Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States - Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Letter

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to request that you direct the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to allocate resources to study human health effects from exposure to perfluorochemicals (PFCs), including providing resources to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services for long-term biomonitoring and testing for those exposed to PFCs. This request stems from the discovery that several wells on the former Pease Air Force Base are contaminated.

In May 2014, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services was notified by the Air Force that water samples collected from several wells supplying drinking water to facilities on the former Pease Air Force Base, including the Pease International Tradeport, showed elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) -- both PFCs of emerging concern to human health. One well in particular, the Haven Well, showed PFOS contamination levels that were above Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provisional health advisory levels. The Haven Well was immediately shut down due to the PFCs contamination, but other wells on and near the former Air Force base remain in use.

Earlier this year, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, with technical assistance from ATSDR and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory, created a PFC blood testing program for those who were potentially affected by the water supply contamination. Since that time, hundreds of people -- including young children who may have been exposed to the contaminant at area day care centers or in utero - have undergone blood testing and hundreds more have requested testing. The demand for testing has strained our state Division of Public Health, and the need for further testing and biomonitoring will place additional strain on the division's limited resources.

As the test results have come in and shown that many exposed to the PFC contaminants at Pease have higher-than-average levels in their blood, many questions have been raised about both the short- and long-term health effects. Because we do not have conclusive, long-term studies on the direct effects of PFCs on human health and the science we do have indicates that these chemicals may be associated with a host of negative health effects, those who were exposed to the contaminated water understandably have many concerns about their own health and the health of their children. Without a better understanding of how these chemicals impact human health, it is difficult to respond to those concerns and to treat those who have been exposed to PFCs.

It is clear that more resources are needed to study the health effects of PFC exposure in people. We must ensure that researchers at the ATSDR have access to all necessary resources to continue studying how PFC exposure may impact human health. It is also imperative that funding is allocated to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that those exposed to PFCs have access to long-term biomonitoring and testing. Additional resources are also needed to allow state researchers to monitor New Hampshire populations not known to have been exposed to PFCs.

In addition to the need to dedicate resources to long-term monitoring and to further study the potential health impacts of PFC exposure, resources are also needed for the complete and timely remediation of the Pease aquifer and all of the contaminated wells. I applaud the Air Force for recently agreeing to fully restore the water quality at the former base, and I encourage Air Force officials to continue to listen to the concerns of those exposed to contaminants and engage in any further remediation efforts that may be needed. I hope that you will also encourage the Air Force to continue to engage with the community and environmental agencies to ensure that the water quality at the former base is restored quickly and efforts are made to address any remaining concerns.

The quality and safety of drinking water is critical to public health and safety, and the uncertainty surrounding the health effects of PFCs and the availability of long-term monitoring and regular testing programs is understandably troubling to those who were exposed to the contaminant, especially those with young children.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter of public health.

With every good wish,

Margaret Wood Hassan
Governor

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