Senator Hassan Statement on National PFAS Study at Pease International Tradeport

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan issued the following statement today following the announcement that the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) will conduct a national study looking at potential health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Pease International Tradeport:

“Families who have been exposed to emerging contaminants in their drinking water deserve to know about any potential health impacts, and conducting a national study at Pease examining the health and safety impacts of PFAS chemicals is critical to those efforts,” Senator Hassan said. “I am pleased that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has recognized the tireless efforts of Seacoast community leaders who have spoken out and demanded answers about any threat they’ve faced from their drinking water. This study will provide valuable information for all families who have been exposed to PFCs. I will continue working with Senator Shaheen and the entire Congressional delegation to ensure that this study is conducted as quickly as possible so that families get the answers about their health that they deserve.”

Then-Governor Hassan worked with state agencies, federal partners, and residents in the area to make blood tests available to everyone potentially exposed to PFCs, as well as to raise awareness about the health risks of these emerging contaminants. Furthermore, Senator Hassan formed the Governor's Task Force on the Seacoast Cancer Cluster to help create an organized response to the health and environmental concerns that the Seacoast pediatric cancer cluster has raised. In the Senate, Senator Hassan has built on those efforts, cosponsoring legislation that requires the EPA to develop a maximum contaminant level for perfluorinated compounds, 1,4 dioxane, and perchlorate in public water systems across America within two years of the bill’s enactment. Senator Hassan also urged the U.S. Air Force to clean up water supplies at the former Pease Air Force Base that are contaminated with PFCs and helped secure funding for the first nationwide PFC water contamination study in the bipartisan omnibus funding bill that passed earlier this year. The Senator also joined the Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to ATSDR urging them to include Pease in the nationwide health study and exposure assessment.  

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