PFAS Fund: Health

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Introduction to the PFAS Fund's Health Initiatives

The Plan for the Administration of the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination (PDF) includes various strategies to support physical and mental well-being. The PFAS Fund launched a program to provide free PFAS blood serum testing to eligible individuals in September 2025. We expect to roll out supportive mental health services in 2026.

Eligibility

Individuals who lived or worked within the past 10 years on commercial farms where groundwater tested above 20 ppt (sum of 6 PFAS) and/or the soil measured above 170 ppb PFOS are eligible for these programs. Similarly, non-farm Maine residents whose private well water or soil exceed these thresholds will be able to access these services if the contamination was due to the land application of biosolids (i.e., sludge). These eligibility criteria are based on Maine’s current drinking water standard and State guidelines for soil remediation.

A waiver of these eligibility requirements may be possible (see Waivers below).

Blood Testing

Background Information

PFAS are ubiquitous. They are in everything from food packaging to cookware to clothing to carpeting and have been used in commercial and industrial applications worldwide since the 1940s. Consequently, nearly all people in the United States have measurable amounts of PFAS in their blood.

For most people, exposure to PFAS does not have a noticeable impact on their overall health. However, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) reported potential adverse health effects, especially in sensitive populations, in persons with PFAS blood levels between 2 and 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL), and an increased risk of adverse effects at PFAS blood levels over 20 ng/mL.

The risk of health effects associated with PFAS depends on many factors including exposure (e.g., dose, frequency, route, and duration), individual factors (e.g., sensitivity and underlying medical conditions), and other determinants of health (e.g., access to quality healthcare). To learn more, visit the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) website.

Health effects potentially associated with PFAS exposure include increases in cholesterol levels, decreases in birth weight, lower antibody response to vaccines, kidney and testicular cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, and changes in liver enzymes.

PFAS blood serum tests can provide actionable information. For instance, if a blood test reveals PFAS blood levels above 20 ng/mL, physicians can closely monitor that individual using routine testing (e.g., lipid panel, liver function test) to catch and treat conditions early.

The decision whether to get a PFAS blood serum test should be a mutual decision made between an individual and their medical provider based on factors such as the individual's exposure history.

Blood serum testing paid for by the PFAS Fund

The cost of PFAS blood serum testing has been a barrier for many people. To remove this financial concern, the PFAS Fund will pay for blood serum testing for eligible individuals.

Since September 2025, the PFAS Fund has mailed notification letters to over 600 residences, informing them that household members are presumptively eligible for PFAS blood serum testing based on water and/or soil testing conducted by the State of Maine. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has also begun to notify presumptively eligible households.

If you believe you meet the eligibility criteria above but have not received information about how to access blood testing, please email PFASFund.DACF@maine.gov or call 207-313-0962.

People who have received a letter should respond to the enclosed or linked questionnaire. The PFAS Fund will then verify eligibility and mail authorization forms to approved individuals.

An approved individual who wants testing should talk to their doctor to understand their risk of exposure. Together they can discuss whether blood testing would be appropriate and, if so, their doctor will order the test using the information on the authorization form. Blood test results will be reported to the medical professional who ordered the test. Results with detectable levels of PFAS will also be reported to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MECDC). DACF will not receive any clinical information.

Waivers

As noted above, people who lived or worked within the past 10 years on property where groundwater tested above 20 ppt (sum of 6 PFAS) and/or the soil measured above 170 ppb PFOS are eligible for PFAS blood serum testing paid for by the PFAS Fund. In limited circumstances, DACF will consider requests for testing from people who do not meet these criteria.

Waivers of the eligibility requirements will be considered when there is a documented link between PFAS exposure and the land application of biosolids. For each waiver request, DACF will ask MECDC to interview the applicant and investigate exposure pathways in consultation with Maine DEP and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, as applicable. Following its investigation, Maine CDC will offer an opinion about whether an elevated and actionable PFAS blood level is likely, as likely as not, or unlikely. DACF will make the final decision about whether to grant a waiver.

To request a waiver request form, please email PFASFund.DACF@maine.gov or call 207-313-0962.

Additional Resources

Mental Health Services (Anticipated 2026)

The PFAS Fund is developing a system to provide free access to mental health services for eligible individuals.

Farming is generally recognized as a high-stress profession. Knowledge of PFAS exposure and concerns about health effects, financial stability, and an uncertain future can amplify existing feelings of stress and anxiety.

The PFAS Fund is working to address these concerns through a support system that may include:

  • Individual one-on-one supportive counseling delivered by mental health providers who understand the unique characteristics of farming and the associated health and mental health vulnerabilities, including those caused by exposure to contaminants,
  • A trained peer support network,
  • Web-based resources to assist farmers address underlying sources of stress, separate from PFAS, and
  • Potentially a 24/7 hotline and mental health first aid training for agricultural service providers.

Support for Health Studies

The PFAS Fund is sponsoring research to help better understand exposure routes and treatment options. In particular, the PFAS Fund is supporting the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s investigation of whether certain levels of PFAS contamination in soils represent a significant source of ongoing exposure to agricultural workers.

The PFAS Fund is also supporting a case series to document and disseminate information about clinical use of the cholesterol-lowering drug cholestyramine to reduce levels of PFAS in the human body.