In response to Senator Gary Peters announcement “Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances”.
In response to Senator Gary Peters announcement “Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances”.
Originally published July 31, 2019 — Medium Diane Cotter
While the chemicals are posing risks to residents as they move into drinking water supplies and state officials are watching their movement in ground water and surface water, another group of people also watches the progress. FIREFIGHTERS …. by Paula Gardner 7.31.2019
Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act of 2019 U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan.
https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/07/new-senate-bill-limits-firefighter-exposure-to-pfas.html
My statement to Paula this morning:
Wow. I could literally cry. To see our issue listed in Senator Peters bill is extraordinary.
Firefighters are largely unaware of the harm they are in, that is due to the ability of the chemical giants to maintain control of the narrative that ‘all is well’.
When asked by our firefighting leaders if the gear is safe they respond that the new ‘C6’ chemistry is safe.
This is so important as the manufacturers are still telling us our Turnout Gear is safe and we know it is not. We are wearing staggering amounts of PFOA that forms as a precursor in hours to days as was discovered by Dr Graham Peaslee , Director of Physics at Notre Dame in his soon to be released Study.
We are greatly concerned about the gear that is degrading in uv light releasing these particles in fire-stations as well. We had to discover this and fund this ourselves with the financial assistance of Notre-Dame and Last Call Foundation Honoring Firefighter Michael Kennedy of Boston after my husband’s own career-ending cancer.
In addition, we have been lobbying for standardized AFFF protocols and disposal methods as well when we learned that only NH DES sent a letter to all fire stations in October 2017 asking them to voluntarily test their water wells when 7 of 10 stations tested came back with elevated PFOA and or PFOS. https://www4.des.state.nh.us/nh-pfas-investigation/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Fire_Department_H20Sample.pdf
These same chemical giants are deeply embedded in the NFPA setting safety standards for first responders but never mentioned the amounts of PFAS used as coatings on our Turnout Gear. We’re talking s 20 plus year omission here. It is urgent our lawmakers understand that we have no immediate replacement for the water-resistance these PFAS chemicals are used for on our gear.
The pushback from these chemical giants who are embedded in our firefighter cancer prevention, but never mentioned the amounts of PFOA or PFOS in our PPE and AFFF is profound.
If you have been following Environmental Attorney Robert Bilott’s nationwide class action against 3M, DuPont, Chemours, et al you would see his plaintiff is Fire Chief Kevin Hardwick. In May of this year these same chemical giants who are preaching to us about cancer prevention from products of combustion while omitting their own health studies knew PFOA causes testicular cancer, kidney cancer, and other adverse health effects, responded to Attorney Bilott he couldn’t prove Chief Hardwick s PFOA levels were from their pfas:
We are greatly relieved to see a law passed that will protect us.
Better protection will mean protocols will finally be established. That the issue will be acknowledged finally after 30 years. That the AFFF and turnout gear firefighters use as tools are in fact a health risk and funding will contribute to teaching safe handling and disposal methods of these tools of the trade.
Still, we would like to know who knew what and when did they know it.
Diane Cotter
Rindge, NH