Luke Air Force Base said in February that studies showed high levels of contaminants had affected drinking water for about 6,000 people in roughly 1,600 homes plus several neighboring businesses. In September of 2020, the Pentagon released important data concerning the number of military sites contaminated with PFAS, which are currently 704, as the Department of Defense had identified 34 new installations where these chemicals were present. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that activities at 126 military bases had contaminated groundwater with PFAS. PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, its an umbrella term for a family of thousands of chemicals about 12,000 at the last count that are prized for their indestructible and non-stick properties. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment Bob McMahon told reporters during a media roundtable that he "expects to see growth [in the number of bases contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS] as we begin to get a better understanding and better characterization of where we are.". Denise Bryan, health officer with District Health Department No. A US study that ran between 2005 and 2013, involving the collection of blood samples from about 69,000 people living near the DuPont plant, concluded that there was a probable link between exposure to PFOA and six diseases: high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Both were phased out under pressure from the EPA after studies found links to cancer, harm to the reproductive and immune systems, and other health problems. Peterson Air Force Base (PAFB) is in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The level of PFAS found in the drinking water at both installations is far higher than most experts believe is safe for people, said EWG Senior VP for Government Affairs Scott Faber. In all, 25 Army bases; 50 Air Force bases, 49 Navy or Marine Corps bases and two Defense Logistics Agency sites have tested at higher than acceptable levels for the compounds in either their drinking water or groundwater sources. Reports suggest that when the foam was washed away following training simulations, it seeped into the ground and nearby streams, contaminating the tap water base residents and locals used for drinking, bathing, cleaning and more. The claims, stemming from contamination at the Victorville base from the 1970s through the early 1990s, have been submitted to the Air Force's Judge Advocate General's Corps by the Military . EWG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, EIN 52-2148600. You can only hope now that people know and are finding alternative sources of water because those are shockingly high levels of PFAS, he added. PFAS can be readily absorbed through ingestion, (e.g., by drinking contaminated groundwater or eating fish exposed to the chemicals) and inhalation and can even enter the body through the skin. The Santa Cruz River flows northwesterly and provides the main drainage for the Tucson basin and is located approximately 4.6 miles west of the base. And they noted that roughly 600 drinking. In a successful case, you may be able to receive compensation for the following: In most cases, your lawsuit would be filed against the company that manufactured the firefighting foam believed to be the source of your PFAS exposure; you would not be suing the U.S. military. The number of active and former U.S. military installations found to be contaminated with chemical compounds found in firefighting foam is expected to rise as a Defense Department task force investigates the scope of the problem, the group's chairman said Thursday. At least 12 military bases contaminating water supply with toxic PFAS Testing by the Department of Defense revealed dangerous levels of the contaminants, drawing concern from public health. The man-made chemicals, which can be used to make items heat or water resistant, are found in everyday household, food and clothing items, even take-out food wrappers. Toxic Forever Chemicals: What Are PFAS? Its up to the owner of that system to make a decision on what theyre going to do, Sullivan So were on a fine line of trying to provide drinking water to our folks when were buying it from somebody else.. Fort Dix, New Jersey The DoD began widespread testing for contamination in drinking water at its facilities in 2016, followed by testing of groundwater on and near military installations. It emitted PFOA from its US plant in south-west Parkersburg into the air and Ohio River from the 1950s until the early 2000s, and it eventually reached drinking water supplies. EWG has found 28 bases with PFAS in drinking water at levels above those set by some state regulators. 2, which includesOscoda County, applauded the new ATSDR conclusions. Thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism), Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland, Randolph, Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis, Texas, Seymour Johnson Air Force base, North Carolina, Wurtsmith Air Force base (Oscoda), Michigan, Past and future medical expenses, including prescription costs, surgery, medical treatments and doctors visits, Loss of marital benefits (care, comfort, sex, etc. Its estimated that, given the widespread use of PFAS and the ubiquitous presence of some of them in the environment, almost everyone on the planet has PFAS in their blood at some level. Because military firefighters would use this fire suppressant on a regular basis, contamination with PFAS . The Air Force recently awarded the Tennessee-based Shaw E&I Group, which previously helped plug groundwater wells around the Toxic Triangle, a $37.5 million, nine and a half year contract to . In South Carolina, groundwater contamination has been found at Shaw, as well as at the old Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, the Charleston joint military base and the the National Guard's McEntire air base southeast of Columbia, according to Department of Defense reports. While he could not say how many military personnel and their families live in communities where the municipal water supply or well water is contaminated with PFAS, he added that, in those cases, the Pentagon plans to be part of the solution. Kirtland Air Force Base jet fuel leak, USA A decades-old jet fuel spill contaminated soil and groundwater beneath Kirtland Air Force Base, moving towards wells supplying drinking water to Albuquerque. Based on the exposure levels and estimated durations, ATSDR now concludes that some children and adults who used TCE-contaminated water for drinking, showering and bathing, or for drinking only, on the base and in surrounding areas, may be at risk for: Heart malformations, including increased risk of fetal heart malformations for pregnant women. Chocolates and heart-shaped pastilles with cutesy phrases like QT Pie are sweet. