United States Department of Justice
Antitrust Division
450 5th St NW # 8700,
Washington, DC 20530
April 29, 2021
Dear Sirs and Madams,
This will be my (strike 7th) 8th letter to the DoJ for my concerns of collusion, corruption, conflict of interest, antitrust, EPA violations, etc…
We are trusting that you will find sufficient facts in the now 2021 findings I have just added to this document to investigate the parties identified.
To bring you quickly up to speed, this DOJ anti-trust violation is in regards to turnout gear manufacturers who knew firefighter gear contained PFOA but remained silent while sitting as voting members of the code safety institution NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and as sponsors of IAFF (International Association of Firefighters) cancer summits and health projects.
Not once in 20 years were the chemicals used to make turnout gear ever tested for harm by our own fire service institutions. In 2018 I led a ragtag group of firefighters with assistance from Last Call Foundation Honoring Firefighter Michael Kennedy of Boston and Dr Graham Peaslee of Notre Dame that would do a first ever study, we had no prior experience or resources.
Our study found firefighters have been wearing PFOA for 20 years (at least) in staggering amounts.
The reason I believe this to be a ‘anti-trust’ violation is that in our study released June 2020 by Dr Graham Peaslee of Notre Dame, there was enough PFAS on 10 year old ‘used’ gear to still meet the NFPA 1971 Standard for ‘water resistance’.
What a perfect place to pad pps, the textile of firefighter turnout gear, particularly when no one is looking and in an environment where the manufacturers themselves control their own dialogue to the front line — as the fire service is so unique that our firefighters turn to the manufacturers to ask if the PFAS is harming them — where manufacturers promulgate their cancers come only from ‘products of combustion or diesel smoke’ and control the dialogue with the help of the IAFF Schaitberger Administration on the lack of concern the ‘forever chemicals’ are.
While communicating to a short list of leading PFAS Active Congressional members monthly (weekly) our desire and demands for an investigation into the conflicts of interest and acts of obstruction by some parties, we continue to be frustrated at the lack of attention an inquiry is receiving.
While acknowledging the effort and time it takes, it simply is not enough to write forward looking legislation in a act this heinous and maniacal in nature and not hold corporations, institutions, and labor leaders accountable if necessary.
Sincerely,
Diane Cotter
Firewife, advocate
www.yourturnoutgearandpfoa.com
Chronology of events, 2015–2021
https://www.yourturnoutgearandpfoa.com/read-me
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