On Tuesday the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation advanced two bills belonging to U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner pertaining to opioid research and firefighters’ exposure to chemicals.

The EFFORT Act, which Gardner co-sponsored with U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., acknowledged that that National Science Foundation has increased understanding of opioid addiction and pain management, but would direct the NSF to support “merit-reviewed and competitively awarded research” in consultation with the National Institutes of Health.

“Promoting research to better understand the epidemic and encouraging the development of new tools and treatments for opioid addiction and abuse are meaningful steps,” Gardner said.

A second bill, the Guaranteeing Equipment Safety for Firefighters Act, would order a federal study of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances in firefighters’ personal protective equipment.

The chemicals, which are resistant to grease, oil, water and heat, can cause health problems when they accumulate inside humans, although the U.S. Food & Drug Administration calls the science “developing.”

Multiple states, including Colorado, have passed various laws to regulate these chemicals in firefighting foam and equipment, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to study the issue earlier this year.

“The hazards of PFAS are well-known. The link between these toxic chemicals and cancer is particularly concerning for fire fighters, who experience cancer at higher rates than the general population,” said Harold A. Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, in a statement.

Gardner co-sponsored the legislation with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.