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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8f4d0000NHPR’s ongoing coverage of water contamination at the former Pease Air Force Base and in the communities surrounding the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant in Merrimack. We’ll keep you updated on day to day developments, and ask bigger questions, such as:What do scientists know about the health effects of perfluorochemicals like PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS?How are policy makers in New Hampshire responding to these water contaminants?How are scientists and policymakers communicating potential risks?How are other states responding to similar contaminations?

Shaheen-Sponsored Bill Would Cover PFAS Blood Tests For Military Families At Contaminated Sites

Heather Hayward / U.S. Air Force

A new bill sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would help military families get tested for PFAS chemical exposure.

The proposal would cover people who are or were stationed at hundreds of military installations with PFAS contamination.

PFAS are toxic chemicals that persist in the environment and were used in a kind of firefighting foam that is still stockpiled on many bases.

Shaheen worked on legislation that will require that foam to be phased out of military use by 2024, and got a proposal passed to include PFAS testing in military firefighters' annual physicals.

Her new bill would ensure military health insurance coverage for service members and their dependents to get PFAS blood tests.

The military is currently investigating the effects of chemicals like PFAS on veterans who worked at the former Pease Air Base.

Annie has covered the environment, energy, climate change and the Seacoast region for NHPR since 2017. She leads the newsroom's climate reporting project, By Degrees.
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