contamination

The Department of Defense through the Defense Logistics Agency, (DLA) is rushing to incinerate its remaining supplies of fire-fighting foam and associated bulk materials containing highly fluorinated, toxic PFOS & PFOA chemicals. Incineration is incapable of completely breaking down the substances. Scientists argue the practice is “raining down a witch’s brew” of poisonous substances that are linked to a host of cancers.

On July 10, 2018 Michigan’s MLive Media Group reported that a U.S. Coast Guard maintenance hangar at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Mount Clemons, Michigan experienced an “inadvertent discharge of about 20 gallons of AFFF foam” on June 7. AFFF is aqueous film-forming foam that contains toxic chemicals containing a variety of per- and poly fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. They are used in fire-fighting foams.

Past activities at McGuire AFB in support of operational missions created a number of waste sources of potential environmental concern. Site investigations and long-term cleanup are ongoing.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, (WSSC), the water provider for 1.8 million residents in Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, is not being completely honest with its customers regarding the presence of PFAS chemicals in drinking water.

The primary mission of the 4,198-acre Luke Air Force Base (LAFB) site was to provide advanced flight training to fighter pilots. Discharges and waste disposal practices at LAFB resulted in soil and possible groundwater contamination. Thirty-two areas of the base were subject to further investigation. Soil was contaminated with waste oils and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) resulting from the diverse processes that have taken place at the site. Groundwater was potentially contaminated with waste oils and VOCs. Potential human health hazards include accidental ingestion or direct contact with contaminated materials.

In the last few years, the military stopped using two ingredients in the foam – PFOA and PFOS – two of the deadliest varieties of the chemicals known as per – and poly fluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS). The DOD has been in a rush to incinerate old fire-fighting foams containing the two chemicals.

The Senate on Thursday put off further action for weeks on its mammoth defense authorization bill that has become a battleground for efforts to address exposure to PFAS. But the Senate’s $740.5 billion fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 4049), which the chamber is to return to after a two-plus week recess for the July 4 holiday, will have to be reconciled with a House defense bill. The House version now has stronger PFAS provisions.

What do we know about the spread of the coronavirus on US Navy ships? For the most part, we know what the Navy tells us or confirms what we already know. We’re told the pandemic has spread to 13 ships and infected at least 1,370 sailors and civilian workers.

This 1,200 acre site is comprised of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove (NASJRB/WG) and the Willow Grove Air Reserve Station (WGARS), which are operating U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force installations, respectively, located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Activities that generate, store, or dispose of hazardous waste at the facilities fall into four general categories: (1) aircraft maintenance; (2) base civil engineering; (3) fuel operation and (4) personnel training.

The 2,807-acre Alameda Naval Air Station is a closed Navy installation located on Alameda Island, adjacent to the city of Alameda. Solid wastes generated at the site were disposed of in two on-base landfills. In addition, various wells have recently tested at extremely high levels for PFAS contamination.