Researchers from the PFAS Project Lab, Silent Spring Institute, and Michigan State University, along with community collaborators, published a report of community experiences responding to PFAS contamination in drinking water in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. This paper was completed as part of PFAS-REACH, a community-based participatory research project studying PFAS contamination at Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH, and in Hyannis, MA.
Researchers collected information through interviews with impacted community members and local officials to investigate the interplay of activism, science, and government in response to PFAS pollution. The study found that the source of PFAS contamination has a large impact on the cleanup process, specifically when it comes to funding. They also found that organized community activism and the support of government officials at various levels can aid in improving outcomes like funding for cleanup and precautionary legislation.
The authorship team includes lab leaders Phil Brown and Alissa Cordner, postdoc Kim Garrett, former lab members Kira Mok, Martha Powers, and Maia Fitzstevens, community collaborators Andrea Amico and Cheryl Osimo, and PFAS-REACH researchers Courtney Carignan and Laurel Schaider.
Read the article here.
