Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) at Pease Air Force Base have been identified as a significant environmental and public health concern. If you or a loved one has been affected by PFAS contamination at Pease Air Force Base, you may be entitled to compensation after taking legal action.
What Happened with PFAS at Pease AFB?
In a study of people who drank tainted drinking water at the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, “Nearly 1,000 adults and children were found to have much higher concentrations of PFAS chemicals than the general population,” News Center Maine reported.
PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” and are found in lots of different products such as clothing, cookware, cosmetics, electronics, firefighting foam, packaging, and more. However, when PFAS are found in drinking water that people regularly drink, they can be very dangerous.
Studies have shown that high levels of PFAS can lead to an increased risk of cancer, among other frightening health issues.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS are harmful chemicals that endure in the environment for a long time. Because these chemicals are so widespread and found “in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products,” it is “challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks,” the agency noted.
In the case of PFAS at Pease Air Force Base, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry – a federal public health agency under the United States Department of Health and Human Services – in May of 2014, “drinking water wells that supply the Pease International Tradeport were sampled. The Haven Well, one of three wells that serves the Pease International Tradeport and the New Hampshire Air National Guard base at Pease, showed elevated levels of the unregulated contaminant perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS).”
Although the well was shut down by the City of Portsmouth on May 12, 2014, and has been physically disconnected from the system since, the possible impact of people there drinking the water still lingers. One mother interviewed by News Center Maine learned that her husband and two older children drank water contaminated with PFAS chemicals at Pease International Tradeport, at work, and at daycare, and has concerns.
“My children are getting older now and just want to know if this going to impact them as they continue to grow,” Andrea Amico explained.
Effects of PFAS
Unfortunately, she may be right to worry. The EPA notes that “Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.”
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported that “the research conducted to date reveals possible links between human exposures to certain PFAS and some adverse health outcomes,” including:
- Altered metabolism and body weight regulation, along with the risk of childhood obesity
- Increased risk of some cancers
- Reduced ability of the immune system to fight infections
Researchers have also discovered potential links between exposure to PFAS and the following:
- Changes in fetal and child development
- Decrease in bone mineral density
- Delay in the onset of puberty in girls
- Evidence of liver damage
- Increased risk of asthma
- Increased risk of thyroid cancer
- Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in women
- Increases in cholesterol levels
- Kidney and testicular cancer
- Lower antibody response to some vaccines
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia
- …and more
The ongoing investigation regarding PFAS at Pease Air Force Base is crucial for understanding the broader implications of PFAS exposure and may serve as a critical precedent for communities across the nation dealing with similar contamination issues.
Call Our Team for Help With a Claim for PFAS Exposure at Pease AFB
If you or a loved one has been affected by PFAS contamination at Pease Air Force Base, please reach out to our firm for an evaluation. Our firm is dedicated to advocating for those impacted by environmental hazards and holding responsible parties accountable, and our attorneys may be able to help you pursue legal action related to PFAS exposure.
Please contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Call us at 602-222-2222 to learn more now.
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