<div dir="ltr">New federally-funded Superfund research center focusing on contaminants in drinking water to host community kick-off event on Cape Cod<br><br>WHO:<br><br>University of Rhode Island (URI), Harvard University, Silent Spring Institute<br><br>WHAT:<br><br>Meet the team! Members of the newly-formed STEEP (Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFASs) Superfund research center will be in Hyannis to provide an overview of the project and the critical involvement of Cape Cod communities in the new center. The five-year STEEP project, led by URI, will address the emerging problem of highly fluorinated chemicals called PFASs in drinking water—how these chemicals move through our environment, how we are exposed through our drinking water, and how they affect our health.<br><br>WHEN:<br><br>Monday, December 4th, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.<br><br>WHERE:<br><br>Barnstable Town Hall, 2nd Floor Hearing Room, 367 Main Street, Hyannis, MA<br><br>SPEAKERS:<br><br>Rainer Lohmann (project director), URI Graduate School of Oceanography<br>Philippe Grandjean (co-director), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<br>Elsie Sunderland, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<br>Angela Slitt and Bongsup Cho, URI College of Pharmacy<br>Geoff Bothun, URI College of Engineering<br>Judith Swift, URI Coastal Institute<br>Alyson McCann, URI College of Environment and Life Sciences<br>Laurel Schaider, Silent Spring Institute<br><br>* Welcome remarks:<br>Cheryl Osimo, Silent Spring Institute and Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC)<div>Mark Ells, Barnstable Town Manager<br><br> <br>BACKGROUND INFORMATION:</div><div><br></div><div>PFASs are a class of chemicals added to consumer products to make them non-stick, waterproof, and stain-resistant. They are also used in firefighting foams and industrial processes. These chemicals are showing up in drinking water across the U.S., including the Hyannis Water System and private wells near Joint Base Cape Cod. Scientists are concerned about these chemicals because of their potential impacts on health. Because Cape Cod is on the front lines in dealing with exposure to PFASs, Silent Spring Institute and their collaborators at the STEEP Superfund Research Center will be conducting a number of activities on the Cape, including:<br><br> * Testing private wells for PFASs<br> * Studying how PFASs enter groundwater from firefighting foams used at Joint Base Cape Cod</div><div> * Field testing new methods to detect PFASs in surface waters<br> * Engaging with residents and officials to share STEEP research findings and address local concerns.<br><br>The STEEP researchers will also study the chemical properties of PFASs and their specific impact on human health through a long-term health study of children in the Faroe Islands complemented by laboratory studies.<br><br>The project is led by Rainer Lohmann, an oceanographer at URI, and co-led by Philippe Grandjean, an environmental epidemiologist at Harvard. Local project partners include MBCC, GreenCAPE, and the Sierra Club Cape & the Islands group. This project is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).<br><br>Questions about the event? Contact: Laurel Schaider, <a href="mailto:schaider@silentspring.org">schaider@silentspring.org</a>, 617-332-4288 x224<br><br>More information about STEEP: <a href="https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/srp/programs/Program_detail.cfm?Project_ID=P42ES027706">https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/srp/programs/Program_detail.cfm?Project_ID=P42ES027706</a><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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