A tightly connected military family in Colorado Springs has lost multiple members to cancer and kidney disease, raising questions about long-known risks from toxic firefighting foam used on nearby bases.
Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin report for The Hill.
In short:
- Mark Favors’ family, with deep roots in Colorado’s military community, has suffered disproportionately from illnesses tied to PFAS exposure, particularly in areas near Peterson Space Force Base.
- Military documents from as far back as the 1970s show internal awareness of the health and environmental dangers of PFAS-laden aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), yet widespread use and community exposure continued for decades.
- The Department of Defense has acknowledged contamination at over 700 sites, but cleanup efforts remain slow, with full remediation at some locations not expected until 2048.
Key quote:
“It just kind of makes you wonder, as I say, did they know there was a problem from the beginning, when they started buying the foam or whatever? Did they know?”
— Lillian Clark Favors, retired Air Force security manager
Why this matters:
PFAS have earned the nickname “forever chemicals” for a reason: they don’t break down easily in nature or in the human body. First developed in the mid-20th century, these compounds offered chemical properties that seemed too good to pass up — resistant to water, grease, and heat, they became staples in everything from Teflon pans to waterproof jackets, fast-food wrappers, and especially firefighting foams. Now, they’re everywhere, from the Arctic to umbilical cords. The fallout has been particularly striking on U.S. military bases, where PFAS-laced firefighting foam soaked into soil and aquifers for decades. Today, the chemicals are still turning up in drinking water near former and active bases, and the burden of proof continues to fall on those suffering cancers, thyroid disease, or autoimmune problems. The Pentagon has promised billions for cleanup, but the process is slow, the science evolving, and trust is deeply fractured.
Related EHN coverage: PFAS-free firefighting foams: Are they safer?
