforts to expand testing. In January, pre-approved patients were able to get tested at Augusta’s annual agricultural fair.
The PFAS Fund is also working to update testing requirements to include more types of farm workers and extend the period during which people can request testing.
Criswell also believes people who are initially tested for high levels will take advantage of the state program when seeking subsequent tests.
Despite her initial resistance, Oshima now encourages others to find out if they have been exposed. After testing positive in December, doctors prescribed him an old treatment for lowering cholesterol called cholestyramine.
After taking the drug for three months, his PFAS levels plummeted by 70%, below the threshold for high testing.
“There are still a lot of question marks[about PFAS]but I think it’s good to do something about it,” Oshima said.
Support for this article was provided by the Unity Foundation, funds from the Maine Community Foundation, and donations from BDN readers.
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Lori Valligura, Bangor Daily News
Lori Valigula is an investigative reporter covering the environment for the Main Focus Team. bangor daily news.
She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Boston University, was a Knight Journalism Fellow at MIT, and has extensive international reporting experience in Europe and Asia. Lori has designed a log cabin where she lives in western Maine and enjoys snowshoeing, hiking, and traveling.
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