Public health

DoD admits water at U.S. military bases contains cancer-causing chemicals

U.S. Army photo

If you live on a military base and only drink bottled water, you’ve probably made a good call. A recently released report from the Department of Defense shows that a number of military installations are plagued with unsafe drinking water that can cause illness and fertility issues — and the government tried to cover it up.

The water (be it drinking water or groundwater) appears to be contaminated with Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), which can be traced to everything from hamburger wrappers to firefighting equipment and waterproofing agents. While limited exposure to the contaminants is essentially harmless, some human studies have shown a connection between PFOS/PFOAs and developmental delays in fetuses & children, decreased fertility, increased cholesterol, changes to the immune system; increased uric acid levels, changes in liver enzymes, and prostate, kidney, and testicular cancer, as well as other illnesses.

Out of 401 installations where the groundwater was sampled (as of August 31, 2017), 90 exceeded the “acceptable” levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency, which were lowered in recent years. One of the big contaminant sources seems to be Aqueous Film Forming Foam, the foam frequently found in firefighting vehicles, aircraft hangars, […]

More about: water and the U.S. Military

More about: forever chemicals (PFAS, etc.), pollution, and public health

More about: forever chemicals (PFAS, etc.), pollution, and public health

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DoD admits water at U.S. military bases contains cancer causing chemicals
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DoD reports on military installations plagued with unsafe drinking water that can cause illness and fertility issues - and government tried to cover it up.
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