The toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS are now confirmed or suspected at 678 military installations, according to EWGs updated analysis of Defense Department records. Because PFAS never break down and they build up in our blood and organs, they are often known as forever chemicals.. Protect your health. Washington, DC 20005. "This is a national issue, and it has to have a national solution. Air Force Civil Engineer Center conducts drinking water sampling at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan. DuPonts Teflon changed our lives, but also polluted our bodies. The more than 5,000-acre former Wurtsmith base began operations as an airfield for military aircraft in 1923. ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals (designers, programmers and writers) with years of experience in the legal industry. In addition, the ground soil was noted to be contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons, dioxins, construction debris, medical wastes, pesticides . Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island (AULT Field) 160. But DOD waited until 2011 to warn service members about the risks posed by PFAS. PFAS foam gathers at the the Van Etten Creek dam in Oscoda township, Michigan, near Wurtsmith Air Force Base. McMahon said the task force has generated 40 recommendations and goals, from short-term fixes to long-term solutions to address PFAS-related issues. It's going to be somewhere in that vicinity," Sullivan said. McMahon said similar reports expected from the Air Force and Navy this fall will likely increase the number of known contaminated bases. PFAS gained particular attention in the early 2000s when DuPont came under public scrutiny for using PFOA in its Teflon pans and contaminating the drinking water of 70,000 West Virginia residents. (Breanne Humphreys, U.S. Air Force photo/Released). ATSDR officials added that the agency will coordinate with other partners to notify concerned citizens and veterans about the findings in this report. The agency also said it will update its exposure assessments should additional information become available, and will support public meetings to discuss the reports findings. The MichiganDepartment of Environment, Great Lakes and Energyand theAir Forcehave worked on the cleanup of various contaminants in the area ever since those late-70s findings. 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.. EWG is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, EIN 52-2148600. Aside from chemicals manufacturing plants, any site that has regularly used PFOS-laden aqueous film-forming firefighting foams, such as airfields, military bases and firefighting training grounds, could in theory contaminate soils, air and water in the vicinity. Sample results are summarized in table below. Wurtsmith Air Force Base is located in Iosco County, Michigan. Fort Dix, New Jersey The DoD data confirms for the first time the presence of PFAS contamination at the Montesano Armory east of Aberdeen, but at .8 ppt it is below the level EWG considers safe. New Mexico's investigations of groundwater contamination near two New Mexico Air Force Bases continued as it sought to find out the scale of the pollution and risk to human health . Join our brand new verified AMN Telegram channel and get important news uncensored. On Wednesday, environmental advocates from the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed that 90 more current and former Army and Army National Guard installations had levels of ground or drinking water contamination than previously indicated. 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. Suite 1000 For the groundwater sources, both on-base and off-base, however, cleanup will take years to address, Sullivan said. 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. Americans are exposed to dozens of PFAS every day. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A specialized substance designed to extinguish fires caused by petroleum and other flammable liquids, AFFF is known to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of toxic chemicals. You can learn more about the difference between class action and individual lawsuits here. DuPonts Teflon changed our lives, but also polluted our bodies. I think it's going to be bigger than that really. It has also released the full list of installations, reported in a lengthy chart attached toward the end of the congressional report, and will be working with the Centers for Disease Control next year on a study of the potential long-term effects of exposure. The tests will be carried out in contaminated groundwater on two Air Force bases and a Navy baseas part of a wider search for technologies that can break down the long-lasting molecules. PFAS chemicals are used in industry and consumer products such as food packaging, commercial household products, stain- and water-repellent fabrics, non-stick cookware, polishes, waxes and paint. . The militarys firefighters use aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, which contains extremely high levels of PFAS, in training exercises and emergencies. Negotiators from the House and Senate are hammering out a final version of the defense spending bill. The services are also phasing out the firefighting foam they use and working on replacements that do not contain perfluorinated compounds, Sullivan said. The story of that education stretches from kupuna to keiki. may have been caused by toxic chemicals in your drinking water. Their payment will come as a percentage of your settlement or jury award. 