U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement after part one of the Pease Health Study Report was released. Shaheen fought to establish this study at the former Pease Air Force Base, the first in a nationwide, multi-site health study to better understand the health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. This is the first-ever nationwide study of this kind, for which Pease is serving as the model.

“Once again, New Hampshire is leading the way to advance our understanding of the health impacts of PFAS. Understanding these impacts is crucial to developing effective policy, and that’s why I fought so hard to establish this study,” said Senator Shaheen. “I am very grateful to all the participants who took part, and I am eager to see further results. I look forward to continuing to support ATSDR’s ongoing work to analyze the data of the Pease and Multi-Site Study so we can continue to find new ways to best support those impacted by PFAS.”

Thousands of employees at Pease, as well as children and infants who attended daycare there, were exposed to multiple PFAS chemicals from contaminated water. In addition to being a suspected carcinogen, PFAS exposure can harm childhood development, increase cholesterol levels, hurt the immune system and interfere with human hormones, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

“I am grateful that the first part of the Pease Study results is now available to the community. The Pease Study will provide meaningful information to our highly exposed community and millions of Americans across the nation,” said Andrea Amico, Co-Founder of Testing for Pease. “I am deeply grateful to Senator Shaheen and her team for their leadership and persistence over the years to fund the Pease Study, the Multi Site Study, and physician education and guidance on PFAS exposure. This critical work will provide impacted communities with more answers and tools to address the human health impacts from PFAS contamination.”

Shaheen has been instrumental in leading efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination. Shaheen has long been an advocate for studying the impact of PFAS at Pease and across the nation, with her historic PFAS health impact study signed into law in 2017. During an April 2023 U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Shaheen questioned Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment Owens on finding a solution to the Department of Defense’s data privacy policy related to PFAS remediation and cleanup that provides transparency to residents and state regulators. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 NDAA, which was signed into law, Senator Shaheen secured a prohibition on purchasing PFAS-laden firefighting turnout gear by the DoD after October 1, 2026. This follows Shaheen-led efforts to expand blood testing and treatment for firefighters exposed to PFAS and a similar amendment she secured to ban the use of PFAS-laden firefighting foam in the FY 2020 NDAA. Recently, Shaheen helped secure Congressional passage of the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes language to expand Shaheen’s PFAS health impact study and confront the full scope of challenges posed by these chemicals and was signed into law by President Biden.

Newsletter