Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
El Paso County, CO -- Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) announced they will study eight military bases and adjacent communities where there was long-term exposures to harmful per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS exposure is linked to decreased effectiveness of childhood vaccines, liver and kidney damage, increased risk of thyroid disease, decreased fertility, pregnancy complications, lower birth weights, and cancer.
The military use of PFAS chemicals in fire fighting foams contaminated more than 125 military bases over the course of decades. The community studies will take place in:
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Berkeley County, WV near Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base
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El Paso County, CO near Peterson Air Force Base
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Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK near Eielson Air Force Base
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Hampden County, MA near Barnes Air National Guard Base
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Lubbock County, TX near Reese Technology Center
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Orange County, NY near Stewart Air National Guard Base
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New Castle County, DE near New Castle Air National Guard Base
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Spokane County, WA near Fairchild Air Force Base
“Our community has been burdened with contaminated water for decades, and we are pleased that the federal government is finally responding to our demand to know the facts of what PFAS is doing to our families,” said Liz Rosenbaum of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition. “Like others in my community, my blood had particularly high levels of PFHxS, a PFAS chemical that is still widely used in fire fighting. My levels were 14-times higher than the average American, and some people’s exposures were much worse.”
“My family has suffered terribly from kidney disease, including a child who needed to have a kidney transplant. Our families need answers on the long-term consequences of the contaminated water we drank for decades,” said Mark Favors of the Fountain Valley Clean Water Coalition.
More than 130,000 Coloradans have PFAS contamination in their water, and many more may be at risk. Residents of the Fountain Valley, living downstream from Peterson Air Force Base, were heavily exposed to PFAS chemicals for decades, including military members and their families. Colorado communities met with EPA in an August 2018 “Listening Session” to demand that EPA take immediate action, including testing more people and drinking water in the contaminated region and fully disclosing the results to the public.
“Military families and neighboring communities deserve support and justice after long term exposure to this dangerous chemical,” said Fran Silva-Blayney of Sierra Club. “We hope this assessment sheds light on the devastating health detriments families are facing.”
The eight chosen communities sit near current or former military installations, with assessments expected to begin in 2019 and continue through 2020 to lay the groundwork for CDC/ATSDR’s upcoming study of the relationship between PFAS exposure and health outcomes.
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