Read the full article by Mara Hoplamazian (New Hampshire Public Radio)
“A new report from the National Academy of Sciences provides new recommendations for how doctors should treat patients who have been exposed to PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals that were widely used in consumer products like non-stick cookware and fabric that can resist stains.
PFAS contamination has affected communities across New Hampshire, with hotspots of pollution in the Merrimack area, from the Saint-Gobain manufacturing facility, and on the Seacoast, from the former Pease Air Force base.
The report lays out the health effects associated with PFAS exposure, provides guidance for clinicians about how to understand risk levels associated with blood testing results and how to treat patients testing at higher levels, and recommends blood testing for people with an extended history of higher exposure.
That’s a major milestone for many advocates for PFAS-impacted communities, who have long advocated for more accessible testing, said Andrea Amico, who reviewed a draft copy of the report before it was published.
Amico co-founded the organization Testing for Pease to advocate for her family and others affected by PFAS contamination from firefighting foam used at Pease.
‘That’s where Testing for Pease came from,’ Amico said. ‘We wanted blood testing for our community, and it took a lot of advocacy to have that happen.'” …