A response to the article in The Enterprise Newspaper: Firefighting foam releases concern activists, community By Dan Belson, March 7, 2020
A foam suppression system uses carcinogenic PFAS foam during a test in a hangar.
March 8, 2020 - The Enterprise – the newspaper that refused to cover the PFAS story for a full year - has published a story full of inaccuracies and misstatements on the public health crisis facing the county. Quotes from Mr. Belson’s story are followed by commentary. Misinformation in this article commonly appears in publications across the country that cover the military’s reckless use of these fluorinated surfactants.
“Crowds swarmed naval and health officials at the Navy’s PFAS open house at the Lexington Park library on Tuesday evening, hoping to learn about the Navy’s use of the potentially dangerous chemical compound.”
PFAS is dangerous, period. A robust body of research reveals a chemical crisis of epic proportions. Nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to PFAS chemicals from the military’s use of these materials. Studies have linked PFAS chemicals to testicular, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer. Weakened childhood immunity. Low birth weight. Endocrine disruption. Increased cholesterol. Weight gain in children and dieting adults.
“Crowds swarmed naval and health officials at the Navy’s PFAS open house at the Lexington Park library on Tuesday evening, hoping to learn about the Navy’s use of the potentially dangerous chemical compound.”
PFAS is dangerous, period. A robust body of research reveals a chemical crisis of epic proportions. Nearly all Americans are affected by exposure to PFAS chemicals from the military’s use of these materials. Studies have linked PFAS chemicals to testicular, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer. Weakened childhood immunity. Low birth weight. Endocrine disruption. Increased cholesterol. Weight gain in children and dieting adults.
“PFAS do not break down and accumulate over time, according to the EPA, and evidence suggests exposure to PFOS and PFOA, two of the major PFAS chemicals, can lead to adverse health effects.”
This is part of the Navy’s scheme. PFOS and PFOA are just two of more than 6,000 PFAS chemicals that are harmful, and many are used by the military. The military will not discuss their use of the replacement chemicals. Ten other PFAS chemicals were also found in the water samples in St. Inigoes Creek. For instance, PFHxS was found in the creek. PFHxS has been detected in umbilical cord blood and is transmitted to the embryo to a larger extent than what is reported for PFOS. Prenatal exposure to PFHxS is associated with occurrence of infectious diseases (such as ottis media, pneumonia, RS virus and varicella) in early life. PFNA, PFDA, and PFBS were also found in the water, but the Navy never addresses any of that. These chemicals are not good for you and they’re finding ways into your body. None of the PFAS chemicals out there are regulated by the EPA. Meanwhile, the European Union has taken steps to ban them all in a few years.
“Mark Mank, a toxicologist at the Maryland Department of the Environment, said at the meeting the negative effects are seen in “chronic, long-term exposures” to PFAS chemicals.”
What does this mean, exactly? Not one of the 14 questions (below) asked by a handful of community members were answered by Navy, Maryland Department of the Environment, or Maryland Department of Health officials. Does it mean we’re OK to consume a dozen raw oysters, loaded with these carcinogens - taken from PFAS – foam saturated waters because this is not considered to be a long-term exposure?
“These are not human effects that we know today,” he said of the chemicals’ effects on the immune system, as PFAS has only recently been investigated as a health hazard.”
The military has known PFAS is a health hazard for 40 years and they continued to use it without warning personnel or communities. This lie about PFAS only being investigated recently continues to appear in news stories covering this epidemic across the country.
This is part of the Navy’s scheme. PFOS and PFOA are just two of more than 6,000 PFAS chemicals that are harmful, and many are used by the military. The military will not discuss their use of the replacement chemicals. Ten other PFAS chemicals were also found in the water samples in St. Inigoes Creek. For instance, PFHxS was found in the creek. PFHxS has been detected in umbilical cord blood and is transmitted to the embryo to a larger extent than what is reported for PFOS. Prenatal exposure to PFHxS is associated with occurrence of infectious diseases (such as ottis media, pneumonia, RS virus and varicella) in early life. PFNA, PFDA, and PFBS were also found in the water, but the Navy never addresses any of that. These chemicals are not good for you and they’re finding ways into your body. None of the PFAS chemicals out there are regulated by the EPA. Meanwhile, the European Union has taken steps to ban them all in a few years.