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. In January - March 2020, DHEC sampled and analyzed community drinking water wells near Shaw Air Force Base (AFB) in Sumter, South Carolina for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The only way to tackle this ballooning contamination crisis impacting our military personnel and millions of others in Washington and across the country is for Congress to step up and take action.. . Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Contaminates the Neuse River and the Goldsboro, North Carolina Region with PFAS By Pat Elder March 24, 2022 North Carolina environmental activists Bobby Jones, Lib Hutchby, and Emily Keel on the banks of the Neuse River in Goldsboro, North Carolina on February 17, 2022. The Marine Corps is eliminating the scout sniper program as part of the service's big Force Design 2030 overhaul. Compounds detected in the drinking water at both locations included the two most notorious PFAS chemicals PFOA, once used to make DuPonts Teflon, and PFOS, formerly an ingredient in 3Ms Scotchgard. What isnt sweet are the potentially harmful food chemicals that may be hiding in your Valentines Day candies. Companies that manufactured AFFF with toxic chemicals include, but are not limited to, the following: Before filing a lawsuit, your attorney will ask you questions about your work history, places youve lived and how your health has changed since being exposed to contaminated groundwater. In those cases the department is working with the vendors or utilities on a solution, and providing bottled water or filters as needed, Sullivan said. "These chemicals build up. Mitchell will be joined by Erwin Kawata from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, among others. In March, the USAF promised to conduct tests for PFOS contamination on 664 bases . Now, the community is thriving. The water at or around at least 126 military installations contains potentially harmful levels of perfluorinated compounds, which have been linked to cancers and developmental delays for fetuses and infants, the Pentagon has found. Included was one that requires the Pentagon to phase out, by 2023, the use of PFAS-based firefighting foam and require military facilities to meet state cleanup standards. The US military is testing amethod of destroying compounds known as forever chemicals by mixing water and hot air under pressure. *Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues. Lake levels are rising across the world and climate change is to blame, Artificial sweetener erythritol linked to heart attacks and strokes, Strange quantum event happens once every 10 billion chances, Northern lights: The best pictures of the aurora taken across the UK, The radical new experiments that hint at plant consciousness, Mediterranean diet may prevent cognitive issues for people with MS. PFAS, which is an umbrella term for a group of manmade chemicals that includes perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), are often referred to as forever chemicals. This is because PFAS hardly ever break down in the environment and can accumulate, remain and persist in the body particularly the bloodstream, liver and kidneys for decades. These forever chemicals pollute water, dont break down, and remain in the environment and people for decades. "We're really, really happy to be bringing this documentary to Hawaii because the water here is at risk, the water here has been contaminated," he said, referring to the Navy Red Hill fuel leak in November 2021. McMahon said the task force has generated 40 recommendations and goals, from short-term fixes to long-term solutions to address PFAS-related issues. They deserve answers, she said. Those groundwater sites will be added to the departments long list of environmental cleanup responsibilities it has at each of its more than 2,900 facilities around the world, and will prioritize that cleanup based on risk. Because AFFF contains PFAS, contamination was inevitable. What is the Venus-Jupiter conjunction and how can you view it? Highest exceedances of PFAS in groundwater were PFHxS at 28,500 ppt, PFOA at 1870 ppt, and PFBS at 758 ppt. Last year, the DoD examined 524 installations for two of the most prevalent PFAS chemicals in aqueous firefighting foam, perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS, and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and found 401 with some level of contamination. Copyright 2023, Environmental Working Group. OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) - A community is looking for answers after dealing with contaminated water for nearly two years. The detections occurred during tests conducted in 2017 and 2018. Their payment will come as a percentage of your settlement or jury award. Hawaii Public Radio | Top Gun for hire: why Hollywood is the US militarys best wingman, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Thats bad news because many PFAS also tend to bioaccumulate, which means they are absorbed by organisms faster than they can be excreted and will build up over time. The Maj. Richard Star Act would eliminate the dollar-for-dollar offset on retirement pay that combat-disabled vets with less Capt. PFAS behave like surfactants, like soaps, says Prof Crispin Halsall, an environmental chemist at Lancaster University. 2 at 800-504-2650. DuPonts Teflon changed our lives, but also polluted our bodies. Contact her at ccruz@hawaiipublicradio.org. I like to remind us all that we are a kind of animal there are now hundreds of epidemiology studies showing associations with a wide variety of effects, including cancer, liver effects, kidney effects, effects on development and reproduction, growing evidence for effects on neurodevelopment, growing evidence for effects on type 2 diabetes Its kind of like the more you look, the more you begin to find associations with this very broad class of chemicals., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The primary source of PFAS at military installations is aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, firefighting foam developed by the Defense Department in the 1960s and first required by the Navy and the Marine Corps in 1967. These included 36 sites with drinking water contamination on-base, and more than 90 sites that reported either on-base or off-base drinking water or groundwater contamination, in which the water source tested above the Environmental Protection Agencys acceptable levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate or perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOS and PFOAs. Protect your health. This means if you want to pursue legal action over your injury, you will need to file your own lawsuit with your own attorney. