Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia
Background Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a public health issue globally. In Australia high concentrations of PFAS have been found in environments close to sites where Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) were historically used for firefighting activities. This has resulted i...
Published in: | PLOS ONE |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2021
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 |
id |
crplos:10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crplos:10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 2024-06-23T07:52:49+00:00 Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia Banwell, Cathy Housen, Tambri Smurthwaite, Kayla Trevenar, Susan Walker, Liz Todd, Katherine Rosas, May Kirk, Martyn DeWitt, Jamie C. Department of Health, Australian Government 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 en eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PLOS ONE volume 16, issue 1, page e0245141 ISSN 1932-6203 journal-article 2021 crplos https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 2024-06-11T04:25:47Z Background Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a public health issue globally. In Australia high concentrations of PFAS have been found in environments close to sites where Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) were historically used for firefighting activities. This has resulted in significant community concern about the potential long-term health effects of these chemicals. Objective We describe residents’ perceptions and experiences of PFAS in three regional Australian towns where exposure has occurred. Methods We conducted focus groups to generate free-flowing open discussion on PFAS in three affected communities, including some with significant numbers of First Nations Peoples. We recruited participants using a range of media outlets and postal services. Focus group transcripts were analysed thematically to identify major shared concerns using Atlas Ti. Results One hundred and eighty residents attended fifteen focus groups that were conducted in the three communities. They included 69 First Nations People living in three communities near the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Study participants were concerned about potential physical health effects of exposure to PFAS, such as cancer clusters, unexplained deaths, potential exacerbation of existing health conditions, and the future health of their children. They expressed feelings of stress and anxiety about living with uncertainty related to the possible health and the socio-economic impacts of PFAS contamination in their communities. Conclusion While research has concentrated on the physical health effects of PFAS, more attention needs to be given to the immediate psychosocial impacts of living in an affected community. Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations PLOS PLOS ONE 16 1 e0245141 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
PLOS |
op_collection_id |
crplos |
language |
English |
description |
Background Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a public health issue globally. In Australia high concentrations of PFAS have been found in environments close to sites where Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) were historically used for firefighting activities. This has resulted in significant community concern about the potential long-term health effects of these chemicals. Objective We describe residents’ perceptions and experiences of PFAS in three regional Australian towns where exposure has occurred. Methods We conducted focus groups to generate free-flowing open discussion on PFAS in three affected communities, including some with significant numbers of First Nations Peoples. We recruited participants using a range of media outlets and postal services. Focus group transcripts were analysed thematically to identify major shared concerns using Atlas Ti. Results One hundred and eighty residents attended fifteen focus groups that were conducted in the three communities. They included 69 First Nations People living in three communities near the town of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Study participants were concerned about potential physical health effects of exposure to PFAS, such as cancer clusters, unexplained deaths, potential exacerbation of existing health conditions, and the future health of their children. They expressed feelings of stress and anxiety about living with uncertainty related to the possible health and the socio-economic impacts of PFAS contamination in their communities. Conclusion While research has concentrated on the physical health effects of PFAS, more attention needs to be given to the immediate psychosocial impacts of living in an affected community. |
author2 |
DeWitt, Jamie C. Department of Health, Australian Government |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Banwell, Cathy Housen, Tambri Smurthwaite, Kayla Trevenar, Susan Walker, Liz Todd, Katherine Rosas, May Kirk, Martyn |
spellingShingle |
Banwell, Cathy Housen, Tambri Smurthwaite, Kayla Trevenar, Susan Walker, Liz Todd, Katherine Rosas, May Kirk, Martyn Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia |
author_facet |
Banwell, Cathy Housen, Tambri Smurthwaite, Kayla Trevenar, Susan Walker, Liz Todd, Katherine Rosas, May Kirk, Martyn |
author_sort |
Banwell, Cathy |
title |
Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia |
title_short |
Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia |
title_full |
Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia |
title_fullStr |
Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): A qualitative study in Australia |
title_sort |
health and social concerns about living in three communities affected by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (pfas): a qualitative study in australia |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
PLOS ONE volume 16, issue 1, page e0245141 ISSN 1932-6203 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245141 |
container_title |
PLOS ONE |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
e0245141 |
_version_ |
1802644231259422720 |