Ongoing activities by EGLE to ensure the community around Wurtsmith is provided safe drinking water. Continued monitoring of residential wells by EGLE in areas that are known to be, or could be, affected by Wurtsmith contamination. Two low-cost innovative sampling procedures for characterizing trichloroethene (TCE) contamination in ground water were evaluated for use at McChord Air Force Base (AFB) by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force McChord Air Force Base Installation Restoration Program, in 2001. They are used in a huge range of consumer products, including waterproof clothing, furniture, cookware, electronics, food packaging and firefighting foams and are employed in a wide array of industrial processes. Two kinds of toxic "forever chemicals" widely found in drinking water after decades of use in consumer products and certain industries are more dangerous than . Visit EWG's 501(c)(4) organization, EWG Action Fund. It occupies a portion of what was once Pease Air Force Base, a former Strategic Air Command facility with a base-related population of 10,000 and which was home to the 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) flying the General Dynamics FB-111A. We work closely with class action and mass tort attorneys across the country and help with investigations into corporate wrongdoing. The 24-million gallon leak at a. AnAir Forcespokesman did not immediately respond to aFree Pressmessage seeking comment Thursday. Copyright 2023, Environmental Working Group. In 2016, residents near Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan discovered that the water they drank, bathed in, swam in, and fished in was contaminated with jet fuel, cancer-causing. Its a high stakes, slow motion game of whack-a-mole. 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. Suite 1000 The spill, estimated at 24 million gallons, was the largest underground toxic spill in US history AR CN EN ES FR IT TR Description: The Air Force has ensured safe drinking water on the former base and for surrounding off-base residents by continued monitoring and by providing treatment or replacement of water supply wells, where appropriate. Their payment will come as a percentage of your settlement or jury award. Though AFFF is effective, it has led to widespread contamination around bases and airports, and Congress just mandated the military check for PFAS pollution at 700 facilities while earmarking $571m for cleanup, though observers say the cost will likely be much higher. The data released this week by the military shows levels for five kinds of PFAS compounds at what Scott Faber, vice-president of government affairs for Environmental Working Group, characterized as extremely high levels, and he said they present a health threat to residents living nearby. McClellan Air Force Base (Ground Water Contamination) Norton Air Force Base (Landfill 2) March Air Force Base; Travis Air Force Base; Fort Ord; . Copyright 2023, Environmental Working Group. 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. Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a fire suppressant agent, used at the PAFB, is the likely source . DoD has already spent $200 million studying and testing its water supply, and also providing either filters, alternate wells or bottled water to address contamination. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. The tank was removed in 1977 after base personnel discovered it was leaking. "We've spent about $200 million a year for 10 years; that would be $2 billion. No. He or she will also gather medical documents related to the condition you are alleging stemmed from your PFAS exposure. The community drinking water in Nellis Air Force Base may be contaminated with many toxins like Monochlorobenzene (chlorobenzene), Trichloroethylene and Bromate, and may battle rising scales of water hardness. It is not known whether wells near those sites have been contaminated. Sample results are summarized in table below. 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. 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. PFAS biomagnify up food chains too, supplying apex predators such as orcas with hefty doses at mealtimes. Today, Teflon-like compounds called PFAS are found in the blood of almost all Americans. Immune system effects. In 2016 the EPA established a new, lower guideline for acceptable levels of PFOS or PFOA levels in water supplies: no more 70 parts per trillion. At military bases, however, they are concentrated in the foam used to put out aircraft fires. The U.S. Air Force says it will be distributing bottled water to thousands of residents and business owners near its base in suburban Phoenix until at least April, marking the latest case. 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. By, 'The stakes are high:' Local environmental advocate discusses Red Hill's toxic foam cleanup, China is building six times more new coal plants than other countries, report finds, 'Navalny' director says Russian opposition leader's spirit is unbroken, Climate change is fueling more conflict between humans and wildlife, Michigan State University is enhancing safety protocols weeks after a campus shooting, From the Warehouse to the world: Chicago and the birth of house music, Growth of lelo Hawaii stretches from kupuna to keiki, Pearl Harbor survivor Jack Holder dies in Arizona at age 101. Cancers, Thyroid Problems Caused by PFOS and PFOA, List of Military Bases with Contaminated Water, hardly ever break down in the environment. 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 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. The human-made chemicals are in your blood, your clothes, your cosmetics. Congress should also do more to alert active and retired service members and their families about their exposure to PFAS and the health risks they face as a result. Ian Ross, PFAS practice lead at engineering company CDM Smith, said: It was known that PFAS are extremely persistent in the environment since at least 1950 but they have been widely used in highly dispersive applications such as in firefighting foams since 1962.. 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. Two Wars. 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. In this June 29, 2017 photo made available by the U.S. Air Force, an F-15 fighter plane taxis back to the hangar at Kadena Air Base, Japan. A free event about the film and water contamination in Hawaii will be held at Church of the Crossroads in Honolulu on Saturday night. In New Mexico, the Air Force recognized in 1999 that jet fuel had contaminated groundwater below Kirtland Air Force Base and surrounding neighborhoods. The growth of Hawaiian language immersion schools has exploded in recent years. Both were eventually banned or had their uses restricted under various European and international laws, but being forever chemicals, they have not gone away. Several Oklahomans living near Tinker Air Force Base are having health issues . (Airman 1st Class Amber Powell/Air Force) The water at or around at least 126 military installations contains potentially harmful levels of perfluorinated compounds, which have been linked to. Until recently, PFAS contaminated the drinking water of scores of military bases, and many communities near these installations continue to drink contaminated water. PFAS have been detected in even the remotest parts of the globe, from the Arctic to Antarctica. Fort Dix, New Jersey Pentagon officials have understood the risks of AFFF since the early 1970s, when Navy and Air Force studies first showed it was toxic to fish. 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. 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. The Maj. Richard Star Act would eliminate the dollar-for-dollar offset on retirement pay that combat-disabled vets with less Capt. In Flanders, the government has advised people living in the neighbourhood of a 3M PFAS factory to stop eating eggs and vegetables from their hens and gardens, and a study by the Technical University of Denmark National Food Institute and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration found that organic eggs in Denmark are contaminated with high levels of PFAS. Tests of the soil revealed PFAS levels at 98,000 parts per billion. In March, the USAF promised to conduct tests for PFOS contamination on 664 bases . Further, it has been established that PFAS can pass through breast milk and cross the placenta from mother to fetus during pregnancy. It's 450,000 . Meanwhile, levels for three other PFAS compounds that the department tested for topped 1,150 ppt, and though no federal standard for those compounds exists, many exceeded limits some states have set. PFAS chemicals have been detected in the drinking water of19 million Americans in 49 states, and unreleased EPA data show that up to110 millionpeople may have PFAS-contaminated drinking water. Langley Air Force Base/NASA Langley Research Center 159. 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. In the case of Warner Robins, the Air . Wurtsmith veterans, or their family members, who have questions about potential exposures to TCE and benzene in base drinking water in the 1970s can call District Health Department No. TCE levels were found at a high of 46,800 parts per billion at one on-base monitoring well in the late 1970s. 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