FOUNTAIN – It was a packed house on Thursday night as people gathered inside First United Methodist Church in Fountain.
New information was revealed on the effects of groundwater contamination in the Security-Widefield and Fountain areas.
Testing has shown that residents have some of the highest concentrations of cancer-causing PFCs in the entire country. The focus of the meeting was to share blood results of the 220 people that signed up for a blood study last year.
Cory Wooldridge said, “I would just like some answers.”
Wooldridge is just one of about 70,000 residents living in the Fountain, Security-Widefield areas. The belief is that contamination was introduced into the aquifer by firefighting foam that was used by Peterson Air Force Base.
Wooldridge said, “I’m concerned for the safety of my children because they’re young and growing up with these contamination concerns.”
These chemicals in drinking water can increase the chances of getting cancer, liver damage, and decreased fertility. To try and figure out how residents have been affected blood samples were taken.
Some of the results touched on cholesterol levels. A healthy level of total cholesterol is
is below 200 and “high” is 240 and above. This study group had a range between 99 and 302.
Residents who were tested for other chemicals in their blood stream learned that their levels
were as much as 10 times higher than the national average, others 40 to 70 percent higher.
The Colorado School of Public Health will be taking more samples in 2019 and more meetings will be held.
As far as any legal implications of the exposure and contamination, representatives with the McDivitt Law Firm, which was spearheading a class action lawsuit, said there are thousands of clients who’ve filed personal injury cases in Colorado. Those cases will be consolidated with others from around the country and then sent to federal district court in South Carolina.
