PFOA In The Blood One Person’s Story

by Alex Brooks
Many in the area who received their blood test results recently are struggling to adjust to a new reality that includes the possibility that PFOA in their blood may cause disease. One of those is Emily Marpe of Petersburgh, who has learned that her blood contains 322 parts per billion. Her daughter was found to have 207 ppb in her blood, and her son 107 ppb. She said, “When I first read those numbers, I was blown away.”  When she got home she lingered in the driveway for a while, because it was hard to go in the house and tell her family about the results.[private]“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” she said. Her house is about .4 miles north (downstream) of Taconic on Route 22. The water in her house was found to have 2100 parts per trillion of PFOA in it. She has only lived there for 4½ years.
She said, “When I bought this house I thought I was buying my dream house. I expected to live here forever. But now my dream house has become my nightmare, and I don’t want to live here anymore.”
Marpe cited a statement made by Dr. David Savitz, a professor at Brown University who was one of the three members of the C-8 Science panel and is now one of the leading researchers on PFOA in the country. He said in an interview with a reporter from Albany News Channel 10 that when blood levels get above 84 parts per billion, the risk of disease gets much higher. “My whole family is above that level,” she said.
She said she doesn’t know too many people in Petersburgh who have had their blood tested. She hopes more people will get the test done. “It’s the only way to know what your exposure has been,” she said.
Blood monitoring for Petersburgh residents is offered (by appointment only) at no cost at the HAYC3 Armory in Hoosick Falls on Saturday June 18, 9 am to 3 pm, and Tuesday June 28, 2 to 7 pm  To get an appointment, call (518) 402-7950.
Marpe said she is fighting to get the NYS Department of Health to come to Petersburgh to take blood samples. She feels that having the service offered only in Hoosick Falls discourages Petersburgh residents from getting tested.
She said, “We need the data.”  She said if people from Petersburgh get their blood tested, then the Town would know where it stands in relation to PFOA. Without that information, there’s a lot more guessing involved.
Marpe said, “It’s very scary. We don’t know what the result of this is going to be.”  She speaks for many who have received high numbers when their blood test results arrived.[/private]