Why Won’t The Military Stop Poisoning Our Drinking Water?

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1y ago 36:21

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For years the U.S. military has been faced with the reality that for decades water contamination on its bases and installations throughout the United States has affected the health and well being of servicemembers, military families, as well as entire communities that have hosted the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines since the early 20th century.

It is also the reality that the military has dragged its feet in the clean-up and restitution of said problem, not surprisingly.

A major culprit of contamination is what is called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." As of August 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed that more than 700 military bases are likely contaminated with PFAS, are described as “a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s.” They are man-made, fire-resistant, and repel water, oil, and grease. They've been used in firefighting foam called AFFF on the bases since the mid-20th Century, but are also used in clothing and food containers to make them water and oil-repellent.

PFAS don't break down over time and have contaminated drinking water and food. Research has linked them to cancer, heart and liver problems, developmental issues, and other illnesses. Water tests by the non-profit Environmental Working Group show nearly 3,000 private wells located near 63 active and former U.S. military bases are contaminated with “forever chemicals.”

According to the group, which analyzed Department of Defense testing data in 2023, 2,805 wells spread across 29 states were contaminated with at least one of two PFAS, above 4 parts per trillion, which is the limit proposed earlier this year by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Meanwhile, there is a trainwreck of a PFAS problem in Tucson where testing has revealed super high levels at the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site, which is “likely to enter into the Tucson public water system,” according to the EPA. These chemicals are suspected to come from the use of AFFF at nearby airports and military bases. Other chemicals may have migrated from a Raytheon (now RTX) weapons-making facility north of Tucson.

In this episode we will talk to my friend and Quincy Institute research fellow Nick Cleveland Stout who points out in a new Responsible Statecraft article, that the military is finding new and creative ways to avoid the full cost and energy of fulfilling cleanup and other mandates to prevent further contamination.