`Forever Chemicals’ Exposure Data Emerging From Federal Studies

Residents of a Massachusetts city had four times the national average of a type of “forever chemical” in their blood, possibly from water consumed years ago, according to community-wide data emerging from a federal study.

The findings of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and six other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the blood of 459 people living in Westfield, Mass., near Barnes Air National Guard Base were among the first study results recently posted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

The study is one of eight Congress ordered the agency, part of the Centers for Disease Control ...