More Than Athletics, This Is Public Health

To the editor: In response to recent commentary from Annual Town Meeting, I want to clarify something important: my support for this project comes from both my professional healthcare background and a careful review of the available evidence.

Before moving to Nantucket, I worked for four years as a Pediatric ICU nurse (PICU) caring for critically ill children, including pediatric oncology patients, and since 2014, I have worked as an emergency room nurse. I am incredibly passionate about nursing, and I am also raising my own children on this island. I also lost my beloved mother to cancer, experiences that have shaped how I evaluate health, fear, and risk.

Because of both my personal and professional experiences, I would never publicly support a product if peer-reviewed, evidence-based research, testing protocols, and lab data did not genuinely reassure me about its safety profile and real-world risk.

For the past seven months, I have spent many hours each week reviewing environmental testing, toxicology reports, engineering analyses, hydrogeologic data, and independent expert evaluations tied to this project.

Importantly, this project is not asking the community to “just trust” anyone. The exact lot of materials proposed for installation is expected to undergo rigorous third-party testing before installation, with toxicologists involved to evaluate meaningful exposure pathways and real-world health risk.

Nantucket Public Schools also hosted a public information session where Elizabeth Denly, vice president, PFAS Initiative Leader, and Chemistry Director at TRC Companies, reviewed the proposed testing and containment systems tied to this project. Ms. Denly is the toxicologist hired by NPS to help vet this project, and she was also present at Annual Town Meeting. That public information session remains publicly available on the Town of Nantucket YouTube page.

It is also important to recognize the many professionals in this community who thoughtfully evaluated this proposal. Ugne Aleknaite, RN, NP, doctoral candidate, oncology nurse practitioner, and former associate scientist at a green chemistry institute, had her husband publicly read her remarks at Annual Town Meeting in support of Article 12. As Ugne stated, “A field where 70 percent of our students move, compete, and belong is not just athletics. It is public health.”

Let us also not forget that Vince Murphy, an elected School Committee member, is a scientist with the aptitude to digest the many complex facets of this plan, and he did exactly that before voting to approve the project.

For me, this process has never been about politics or dismissing concerns. It has been about carefully weighing evidence, trusting rigorous science and testing, and recognizing that the health, safety, and well-being of Nantucket students and families deserve both thoughtful scrutiny and meaningful action.

Sincerely,
Kate Garrette, RN