“In 2014, my world changed forever when I learned my family was exposed to contaminated drinking water containing high levels of PFAS. Since then, I haven’t stopped worrying about my family’s health,” says Andrea Amico, a New Hampshire resident and PFAS community advocate turned national activist. Read more…
U.S. Jeanne Shaheen is asking if COVID-19 poses “any unique risks” to people who have previously been exposed to PFAS chemicals.
The former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth and Newington is one of a long list of military installations in the United States that have been contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS, sometimes referred to as forever chemicals. Read more…
Federal regulators are crafting an exemption for polluters releasing harmful perfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) into the environment in a way that environmental advocates say circumvents a new law meant to address widespread contamination. Read more…
Looking for a fun at-home way to learn about Cape Cod’s water quality? “Attend” the Virtual Water Family Festival on Saturday May 30th! You will find tip sheets, videos, family activities, and so much more. Resources featured come from local Cape Cod non-profit organizations, town departments, and Barnstable County program areas. This FREE online event is brought to you by Barnstable County, the Groundwater Guardians, and Barnstable County Water Utility. PFAS-REACH materials can be found with information about Silent Spring Institute’s virtual “table”. Visit the event website for more information!
PORTSMOUTH — The federal agency conducting the health study for people exposed to dangerous PFAS chemicals at the former Pease Air Force Base has paused its work. The Agency For Toxic Substances And Disease Registry (ATSDR) paused the study because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrea Amico, a Portsmouth mother and advocate who played a key role in getting the health study started, called the move “a very responsible decision.” Read more…
PFAS-REACH co-Principal Investigators Laurel Schaider and Phil Brown, along with Detlef Knappe, will give a webinar on March 25, 2020 from 1:00-2:00pm, titled “Working with Communities to Understand and Address PFAS Exposures”. The webinar is hosted by Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH), part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Registration is required. Read more…
Potentially toxic chemicals called PFAS are found practically everywhere — your home included. But just how dangerous are these chemicals, and how might they affect your health? In a study published Tuesday in the journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers examined the links between 26 PFAS and cancer, all were found to have at least one carcinogenic trait. To understand the links between these chemicals and our health, four experts weigh in on how abundant these chemicals really are and what — if anything — they may do to our bodies. Read more…
“It’s not going to tell you anything.” “It will only worry you.” “It’s too expensive.” “It’s not routine.” “It’s not needed. These are just a handful of the responses I have heard and experienced over the last five years as a PFAS impacted community leader on why community members should not be offered PFAS blood testing. After first learning of my family’s exposure to high levels of toxic PFAS chemicals through contaminated drinking water at the Pease Tradeport (the former Pease Air Force Base) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, one of the first and worrisome facts I learned in my research on PFAS are that they bioaccumulate, or build up, in the body because they are eliminated from our bodies very slowly. Read more…
The Silent Spring Institute is reaching out to the parents of preschool-age children in Hyannis and inviting them to participate in PFAS-REACH, a study designed to protect children from drinking water contaminants. The study is designed to evaluate the effects of PFAS exposure on the immune systems of 120 preschool-age children in Hyannis and Pease NH. Read more…
Thanks to the film “Dark Waters,” released in theaters in November, people around the country now know about a group of chemicals threatening our environment and our health. The Hollywood film tells the true story of a community in Parkersburg, West Virginia, whose drinking water was contaminated with toxic chemicals from a DuPont facility, and the heroic figures who exposed the company’s efforts to hide the truth. Read more…
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