Gillibrand, Schumer Led the Call on EPA Administrator to Release Department of Health and Human Services Study to the Public

Statement

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced that following their push, the Department of Health and Human Services released a study concerning the health effects of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Last month, the senators learned that officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Defense (DOD) had reportedly intervened in order to keep the results of this study secret and avoid a "public relations nightmare." The study recommends a much lower safe level for PFAS chemicals, seven to ten times lower than the level recommended by the EPA. Schumer and Gillibrand called on Administration officials to immediately release the results of the study on the dangers of these chemicals, which have been found in water supplies across New York and the country.

"This critically important report never should have been kept secret from the public in the first place, and I was extremely disturbed when I learned that Administration officials had attempted to hide it for fear of a "public relations nightmare," said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "PFAS contamination has harmed communities throughout New York -- including in the City of Newburgh, Westhampton Beach, and Hoosick Falls -- and these residents deserve to know exactly how they have been affected. This newly released information will help protect public health, and I urge the Trump Administration to be more transparent going forward."

"I was deeply disturbed by reports that the Trump administration and top EPA officials were shamefully blocking the report from being made public," said Senator Schumer. "Communities across New York State, from Hoosick Falls to Newburgh to Suffolk County have been deeply impacted by this contamination and now that this information has been released more can be done to keep the public informed on how harmful PFAS and PFOA are to the body. I will continue to fight for impacted communities because New Yorkers deserve to know exactly how this toxic chemical is impacting their drinking water and their family's health,"

The study released last week by the Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that PFAS can pose risks to the most vulnerable populations at levels lower than what the EPA said was safe in its 2016 health advisory. The study also describes how people are exposed to the chemicals, and the health risks that these chemicals pose for different populations. Upon learning that top Administration officials attempted to cover up the results of this HHS study, Gillibrand and Schumer, along with nine other senators, called on the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, and the Office of Management and Budget Director to immediately release the study to the public.

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