Families using the Navy's water system report new contamination, with lab results indicating the presence of PFAS chemicals.
Catherine Cruz reports for Hawaii Public Radio.
In short:
- Environmental groups held a news conference to discuss the PFAS contamination in water samples from Hickam, a military base.
- Red Hill Community Representation Initiative's Marti Townsend highlighted the dangers of overlapping water and fuel lines, leading to a toxic mix of chemicals.
- University of Hawaiʻi researchers found that fuel mixed with chlorine in water can create harmful substances, posing health risks such as cancer and liver damage.
Key quote:
"These two samples came from Hickam because these are military dependents who are living on base, and their water lines overlap with fuel lines. And they're basically living in a horrible toxic soup between the jet fuel that was released and mixed with chlorine to make toxic chemicals, and the PFAS, all of which you know affect your immune system."
— Marti Townsend, chair of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative
Why this matters:
Contaminated water poses serious health risks, particularly for immune system function, and this incident is another example of ongoing health issues with military base infrastructure. Read more: Pioneering study links testicular cancer among military personnel to ‘forever chemicals.’
