At the request of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) evaluated whether drinking water (in the past or currently) containing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from private residential drinking water wells within 1 mile of the Pease International Tradeport may harm people’s health. USAF coordinated the sampling and analysis of water from these wells between June 2014 and June 2020. The source of PFAS in the drinking water wells likely came from aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used on the former Pease Air Force Base. This fact sheet summarizes ATSDR’s findings and recommendations. A link to the report can be found at the bottom of this page. Refer to the third box that references the PFAS reporting regarding the former Pease Air Force Base.
The USAF tested 42 wells in Newington and Greenland.
2 wells did not have any PFAS detected.
1 well is no longer in use but users may have been exposed to PFAS
4 wells had a treatment system installed and no further harm to users is expected, however they may have been exposed in the past.
5 wells have a mixture of PFAS that could have caused exposure however the risk of harmful health effects is uncertain.
30 wells have a mixture of PFAS detected that resulted in past or current exposure, however the risk of harmful health effects is uncertain because of limited scientific information.
If you are exposed to PFAS from private well water and want to reduce that exposure, use an alternative or treated water source for drinking, food preparation, cooking, brushing teeth, and other activities that might result in ingestion of water. We do not expect you to have significant exposure from PFAS-contaminated water for bathing, showering, washing dishes, and doing laundry.
If you are concerned about exposure you or your family might have had, talk to your doctor. ATSDR is available to consult with any healthcare provider, as needed. Information to guide healthcare providers is available from https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/resources/info-forhealth-professionals.html.
The source for this summary can be found by clicking on the link below and referring to the PFAS situation at the former Pease Air Force Base, the third box from the top.