A trial run of the first major federal health study on PFAS chemicals is ready to begin at Pease International Tradeport.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen's office said Thursday that the project at the former air base in Portsmouth had received final approval from federal budget officials.
High levels of PFAS were found in drinking water at Pease in 2014. Research has linked the industrial chemicals to a range of diseases.
The pilot study at Pease will involve testing the blood of around 1,600 adults and children, beginning this fall. It'll serve as a model for the Centers for Disease Control to study the effects of PFAS on at least 8,000 other people at sites across the country.
The chemicals are currently unregulated by the federal government. New Hampshire recently approved the nation's strictest PFAS limits, which take effect in October.
