Citizens Claim Air Force Base Water Caused Chronic Illnesses

People who lived on or near the decommissioned Wurtsmith Air Force Base believe water contamination may have given them chronic illnesses.

Traci Kroushour, a 39-year-old who lived there in her childhood, is among them.

Her uterus was removed “at age 28 after two miscarriages and a lifetime of chronic ailments like bone death, fibromyalgia, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal problems and underdeveloped reproductive organs,” Michigan Live reported.

Other people who lived in proximity to the base have also faced medical conditions. Kroushour’s brother, for instance, “died of a heart attack at age 28,” the report said.

“Two other men who lived on her street also died of unexplained heart failure at a relatively young age,” it continued. “Other women she knew from the neighborhood have struggled with strange reproductive health problems. Causes for all of them have been elusive.”

Michigan officials recently announced that the water at the base is contaminated.

“Local, state, and military officials held a public meeting on March 23 to address citizens' concerns, in which they acknowledged widespread contamination that has existed for decades but has only recently resurfaced as a major hazard,” Michigan Radio reported.

“The U.S. Air Force and the Department of Health and Human Services in December discovered perfluorinated compounds in drinking water wells near the former base in Oscoda,” The Associated Press reported.

Contaminants are “now showing up in concentrations above federal guidelines and investigators say plumes may have been leaching through the groundwater for years,” Michigan Radio reported.

A statement issued by public officials said that perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) remain a problem despite initially appearing decades ago since the chemicals do not break down in the environment. It said the PFC issue was not known in 1993 when the base shut down.

“Most appear to be from past use of firefighting foam. These foams were used at many locations on the former base, causing contamination to the ground and groundwater. PFCs may be also present in and coming from the base landfills. The Air Force is investigating the sources of the PFC contamination,” the statement said.

Pennsylvania is struggling with PFC contamination around shuttered military bases, as well.

“Horsham is one of three communities in Bucks and Montgomery Counties where chemicals from firefighting foams used at former naval air bases have leeched into groundwater and community water supplies,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Here are the treatment methods the U.S. EPA recommends to water utilities facing PFC challenges:

In some cases, drinking water systems may be able to reduce concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), by closing contaminated wells or changing rates of blending of water sources. Alternatively, public water systems can treat source water with activated carbon or high pressure membrane systems (e.g., reverse osmosis) to remove PFOA and PFOS from drinking water. These treatment systems are used by some public water systems today, but should be carefully designed and maintained to ensure that they are effective for treating PFOA and PFOS. In some communities, entities have provided bottled water to consumers while steps to reduce or remove PFOA or PFOS from drinking water or to establish a new water supply are completed.

The U.S. EPA issued a health advisory in May about PFC exposure as various cities wage high-profile battles against the chemicals, including Hoosick Falls, NY, and factory towns across the country. PFCs are industrial chemicals, and research has tied them to cancer, the Associated Press reported.

To read more of our PFC coverage visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.