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WQ.108/2023
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY DEPUTY R.J. WARD OF ST. HELIER CENTRAL
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 13th MARCH 2023
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 20th MARCH 2023
Question
Will the Minister advise what actions, if any, are being taken following the return of blood test results from Islanders who have had PFAS exposure; and further will the Minister provide details on what plans, if any, are in place to address the PFAS levels in people's systems and the time scale for any such actions?
Answer
Islanders were provided with access to the Listening Lounge to access psychological support at the time of receiving their original results letter, if they felt that they were experiencing stress or anxiety as a result of PFAS exposure. Additionally, Islanders were advised that if they were using a private water supply that they should contact Environmental Health, should they want it tested for PFAS. Further, they were advised not to drink water that they believed had been contaminated with PFAS.
There is no international agreement about the health impacts of PFAS and research is difficult to interpret without specialist knowledge. Consequently, it was agreed to establish a PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel, which the Public Health team are presently establishing. This is an independent group who will assess the scientific evidence and make recommendations to Government about what actions are needed.
The first matter that this Panel will be addressing is clinical interventions – providing evidence-based recommendations about treatments or interventions for people with high levels of PFAS in their blood to reduce it. The first meeting of the panel is intended to be held in April, and recruitment is on track. It is intended that a first report will be available in Q3 of 2023.