FAIRFIELD, Maine — It's been called a "slow-motion" disaster. Contamination from toxic chemicals known as PFAS seeped into the water supply of hundreds of farms and properties across Maine.
The source was wastewater sludge trucked to farms and spread as fertilizer for decades.
Now, two doctors are taking a deeper look at Mainers dealing with the emotional toll caused by the ongoing crisis to provide better health monitoring and mental health support in the future.
Ashley and Troy Reny love making dinner together, but the worry is never far from their minds.
"You try to block it out some days, other days it's all you think about," Troy admitted.
In November 2020, just months after purchasing their "dream home," the couple discovered their drinking water was poison—testing more than 1,200 times Maine's current drinking water standards for PFAS chemicals. The source was wastewater sludge used as fertilizer on a nearby dairy farm that seeped into the groundwater. Escaping the stress of toxic exposure is next to impossible.
"You don't know if your health is going to start deteriorating or if your house is still worth what you thought it was, lots of anxiety," Ashley said.
Dr. Rachel Criswell is a family practitioner at Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, monitoring patients with elevated levels of the compounds in their blood.
"Seeing folks in my clinic, for some people it has destroyed their lives ... understandably," Dr. Criswell said.
The chemicals, which take years to break down, have been linked to several health issues from breast cancer to thyroid problems and low birth weight in newborns.
The couple participated in a groundbreaking study by Dr. Criswell and Dr. Abby Fleisch, a pediatric endocrinologist at Maine Medical Center. The two-pronged study involves 150 patients who range from elevated to no exposure.
Physicians are looking at the mental health impact and the different ways people may have been exposed besides drinking water. They also took blood serum samples, which will be analyzed by a Centers for Disease Control lab.
"Eating wild deer, whether they were eating wild fish, and we hope looking at that data and looking at blood levels will tell us something about exposure pathways in the setting of sludge," Dr. Criswell explained.
Adam Nordell and his wife, Johanna Davis, had to shut down their organic farm after PFAS was discovered in the water, the soil, and inside their bodies. Nordell, who spent years working the soil and eating what they produced, also participated in the study.
"How much time people spend doing various activities, what their diets look like, and hopefully understand what's happening and the risks," Nordell added.
People who have been exposed to PFAS could get some much-needed help when it comes to blood testing. The Legislature's health and human services committee recently approved a bill, LD 132, requiring insurance carriers to cover PFAS blood tests completely.
Troy and Ashley, meanwhile, are encouraged that the data from the study could be used to guide doctors when it comes to monitoring any potential conditions and improving mental health support.
The study's findings are expected to be released within a year. Farmers and property owners dealing with contamination from sludge spreading could qualify for blood testing, and mental health services monitoring through the PFAS fund, expected to be rolled out in a few months.