[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "Military family takes PFAS cleanup battle to lawmakers on Capitol Hill"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Military family takes PFAS cleanup battle to lawmakers on Capitol Hill

by JOCE STERMAN and ALEX BRAUER
Sinclair Broadcast Group
December 13, 2019

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of military bases across the country are dealing with contamination to their drinking and groundwater as a result of the use of toxic firefighting foam. And one military family is taking the fight to get them cleaned-up to Capitol Hill, in honor of their daughter.

Walking hand in hand, a thousand miles from home, Jim and Richelle Holmes took to the streets of Washington, D.C. Thursday with their daughter, Kaela, in mind. Richelle Holmes said, "She’d say, 'What are you doing now? Let’s fix it now.'"

What the Florida couple is trying to fix is a massive contamination problem that impacts hundreds of military bases nationwide. The bases have been tainted by man-made chemicals known as PFAS that are widely used in firefighting foam. Studies have shown the toxic chemicals have a link to cancer and other health problems. And a Spotlight on America investigation found PFAS levels at some bases are hundreds or thousands of times the level deemed acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency. That includes Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, where the Holmes family lived when Jim worked as a military helicopter pilot.


…

For the entire story, see
https://abc7amarillo.com/news/spotlight-on-america/military-family-takes-pfas-cleanup-battle-to-lawmakers-on-capitol-hill

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
A project of the Pacific Studies Center
LSiegel@cpeo.org
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org





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