Government Must Act Now on PFAS Contamination at Military Bases

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports widespread PFAS contamination at US military bases, with many sites exceeding risk levels established by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The document highlights the health risks of these 'forever chemicals', the history of industry disinformation, and the failure of the US military to transition to fluorine-free firefighting foams.

• A UCS analysis of 131 active and formerly active US military sites across 37 states found that all but one exceeded the ATSDR risk level of 11 ppt. Specifically, 118 sites (over 90%) had concentrations at least 10 times higher than this level, and 87 sites (roughly two-thirds) were at least 100 times higher.
• Extreme levels of PFAS contamination have been detected at 10 military sites, where concentrations exceeded the ATSDR risk level by more than 100,000 times. The highest recorded level was at the former England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana, which was approximately 1 million times the risk level.
• PFAS are synthetic compounds linked to various severe health issues, including kidney and testicular cancers, liver damage, thyroid disease, and ulcerative colitis. Children are noted as being especially vulnerable, with associated risks of decreased vaccine response, increased asthma, and kidney function damage.
• The ATSDR's 2018 draft toxicology report determined that risk levels for PFAS were 7 to 10 times lower than the standards previously set by the EPA. The EPA's 2016 drinking water health advisory for PFOA and PFOS was set at 70 parts per trillion (ppt), which the UCS translated into ATSDR-based guidelines of 7 ppt for PFOS and 11 ppt for PFOA.
• Chemical manufacturers DuPont and 3M are accused of concealing internal research for decades regarding the toxicity of PFAS and the contamination of water supplies. DuPont settled over 3,000 personal injury claims in 2017 for $671 million related to PFOA leaks in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
• The US military continues to use PFAS-containing firefighting foams despite the availability of fluorine-free alternatives used by other air forces and corporations. Instead of switching to PFAS-free options, the military is transitioning to foams containing short-chain PFAS molecules.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2018). Government Must Act Now on PFAS Contamination at Military Bases. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/09/a-toxic-threat-pfs-military-fact-sheet-ucs-2018.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Government Must Act Now on PFAS Contamination at Military Bases. 2018. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/09/a-toxic-threat-pfs-military-fact-sheet-ucs-2018.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Government Must Act Now on PFAS Contamination at Military Bases |date=September 2018 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/09/a-toxic-threat-pfs-military-fact-sheet-ucs-2018.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2018government, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Government Must Act Now on PFAS Contamination at Military Bases}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2018}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/09/a-toxic-threat-pfs-military-fact-sheet-ucs-2018.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }