PFC Contamination Leads To More Scrutiny At Military Bases

Earlier this year, the cities of Security, Widefield, and Fountain, CO, experienced higher than normal concentrations of perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, in their water supply.

The cities are three of 194 drinking water supplies across the country that have been found to have high PFC levels, caused by manufacturing facilities, in their drinking water, Colorado Public Radio reported.

According to NPR there are communities throughout the country that have elevated levels of PFCs in their drinking water. The U.S. EPA links higher exposure levels to a number of health concerns. NPR reported that earlier this May, the EPA made health advisory levels stricter for PFCs.

"These numbers incorporate a margin of protection, and would be protective over the course of a lifetime of exposure in drinking water to these levels," Joel Beauvais, an EPA deputy assistant administrator told NPR. "And they would also be protective against the developmental effects that might be associated with short-term exposures during pregnancy."

According to NPR, the EPA has worked since the early 2000s to phase out production of PFCs. Water contamination “has been linked to locations where the chemical itself is produced as well as airfields where a specific PFC-laden firefighting foam was used.”

In Colorado, health officials stated that nearby Peterson Air Force Base was one likely source.

The U.S. Air Force is in the process of changing the substance that it uses to combat fires. In a press release, the Air Force labelled the replacement foam as “environmentally responsible.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that other branches of the military, unfortunately, are not following the Air Force’s example.

It was late this winter when officials from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) became aware that higher-than-normal PFCs were in the water supplies of Security, Fountain, and Widefield according to Colorado Public Radio.

"It's important for us to study the problem and see where they're located so we spend the future dollars on the right places," says Daniel Medina, who has helped coordinate PFC research across the Air Force.

Since 2010, the Air Force has spent $137 million to study the scope of the problem. It says nearly 200 installations warrant more in-depth inspections for PFCs.

"The Air Force is committed to human health and the environment," Angelina Casarez, an Air Force spokeswoman told NPR. "We are working diligently to sample groundwater and drinking water to ensure the safety and well-being of those on and off our installations."

The U.S. Department of Defense said that it's examining hundreds of other sites for possible contamination, NPR reported.

To read more about PFCs visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.