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 chemicals used across dozens of industries to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located in Iosco County, Michigan. One Story. Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presents an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby majority-Black community and demanding cuts in toxic emissions. . Mitchell said the military has not allowed Japanese officials to enter the base and investigate the contamination themselves. Visit EWG's 501(c)(4) organization, EWG Action Fund. At the time, no one knew the contaminants were from the military base. Washington, DC 20005. In more than a dozen other states, the Air Force has acknowledged contaminating drinking water in communities close to its bases. Protect your health. DoD continues to perform routine sampling at impacted locations off-base and expand sampling to further investigate and identify locations where there is known or potential risk of PFAS release, a spokesperson said. Creators of Skin Deep Database Tapwater Database EWG Verified Search. The former england air force base in alexandria, louisiana was the most severely contaminated place we visited, with 10,970,000 parts per trillion of pfas in the groundwater. This Polar bears have a PFAS problem: Pollution from the forever chemicals known as PFAS contaminates polar bears, tigers, monkeys, pandas, dolphins and fish and has been documented in more than 330 From coast to coast, and in almost every state in the U.S., high levels of the forever chemicals known as PFAS contaminate freshwater fish. McClellan Air Force Base (Ground Water Contamination) Norton Air Force Base (Landfill 2) March Air Force Base; Travis Air Force Base; Fort Ord; . The spill, estimated at 24 million gallons, was the largest underground toxic spill in US history AR CN EN ES FR IT TR Description: It operated throughout World War II and became a permanent installation in 1951, designated by theAir Forceas a fighter-interceptor training base for theU.S.Air Defense Command. There are nearly 700 military installations with either confirmed or suspected ground water contamination caused by fire-fighting foam using in vehicle and aircraft mishaps, according to new. These are simply the specific bases attorneys working with ClassAction.org are looking into. "We've spent about $200 million a year for 10 years; that would be $2 billion. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a fire suppressant agent, used at the PAFB, is the likely source . The base and surrounding area have been switched to a city ofOscodadrinking water supply that comes from nearbyLake Huronand does not include the contaminants at unsafe levels. The militarys firefighters use aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, which contains extremely high levels of PFAS, in training exercises and emergencies. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (DMAFB) is located within the Tucson basin, a northwest trending alluvial valley. This persistence means the PFAS burden is ever growing, so much so that a group of scientists have concluded that the global spread of just four PFAS in the atmosphere has led to the planetary boundary for chemical pollution being exceeded, raising risks to the stability of the Earth system. Newly obtained DoD data provides updated details about PFAS contamination at the previously known sites. He or she will also gather medical documents related to the condition you are alleging stemmed from your PFAS exposure. If the case does not get dismissed and the defendants are not willing to settle the matter, the case will proceed to jury trial. Public interest science has only just begun to wrap its head around PFOS and PFOA, decades after they were first produced, and so there is little chance it will ever catch up with manufacturers, who can tweak an existing molecule, rename it, and have it on the market in a fraction of the time it takes to establish a body of evidence to demonstrate whether or not it needs regulating. Its a high stakes, slow motion game of whack-a-mole. Next Steps Remedial investigations also discovered benzene, a fuels-related compound, in the base and surrounding areas groundwater, presumed to have leaked from a petroleum, oil and lubricant bulk storage area on the base. The first target for the department was to address the 36 direct drinking water sources that are contaminated and cut off that human exposure as soon as possible, Sullivan said. Everything you need to know about forever chemicals detected in air, water, soils, sediments and rain. Testing by the Department of Defense revealed dangerous levels of the contaminants, drawing concern from public health advocates. In the early 1980s, the Air Force conducted its own animal studies on AFFF, and in the early 2000s, the maker of the fluorinated chemical PFOS, the main ingredient in AFFF, exited the market. PFAS are a class of about 9,000 chemicals used to make products resistant to water, stains and heat. To do so, Congress should increase funding for programs like the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and designate PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund toxic cleanup law. Benzene levels found in groundwater ranged from 197 to 1,000 parts per billion, far exceeding theEPAmaximum contaminant level standard of 5 parts per billion in drinking water. But DOD waited until 2011 to warn service members about the risks posed by PFAS. I think it's going to be bigger than that really. In 2001, ATSDRs look at Wurtsmith concluded that past exposures to groundwater may have posed an increased risk of developing adverse health effects, but that it was unknown whether the (volatile organic compounds) concentrations persisted at high enough levels for long enough durations to actually pose a public health hazard.. Until then, DoD won't know the true extent of the water contamination, or the . "We are committed to ensuring that we have a safe place for our people and their families to live, work, play and pray," McMahon said. If your base is not on the map or list above, this does not mean you were not exposed to PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam. Until recently, PFAS contaminated the drinking water of scores of military bases, and many communities near these installations continue to drink contaminated water. EWG officials noted, however, that the DoD has not only been slow to recognize the problem of PFAS, it has fought cleaning up the contamination for years. 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