Paul and I are leaving this morning for the National PFAS Conference being held at Northeastern University. The greatest activists, advocates, and science community will be in attendance.
This year, the planning committee has included a ‘First Responder’ Segment.
Monday, June 10: Session 3: First Responders and PFAS
● Miriam Calkins (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
● Graham Peaslee (University of Notre Dame)
● Brian Grubb (International Association Fire Fighters Local F88, Ohio)
● Krystle Mitchell (South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service)
● Rob Bilott (Taft Law)
● Chair: Alissa Cordner (Whitman College)
In this segment we will be watching for the response of the science community as they hear from Dr Graham Peaslee, Professor of Physics at Notre Dame Univeristy, as he discusses his findings of PFOA in the study undertaken by a grassroots community seeking answers to what it is exactly that is being added to our turnout gear.
We just want to take a minute to thank everyone along the way that has been a part of this. I’m afraid to miss someone but you know who you are. And we also want to acknowledge and thank the new community of fire service leaders and firefighters that has come to understand and believe the science that Dr Peaslee is delivering.
It will now be up to the fire service itself and affiliated organizations to do their part to ensure the safety of the first responders who wear this gear every day.
Along with legislation, total reform should be on the table. Should manufacturers that knowingly hid these chemicals from the fire service, in PPE and AFFF be sitting and voting on NFPA?
The many emails and notes we see from the front line show the letters from officers who contacted their suppliers. The suppliers then contacted DuPont. DuPont then tells the suppliers, “we no longer use PFOA”.
This is a tremendous disservice to you. By allowing you to think all is well. They omit the portion that the precursor they use (etFOSSA) WILL DEGRADE TO FORM PFOA in as little as ‘hours to days’.
Special thank you to Last Call Foundation Honoring Firefighter Michael Kennedy and our PPE committee of Jon Marr, Mitchell Huner, Geoff Daly, Kathy Crosby-Bell, Jeff Knobbe, and Dr Peaslee of Notre Dame and his physics students, all those that gifted PPE to the project, all our leaders that welcomed Graham to speak through media, podcasts, webinars, and FDIC, the science community and fellow advocates fighting for their communities, EWG, and Vicki Quint, PFAS spokesperson for Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation who encouraged me to become part of the National PFAS Coalition who has invited Environmental Attorney Robert Bilott and Graham Peaslee to discuss the impact of PFAS on first responders, and of course all fellow members and allies of the National PFAS Coalition. https://pfasproject.net/
Will update this memo as the conference proceeds.
Diane
