A report released by the Department of Defense last week found high levels of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in a dozen military bases across four states. An analysis of the data released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found particularly high levels at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington state, where the highest levels found at a single well exceeded 4,700 parts per trillion (ppt). As the EWG notes, “DOD installations are required to provide water filters or connect nearby residents with public water supplies if PFAS levels exceed 70 parts per trillion, an advisory level set by the Environmental Protection Agency.”
The fact that any well is exceeding that level even slightly is alarming, yet nearly every base surveyed by the Defense Department appeared to show downright shocking levels of forever chemicals. Only three bases—Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, Naval Air Station Corry in Florida, and Naval Air Station Saufley Field in Florida—were found to have levels under that 70 ppt threshold. EWG policy analyst Jared Hayes said in a statement that such contamination has been a long-standing problem at DOD facilities. “For too long, service members and people living in communities near military installations have been the victims of the Pentagon’s failure to act,” Hayes said.
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Hayes was encouraged by the Defense Department doing more diligent monitoring than it had previously, though the results haven’t exactly been promising. PFAS have been confirmed in the groundwater of hundreds of military installations, with dozens of other facilities suspected to have similarly contaminated groundwater. It’s a problem the agency is clearly aware of and the cause isn’t exactly a mystery: Many forever chemicals leach into water sources from firefighting foam. In testimony given by Defense Department officials last year before lawmakers, the agency acknowledged that fact, adding that “addressing the challenges of PFAS is a national issue that will require national solutions and interagency efforts.”
Luckily, the EPA has ramped up its PFAS monitoring as well. New Regional Screening Level tables released in May showed that even more “forever chemicals” had been added to its monitoring system for Superfund sites, some of which were previously military sites. The EPA is continuing to research the most effective way to rid soil and tap water of PFAS, though the agency acknowledges that there are three proven methods to do so for drinking water and wastewater: “granular activated carbon, ion exchange resins, and high-pressure membrane systems.” Mitigation and removal is high on the EPA’s list as it prepares to release “forever chemical” standards for drinking water by the end of 2023.