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. Some PFAS have been linked at very low doses to cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, thyroid and kidney disease, and other health problems. It's 450,000 people. Each base should have its water information posted, Sullivan said. Exposure and digestion of the water can be harmful. We work closely with class action and mass tort attorneys across the country and help with investigations into corporate wrongdoing. However, two widely used problematic substances perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been scrutinised following a number of major pollution incidents in the US, Australia and Europe, linked to chemicals manufacturing plants and contamination from PFAS-laden firefighting foams. TheAgency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry(ATSDR), a federal public health agency within theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this week released new conclusions about the impact of Wurtsmith veterans exposures to unsafe levels of the degreasing solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) and the fuel byproduct benzene in the bases water supply in the 1970s. Further, it has been established that PFAS can pass through breast milk and cross the placenta from mother to fetus during pregnancy. Toxic Forever Chemicals: What Are PFAS? This interview has been adapted for the web by HPR's Sophia McCullough. Now you have a liability. Fort Lewis Logistics Center Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are handling these cases on a contingency-fee basis. "This is an integral part of taking care of our people. 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. When you work with veterans, they and their families have made the ultimate sacrifices for our country. Flint, Michigan is no longer the only American city synonymous with contaminated drinking . They sit at the interfaces between water and particles, water and biota, they can transfer to the atmosphere and theyre so abundant they cycle around the wider environment, and thats the problem weve got.. Read more: Former Camp Pendleton Battalion Commander to Face Domestic Violence Charges. Until recently, PFAS contaminated the drinking water of scores of military bases, and many communities near these installations continue to drink contaminated water. A TCE groundwater plume was discovered beneath the base and emanating toward nearbyVan Etten Lake. Denise Bryan, health officer with District Health Department No. Some Defense officials have argued for cleanup and screening levels that are less protective of service members and their families than those proposed by EPA. 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. In June, theSenate passedthe National Defense Authorization Act of 2020, which contains a number of critical PFAS monitoring and cleanup amendments. But to fall foul of the worst effects of PFOS or PFOA, you would need to be exposed for a sustained period of time to pretty high concentrations of the substances. You may not realise it but you have an intimate relationship with PFAS. PFOS and PFOA are chemicals that were used in many industrial and consumer products, such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabric, some food packaging, and specialized foam. The Marine Corps is eliminating the scout sniper program as part of the service's big Force Design 2030 overhaul. Groundwater near the Willow Grove base was found to have PFAS at 329,500 ppt. Former England Air Force Base near Alexandria, Louisiana is the most contaminated place on our nationwide tour and perhaps, anywhere on earth, with deadly PFAS found in the groundwater at 10,970,000 ppt. WASHINGTON - Drinking water supplies at two Washington state Army installations are contaminated with extremely high levels of the toxic fluorinated chemicals called PFAS, according to Department of Defense data obtained by EWG under the Freedom of Information Act. ATSDRs new conclusions need to trigger a presumptive service connection, Arvo said aVeterans Administrationdetermination that certain disabilities were caused by military service, for which veterans can be awarded disability compensation. The 24-million gallon leak at a. Several Oklahomans living near Tinker Air Force Base are having health issues . Later groundwater testing revealed volatile organic and other hazardous compounds in eight contaminated plumes at the military base. Some states have set limits ranging from 11 ppt to 20 ppt. However, the water system on the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base was contaminated with PFAS, a group of dangerous chemicals, as a result of military firefighters using aqueous film-forming foam, commonly known as AFFF. Want to find out if you can file a lawsuit? Takingthese steps will help ensure that PFAS manufacturers pay their fair share of cleanup costs. Washington, DC 20005. Whats more, the department has been slow to switch to PFAS-free alternatives to AFFF and has been slow to clean up legacy PFAS pollution. At sea, PFAS have been found in killer whales near Norway and in bottlenose dolphins stranded along the northern Adriatic coast. Bobby is holding the water sample he collected. After 1970, the drinking water on the base became contaminated with PFAS, a group of dangerous chemicals that can be found in aqueous film-forming foam, commonly known as AFFF. Two Wars. Know your environment. Most vets have a saying, Theyll deny and deny until you die,' he said. 