{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-warren-joins-bipartisan-letter-urging-cdc-and-atsdr-to-prioritize-studies-on-health-effects-of-firefighters-exposure-to-pfas", "Senator Warren Joins Bipartisan Letter Urging CDC and ATSDR to Prioritize Studies on Health Effects of Firefighters\u2019 Exposure to PFAS", "2018-12-13", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 13, 2018\n\t\t\t Senator Warren Joins Bipartisan Letter Urging CDC and ATSDR to Prioritize Studies on Health Effects of Firefighters' Exposure to PFAS \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t The Group of Bipartisan Senators Request Additional Action to Determine Whether Prolonged Contact PFAS Contaminants is a Contributing Factor to the High Incidences of Cancer\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Full\r\nText of Letter (PDF)\r\n\r\nWashington,\r\nDC -United\r\nStates Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen\r\n(D-N.H.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and a bipartisan group of 20 Senators in a\r\nletter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency\r\nfor Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), requesting that the agencies\r\ntake additional steps to ensure that the health effects of occupational\r\nexposure to per-and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), particularly in\r\nfirefighters, are sufficiently studied.\r\n\r\nThe\r\nletter is in response to ATSDR Director Patrick Breysse's announcement that\r\nfirefighters will not be included in the ATSDR study. Firefighters, both\r\nmilitary and civilian, work in environments that have higher exposure to PFAS,\r\nwhich are found in firefighting foam.\r\n\r\nAs you\r\nare aware, PFAS chemicals are a byproduct of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF),\r\na fire suppressant agent, and have been linked to a number of adverse human\r\nhealth effects, the Senators wrote. The potential ties between PFAS\r\nand various forms of cancer are of particular concern to military and civilian\r\nfirefighters across the country who may have experienced long-term occupational\r\nexposure to PFAS due to the use of AFFF in firefighting and fire training\r\nexercises. Several studies, including a multi-year study completed by CDC's\r\nNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), indicate that\r\nfirefighters are at a higher risk of cancer compared to the general population\r\nin the U.S.\r\n\r\nBoth\r\nNIOSH and ATSDR operate under the CDC. The PFAS\r\nhealth impact study allows for the agencies to investigate the human health\r\neffects of PFAS contamination through a number of exposure pathways, including\r\nthose encountered by firefighters. However earlier this year, ATSDR announced\r\nthat firefighters would not be included in the study. In their letter, the\r\nSenators request that the agencies ensure future studies investigating the\r\npotential health effects from PFAS exposure include firefighters and others who\r\nare more likely to come into contact with contamination in an occupational\r\nsetting.\r\n\r\nFirefighters\r\nare a vital component of our nation's emergency response system and risk their\r\nlives to protect the communities they serve, the Senators concluded.\r\nThere is a critical need to better understand how PFAS workplace exposure\r\namong firefighters may affect the health of these heroes and their families.\r\n\r\nThe\r\nletter was also signed by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Robert Menendez\r\n(D-N.J.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.),\r\nSusan Collins (R-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.),\r\nTom Carper (D-Del.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Jack\r\nReed (D-R.I.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary\r\nPeters (D-Mich.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Bernie Sanders\r\n(I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).\r\n\r\nIn\r\nAugust, Senator Warren filed\r\ntwo amendments to the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education,\r\nand Related Agencies Appropriations Act to improve data collection and research\r\nconducted on health and occupational safety concerns facing firefighters,\r\npolice officers and other first responders in the Commonwealth.\r\n\r\n###\r\n\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-warren-joins-bipartisan-letter-urging-cdc-and-atsdr-to-prioritize-studies-on-health-effects-of-firefighters-exposure-to-pfas"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.413901336491108, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}