On August 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved a pilot study at Pease International Tradeport to examine health implications related to per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) exposure.
Recently, efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health impact of emerging contaminants in water supplies, and in the 2018 NDAA, established the first-ever nationwide health study on the impacts of PFAS in drinking water.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), in particular, fought for Pease International Tradeport to be included. Pease will serve as a model site through this pilot study for the nationwide PFAS health study. Now that this major administrative hurdle has been cleared, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will begin logistical and planning efforts to implement the study, which will begin this fall.
Following the announcement, Sen. Shaheen released the following statement: "This has been a long time coming for our families in New Hamspshire who've been impacted by PFAS contamination and for our community activists who've tirelessly fought for our meaningful action in response to their exposure. This is an important step forward in our broader efforts to combat PFAS contamination and to ensure Granite Staters have confidence in the safety of their drinking water. I'll keep fighting for dedicated research and resources to uncover the health impact of PFAS exposure, to remediate contaminated sites, and ultimately, to get this hazardous chemical out of our environment and away from our families."
