National PFAS Activist/Whistleblower Seeks Your Support in the Confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services ~
Dear Senators,
I am seeking your support in the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In 2014 my fifty-five year-old rugged firefighter husband was diagnosed with career ending cancer. While searching for the causation that led to his devastating diagnosis, we would find his cancer may not have been caused by products of combustion, but was caused by products of deception. His gear, and that of 1.2 million firefighters, is saturated in the known carcinogen PFOA. Read our story here in Men’s Health Magazine by David Ferry. In the following plea I outline my support and areas of concern for this ongoing cancer crisis in the firefighting community.
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a37624731/cancer-firefighter-gear-pfas/
This appointment offers a unique opportunity to advance critical bipartisan issues championed by Congressional leaders and Senators as it relates to the intentional occupational PFAS poisoning of America’s Bravest. Earlier this year RFK Jr joined Fire Engineering's Chief Frank Ricci and Chief Pj Norwood to discuss this issue and others impacting the fire service.
I am choosing to address only PFAS and firefighter health — with emphasis on turnout gear exposure — as I feel it is Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health for first responders, and — has not been urgently addressed by the current HHS Secretary. In 2015 the CDC Fox Biomonitoring Study produced results showing firefighters had 2–4 times the NHANES of PFOA and PFOS in their blood. It states “from a yet unknown source”. It would be three more years before we had the first devastating hint of where the PFOA was hiding.
Firefighting is the only known occupation whereby its workforce must wear staggering amounts of a known carcinogen — We are now just beginning to understand the harm inflicted on the American firefighter — DNA alterations, reproductive harms, dermal absorption, and the repetitive inhalation of PFAS dust from degrading gear in every firehouse.
January 2023 IARC classified the mere job of being a firefighter as carcinogenic. Almost seventy percent, or 7 out of 10 firefighters, will be diagnosed with cancer. https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-volume-132-occupational-exposure-as-a-firefighter/
SHAPING FUTURE POLICIES —
This is where I feel life experiences of RFK Jr will most positively impact our community. RFK Jr is well equipped to hold fast the peer reviewed science and hard fought legislative PFAS wins years in the making.
After years of collaborations, NASEM produced clinical guidance for physicians and communities impacted by PFAS.
Areas of concern regarding PFAS and Firefighters:
- Determining cancer clusters in 52,336 firehouses across America. According to the CDC, a cancer cluster is a greater than expected number of cancer cases that occur within a specific time period, geographic area, and group of people. Cancer clusters may be suspected when multiple people in a group, such as family, friends, or coworkers, are diagnosed with the same or related types of cancer.
- More Attention to Wildland and Volunteer/Call Firefighters ~ Limited studies on Volunteer firefighters. “There is a significant gap in our understanding of PFAS exposure in US firefighters and specifically, among volunteer firefighters”(study authors).
- In 2017, Robert Bilott produced the 195 page ‘Firefighter Letter’ — seeking medical monitoring due to PFAS exposure- for firefighters. Michigan introduced the collaboration of one specific firefighter/PFAS medical monitoring project. The PFOMS project runs from 2017–2024. It is one example of the CDC’s PFAS specific collaboration with Professional Firefighters of Michigan. Continuing programs specific to the PFAS impacted firefighting community is essential to understanding the health impacts of PFAS in this community of 1.2 million.
- Children of Firefighters 27 Times More Likely to Be Diagnosed With Cancer ~ A 2019 ‘pilot’ study …. This pilot study speaks to why I am urging your support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. There is little data on this subject. This should be a priority of RFK Jr.
- Blood donations — Fire Commander Mick Tisbury of Melbourne, Australia coordinated the first study of blood drawdowns in firefighters — successfully reducing the burden. The findings bring further questions. Should firefighters blood be used only for research? Firefighters carry 2–4 times the NHANES of PFOA and PFOS in their blood.
- End of Life Disposal for these textiles. We have none. Used gear is donated to developing countries or is sent to the landfill, ending up in our water ways. There are no policies in place to address the end of life of thousands of sets of the most highly fluorinated textile known to science. One organization in Canada is looking into the removal of PFAS from textiles prior to recycling.
- Restitution — Senators Cory Booker and Daren Soto introduced the Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act — The Firefighter PFAS Injury Compensation Act directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a program under which eligible firefighters are able to file a claim to seek timely, uniform, and adequate compensation. The beauty of this Act is that the makers of the toxic gear and AFFF will be penalized — something this activist strongly supports.
The North American turnout gear market is a one billion dollar a year industry. Only recently has ‘PFAS free’ turnout gear began to make its way to market, and more significantly, state laws compel municipalities sundown pfas free laden gear by 2027 — which has ironically become the driver ‘ for PFAS free turnout gear’ that is expected to grown the industry significantly by 2030.Firefighter Turnout Gear Market Size, Trends & Analysis Report — 2033
As Secretary of HHS, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will ensure the continuation of the NIST studies commissioned by Senator Shaheen with strong bipartisan support. The NIST studies are are a multi year effort in research and suggestions for next generation gear in the firefighter PFAS PPE genre.
https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2023/05/researchers-pin-down-pfas-prevalence-firefighter-gear
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s environmental and health accomplishments will champion collaborations, provide tangible resources for poisoned communities, and combine his universal resources to oversee the NIH, the CDC, the FDA, and CMS making the USA healthier for all.
Please view the complete list of RFK Jr’s environmental and health related actions spanning decades:
For these reasons, I urge your support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Sincerely,
Rindge, New Hampshire
Firefighter PFAS Activist