Patriot PFAS
protection
pledge
The highly toxic "forever chemicals", per- and polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been confirmed at more than 400 U.S. military installations and hundreds more may be contaminated. The legacy of DOD contamination with PFAS and other cancer-causing chemicals spans decades. For PFAS, the body of evidence for the human health effects from exposure continues to mount--even at levels near the lowest limits of detection. These health effects include cancers, hormone disruption, reproductive harms, and immune system toxicity --among many others.
Credit EWG 2023
We must stop the potentially deadly cycle of delay and deny
when it comes to DOD PFAS contamination.
if you are a patriot committed to PFAS protection,
take the pledge today!
Patriots who Pledge their support for PFAS Protection endorse the following actions:
Cleanup & remediation
Background: Based on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) updated health advisory levels, an EWG analysis found 266 military sites with groundwater containing PFOA or PFOS at unsafe levels. Their analysis also revealed 69 sites with already reported unsafe levels of these two chemicals in drinking water. Despite the magnitude and immediate threat of the DOD PFAS contamination problem, federal action has failed to confront an almost $4 billion increase in the cost of cleanup & remediation with only $400 million in increased funding allotted over the 2016 to 2021 timeframe. At the same time, over decades, impacted service members, civilians, and communities have remained in the dark about the nature, scope, risks, and status of cleanup efforts--with potentially deadly consequences to their health.
As PFAS Patriots, we support:
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NOT CUTTING the Pentagon PFAS cleanup and remediation budget, but rather EXPANDING the budget in accordance with needs to comply with new EPA health advisory levels as well as expectations for accountability and transparency in meeting deadlines for cleanup surrounding DOD installations.
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Improving transparency through publication of a PFAS-specific budget, the release of DOD PFAS cleanup schedule and cost estimate every 2 years,
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Clarifying the National Guard sites' eligibility for DOD cleanup funding.
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Requiring the Government Accountability Office to review the DOD's site investigation and testing processes while providing recommendations for improvement
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Requiring DOD to submit regular reports including a listing of locations with known PFAS contamination of a drinking water system attributable to to the department
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Helping communities navigate the PFAS testing and cleanup process through technical assistance grants as well as by providing briefings including on ways to improve outreach to communities on PFAS contamination
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Allowing the DOD to destroy and dispose of PFAS-contaminated materials only through methods approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Restricting funding to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment until the DOD provides a plan to restore PFAS test data sharing with communities and state regulators
Testing & Research
Background: In 2022, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) issued an expert committee report on "Guidance on PFAS Texting and Health Outcomes," which included a recommendation that PFAS testing SHOULD BE OFFERED to patients who are likely to have a history of exposure to PFAS through their work or who live in areas with known PFAS contamination. Despite this recommendation, PFAS blood testing remains nearly impossible to attain for most service members, veterans, families, and members of the community exposed at DOD installations. The NASEM report also found evidence of association between PFAS exposure and significant health outcomes such as decreased antibody response like to vaccines, high cholesterol, decreased infant and fetal growth, and increased risk of kidney cancer. Again, despite these health concerns, there is no recommended routine DOD screening for PFAS exposure nor is there mandatory training on potential health outcomes and efforts to study health effects from PFAS exposure in military communities have remained piecemeal and hampered by a lack of funding, outreach, and transparency.
As PFAS Patriots, we support:
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Ensuring periodic health exams for Armed Forces members including a PFAS exposure assessment
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Requiring the DOD to provide blood tests to service members who were likely exposed to PFAS
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Authorize funding to the CDC for an ongoing study of the health effects of PFAS exposure in military communities.
Healthcare & benefits
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