2020 CPEO Military List Archive

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
Date: Mon, 4 May 2020 22:53:50 -0700 (PDT)
Reply: cpeo-military
Subject: Re: [CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "Army report analyzes the risk of PFAS chemical contamination on Fort Ord" (CA)
 
Army Contaminates Fort Ord Region with PFAS, Downplays Health Impacts

BY PAT ELDER 
LA Progressive
MAY 4, 2020


he Army has revealed that two highly toxic chemicals, PFOS and PFOA were recently found in the groundwater at the old Fort Ord, near Salinas, California at 560 parts per trillion, (ppt), which is 8 times higher than the EPA’s advisory level of 70 ppt. The chemicals are known to contribute to testicular, liver, breast, and kidney cancers, as well as a host of childhood diseases and abnormalities in the developing fetus.

Although the base closed 26 years ago, the presence of the “forever chemicals” at these levels provides a wake-up call to the public in the region that PFAS is present at harmful levels in the ground. Customers of  California Water Service – Salinas should be especially cognizant of the potential for contamination.  Groundwater from the base is reported to move in a northeasterly direction toward Salinas while the town’s water supply is derived largely from groundwater.

No federal or state maximum contaminant levels for PFAS chemicals in drinking water have been established. In February, 2020, however, the California State Water Resources Control Board lowered its “Response Level” to 10 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and 40 ppt for PFOS.  If a water system exceeds the response levels for these contaminants, the system is required to take the water source out of service or provide public notification within 30 days of the confirmed detection.  Previously, the response level was 70 ppt for the total concentration of the two contaminants combined. The groundwater at Fort Ord contained 113 ppt of PFOA and 447 ppt of PFOS.

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.laprogressive.com/army-contaminates-fort-ord/


> On Apr 26, 2020, at 11:45 AM, Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org> wrote:
> 
> Army report analyzes the risk of PFAS chemical contamination on Fort Ord.
> 
> By Asaf Shalev
> Monterey County Weekly (CA)
> April 23, 2020
> 
> The U.S. military’s use of firefighting foam containing “forever chemicals” known as PFAS has left a legacy of toxic contamination at hundreds of bases nationwide. These chemicals were introduced to Monterey County soil and groundwater when Fort Ord was still an active installation, but the military says that the risk to public health here is low.
> 
> “Fortunately, compared to other [Department of Defense] sites, the presence of PFAS is not that extensive,” says William Collins, environmental coordinator of the military’s local Base Realignment and Closure office. “The chemicals were not frequently used here and not in large quantities.”
> 
> Collins’ conclusion is the result of an ongoing technical investigation initiated in 2017, as concerns about the environmental and health impacts of the chemicals began to swell around the country.
> 
> …
> 
> For the entire article, see
> http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/local_news/army-report-analyzes-the-risk-of-pfas-chemical-contamination-on-fort-ord/article_e12585a2-84f1-11ea-a0df-27f39759febe.html
> 
> --
> 
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Military mailing list
> Military@lists.cpeo.org
> http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/military-cpeo.org

--

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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