Concerned Citizens in Action
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Ayesha Khan
CO-FOUNDER
Ayesha Khan is a year round resident of Nantucket and co-founder of Nantucket PFAS Action Group. She became aware of PFAS after her husband, Nantucket Fire Department Captain Nate Barber, was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Nantucket PFAS Action Group blossomed out of the desire to have accessible, understandable PFAS information available to the local community when PFAS contamination was found at the Nantucket Memorial Airport.
The Nantucket PFAS Action Group is working to spread education and awareness but also serve as a safe space where community members can connect, engage, and understand the issues they were facing.
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Jaime Honkawa
CO-FOUNDER
Jaime is a co-founder of the Nantucket PFAS Action Group and professional digital marketing strategist. Based in Los Angeles, CA she has developed major marketing campaigns for The Walt Disney Company, FOX Broadcasting Company, and Princess Cruise Lines as well as consulted on projects for Hulu, Netflix, HBO, Mattel, NFL Network, and more.
In July 2020, she joined forces with Ayesha, to create the community group and educational resource for Nantucket residents who are dealing with PFAS contamination. Together, they are working on local, state, and federal PFAS projects with the goal of driving awareness and education about these toxic chemicals.
Affiliations
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NPCC Leadership Team
The National PFAS Contamination Coalition was formed in June 2017 to support local organizing for clean, PFAS-free water and health protections by sharing stories, information, experiences, references, data, and connections with experts in their fields. Together we build state and national campaigns to achieve shared safe water, environmental, and health support goals.
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TURI Community Grant Recipient
We are honored to be 2021-2023 community grant recipients from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute or TURI, part of UMass Lowell to learn more about PFAS in firefighter gear.
Our lead investigator is Dr. Courtney Carignan of Michigan State University and our project partners are the Nantucket, Fall River, and Hyannis Fire Departments. We have amazing communications support from the Last Call Foundation, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Clean Water Action, and Community Action Works.
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ReMain Nantucket Grant Recipient
We are deeply grateful to ReMain Nantucket for supporting us through grant funding, enabling us to champion the cause of PFAS awareness not only on Nantucket but also on a broader scale. Their invaluable support has empowered us to produce educational content, actively engage with the Nantucket community, and elevate awareness of this issue to both local and national audiences.
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NASEM Community Liaison
The PFAS Action Group was selected as a Community Liaison and Panelist for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for the Guidance on PFAS Testing and Health Outcomes study.
The study provides advice to clinicians about PFAS testing and how test results should inform clinical care. Additionally, our expert committee examined the health outcomes associated with PFAS exposure and developed principles clinicians can use to advise patients on exposure reduction.
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Nantucket PFAS Community Outreach Group
Upon learning of island PFAS contamination, the Town of Nantucket developed a PFAS Task Force to bring stakeholders together to tackle this issue proactively. We were invited to join to offer a community perspective and are working with the Town on various PFAS-related projects.
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PFAS-Free PPE | Freedom to Choose
We are part of a group of firefighters, advocates, and scientists fighting to give the fire service the freedom to choose PFAS-free PPE.
We would love to hear from you! Send us your questions, tell your PFAS stories or share new information! Contact us here.