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. 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. If you lived on a military base and developed cancer or thyroid disease, its possible that your illnessmay have been caused by toxic chemicals in your drinking water. Residents and servicemembers are now taking action for the harm they suffered, so read on for more about the link between military bases and water contamination, as well as whats involved in filing a lawsuit. PFAS contamination was present in soil and groundwater near the maintenance building they use for testing AFFF firefighting equipment. Now we just have to step up and do the right thing.. 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. All rights reserved. 2, which includesOscoda County, applauded the new ATSDR conclusions. Linda Birnbaum, toxicologist and former director of the US National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, said: Theres an increasing amount of data showing PFAS are associated with a wide variety of health effects, not only in people but in animals. The US military is testing amethod of destroying compounds known as forever chemicals by mixing water and hot air under pressure. Contamination by toxic PFAS chemicals in ground water at Dover Air Force Base was dramatically higher than federal health limits recommended this year, according to a new analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists. 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.". It costs nothing to speak to one of the attorneys we work with, and youre never obligated to take legal action just because you talked to someone about your rights. All rights reserved. Did You Get Sick from Contaminated Water? 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 2001, a Defense Department memo concluded that the main ingredient in AFFF was persistent, bioaccumulating and toxic.. Dozens of drinking water wells in Security, Widefield and Fountain are contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PFAS chemicals have been found in the drinking water of 19 million Americans in 49 states, and unreleased EPA data show that up to 110 million people may have PFAS-contaminated drinking. They never break down in nature. In January, Okinawa Prefecture announced that waterways around Kadena Air Base were currently contaminated with PFOS; in 2008, levels in an on-base well had measured as high as 1870 ng/L. 1250 I Street NW Robins Air Force Base: The Air Force tested 30 locations on the base and found contamination in 62 out of 77 groundwater samples, as well as some surface water samples, according to a site . Jack Holder, a Pearl Harbor survivor who went on become a decorated World War II flyer, has died in Arizona. The water was contaminated by firefighting foam used at the former Pease Air Force Base. Luke air force base said studies showed high levels of contaminants had affected drinking water for about 6,000 people Associated Press Fri 26 Feb 2021 11.39 EST Last modified on Wed 5 Jan 2022 10 . Through FOIAs, EWG has discovered that many of the highest PFAS detections in the nation have been found on or near military installations. The EPA's provisional health advisory limit for drinking water is 200 ng/L. Denka Performance Elastomer LLC makes synthetic rubber, emitting the carcinogen chloroprene and other chemicals in such high . McMahon said one of the DoD's goals is to determine its contribution to water contamination at military bases and nearby communities by tracing sources of PFOS and PFOA and solving any issues found. DMAFB is located in the Sonoran Desert which has an arid climate . Dangerous levels of toxic PFAS are contaminating water supplies in areas around at least 12 military bases, new Department of Defense testing has revealed, drawing concern from public health advocates that the DoD is not doing enough to protect the public. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020 included important bipartisan reforms, including a provision to phase out AFFF by 2024. Explore the latest news, articles and features, This new version of quantum theory is even stranger than the original, Island-hopping cougars swim kilometres through icy water off US coast, Were starting to understand how viruses trigger chronic conditions. And they air force base contaminated water up in our blood and organs, they and their families have made the ultimate sacrifices our! Goals, from short-term fixes to long-term solutions to address, Sullivan.! Elastomer LLC makes synthetic rubber, emitting the carcinogen chloroprene and other hazardous compounds in contaminated... 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