[CPEO-MEF] PFAS: "'Forever chemicals' found to be major pollutant at Gulf Coast military bases"

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

'Forever chemicals' found to be major pollutant at Gulf Coast military bases

by Andrew J. Yawn
The American South
November 16, 2021

Elevated levels of PFASs, chemicals that can potentially cause cancer and other health issues if ingested, have been found in the groundwater around 13 Department of Defense sites along the Gulf Coast, according to a report from Washington D.C. non-profit the Environmental Working Group.

PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are often called "forever chemicals" due to their inability to break down in the environment or the human body. Water repellant and resistant to fire and oil, PFASs have been used in household cleaners and Teflon cookware, and exposure has been linked to increased risk for kidney and testicular cancers, issues with fetal development and weakened immune systems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

In the case of DOD bases, the chemicals have been a key ingredient in a firefighting foam that for decades was sprayed during live fires or practice exercises, said EWG policy analyst Jared Hayes. 

…

For the entire article, see
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/american-south/2021/11/16/chemicals-found-gulf-coast-military-bases-potentially-cancers/6273200001/

—

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
Author: DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975 (See http://a3mreunion.org)

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