ATLANTA, GA - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has released for public comment its health consultation report, “Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Pease Public Water System,” in Portsmouth, Newington, and Greenland, New Hampshire. ATSDR will accept comments from the public until June 3, 2019.

The report concluded that workers at Pease International Tradeport and children attending the childcare centers were exposed to PFAS in contaminated drinking water at the Pease International Tradeport. Those exposures occurred from 1993 until the Haven well was shut down in May 2014. People exposed to drinking water from the Pease Tradeport Public Water System (PWS) during this period might be at increased risk for some harmful health effects. The cancer risk from past exposure to all PFAS in the Pease Tradeport PWS is uncertain.

Although the Haven well was shut down, low levels of PFAS remain in the water serving the Pease Tradeport PWS. Consuming water containing low levels of PFAS at Pease is not expected to harm people.  However, persons who have had long-term exposures to PFAS should be aware of ways to reduce further exposures. Information on ways to reduce exposures to all sources of PFAS is available at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/pfas-exposure.html.  

ATSDR staff will hold public availability sessions to discuss the report’s findings and recommendations with Pease International Tradeport workers and parents of children who attended the childcare centers.  It will also provide the community with an opportunity to speak with ATSDR scientists.

When:
April 16, 2019

Where:
Great Bay Community College
4th Floor, Room 422
320 Corporate Drive
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Times:
Members of the community and interested individuals can stop by anytime during these hours:

• 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.,
• 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m., or 
• 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

To read the report with ATSDR’s recommendations, visit https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/pease/Pease-Tradeport-Public-Water-PFAS-HC-508.pdf.

Copies of the report can also be reviewed during regular business hours at

Portsmouth Public Library
175 Parrott Avenue
Portsmouth, NH 03801

Air Force Civil Engineer Center
Field Office
Former Pease AFB, Site 8
20 Short Street
Newington, NH 03801

Office of the Selectmen
205 Nimble Hill Road
Newington, NH 03801

The public comment process gives the community an opportunity to review the report and provide input. ATSDR’s responses to those comments will be included in an appendix of the final report.

Comments on the report must be submitted in writing to: ATSDRRecordsCenter@cdc.gov, or mailed to:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Attn: Records Center
Re: Pease Public Drinking Water HC, Portsmouth, NH
4770 Buford Highway, NE (MS F-09)
Chamblee, Georgia 30341

For more information about ATSDR’s Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Pease Tradeport Public Water System report, community members can call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636), email www.cdc.gov/info or visit https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/pease/index.html.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the potential for adverse human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances in the environment.