Shaheen: $15M for PFAS health study in defense bill
This year's National Defense Authorization Act includes $15 million to continue a national PFAS health study established by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH.
The annual legislation also includes a provision from Shaheen's standalone legislation to address health concerns regarding firefighters’ occupational exposure to the harmful PFAS chemical contaminants through their personal protective equipment.
Senate and House Armed Services Committee leadership released the final text of the NDAA Thursday after conferencing to solve differences between the bills previously passed in both chambers.
With the final agreement, both chambers will consider the final bill before it’s sent to President Donald Trump.
Shaheen said Thursday "the prevalence of PFAS in New Hampshire communities and more across the country has caused serious concern among those exposed, leading too many Americans to worry about the safety of their drinking water."
"That’s unacceptable and demands a serious response from Congress that matches the threat of this problem, which is precisely what these measures seek to do," Shaheen said. "The PFAS health impact study will shed light on the health effects of those who’ve been exposed to help guide important health decisions. Not only will it provide overdue answers to those who’ve been impacted, but it will help direct our ongoing response."
She also referenced the provision aimed at firefighters’ PPE, which she said "is critical to ensure the equipment meant to keep them safe doesn’t inadvertently contain chemicals that could threaten their health."
"Combating PFAS contamination will require a comprehensive strategy and my provisions in this year’s NDAA will make good on that effort," Shaheen said.
"I look forward to seeing this bill advance and urge Senate and House leadership to move swiftly."
Thousands of people working at Pease International Tradeport, along with children and infants who attended two day cares there, were exposed to multiple PFAS chemicals from contaminated water in the city-owned Haven well until its closure in 2014.
The water was contaminated by firefighting foam used at the former Pease Air Force Base, which also exposed airmen to the contamination.
PFAS are man-made chemicals used in products worldwide since the 1950s, including firefighting foam, non-stick cookware and water-repellent fabrics.
They also have a range of applications in the aerospace, aviation, automotive and electronics industries, among others.
In addition to being a suspected carcinogen, PFAS exposure can harm childhood development, increase cholesterol levels, damage the immune system and interfere with the human hormones, according to the Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is conducting the health study.
The national PFAS Health Study – along with the Pease pilot study – was created through legislation crafted and pushed through Congress by Shaheen.
Portsmouth mother and environmental activist Andrea Amico called the inclusion of the PFAS measures in the NDAA "excellent news."
"The Pease Health Study is critically important to bringing answers to the community about what the PFAS exposure means," Amico, the co-founder of Testing For Pease, said Thursday.
"We need funding to continue the work on that study and to continue to find answers for the Pease community, we’re thrilled Sen. Shaheen has made that a priority."
She also pointed to the importance of addressing PFAS in firefighter PPE.
"Firefighters are a quite unique population in that they can be exposed to PFAS in many ways, whether it’s through protective gear, the use of firefighting foam and some of them are drinking contaminated water."
"Protecting firefighters from PFAS exposure is really important and I’m thankful Sen. Shaheen is working to protect that group of people," Amico said.
Shaheen’s PPE provision in the NDAA came from bipartisan legislation she drafted with Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado.
The provision would authorize a comprehensive study of the PPE worn by firefighters to determine the identity and concentration of PFAS, as well as firefighters’ risk of exposure to these harmful chemicals from the gear.
The legislation would also establish a federal grant program to advance the development of safe alternatives to PFAS chemicals in personal protective equipment.