“Mark Mank, a toxicologist at the Maryland Department of the Environment, said at the meeting the negative effects are seen in “chronic, long-term exposures” to PFAS chemicals.”
What does this mean, exactly? Not one of the 14 questions (below) asked by a handful of community members were answered by Navy, Maryland Department of the Environment, or Maryland Department of Health officials. Does it mean we’re OK to consume a dozen raw oysters, loaded with these carcinogens - taken from PFAS – foam saturated waters because this is not considered to be a long-term exposure?
“These are not human effects that we know today,” he said of the chemicals’ effects on the immune system, as PFAS has only recently been investigated as a health hazard.”
The military has known PFAS is a health hazard for 40 years and they continued to use it without warning personnel or communities. This lie about PFAS only being investigated recently continues to appear in news stories covering this epidemic across the country.
Cancer starts here. Tanks in a hangar at Pax River hold carcinogenic foam.
“The Navy has historically used PFAS-containing foam to extinguish some fuel fires at its installments, including Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Webster Outlying Field in St. Inigoes.”
Fire-suppression systems – some that are capable of discharging enough foam in two minutes to cover a 2-acre hangar with 17 feet of foam have been regularly tested and have gone off accidentally on several occasions, flooding the base and “foaming” Metcom. Massive fires were lit on a regular basis over more than 20 years to train personnel on the use of the deadly foam. Groundwater and surface water tests were never reported from these releases, nor were they reported from releases at a total of 18 other locations on base.
“The reason we use it is because AFFF saves lives,” Steckler said, noting that there is no better compound to put out a fuel fire.”
This is another mistruth that is often repeated from the Navy’s misinformation machine. The Europeans have moved away from the carcinogenic foams, citing the devastating health on its citizenry. The International Pollutants Elimination Network, (IPEN), has published “Flourine Free Firefighting Foams (3F) – Viable Alternatives to Fluorinated Aqueous Film-Forming Foam.” The Europeans say it’s every bit as good as the carcinogenic foam the Navy insists on using. Throughout the US, airports are switching to the environmentally friendly foams. Are the nation’s airports irresponsible for switching to the 3F foams? Are they jeopardizing civilian life?
“The Department of Defense is currently seeking other fluorine-free compounds to use in those cases.”
See Seeking Firefighting Solutions that Already Exist for additional background on this deadly charade. The DOD could replace its entire stock of harmful AFFF with 3F foam in a month or two.
“Steckler is working on Pax River’s initiative to identify and clean up AFFF release sites on base, currently in its early stages of identifying known and suspected release areas.”
This represents another piece of outrageous propaganda. The Navy knows exactly what it has done over two generations of decimating our environment with these carcinogens. It’s time they stop the games and take measures to protect human health – and that involves testing wells close to the base, testing surface water and seafood on and off base, testing sewer sludge and contaminated farm fields – and then making the funds available to clean up the contamination.
“The EPA issued a nonbinding health advisory in 2016 setting the lifetime exposure to PFAS at 70 ppt of combined PFOA and PFOS.”
The newspaper must tell the rest of the story here. In the absence of EPA action, over half of the states are acting to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels for many PFAS chemicals in drinking water, many at a fraction of the EPA’s 70 ppt. In Maryland, we still don’t know what we’re drinking and lawmakers in Annapolis, a town heavily contaminated by the Navy with 70,000 ppt of PFAS in drinking water wells, are in no hurry to pass meaningful legislation.
That’s because the Navy is driving public health policy in the state. Think that’s an overstatement? The Maryland Health Department is on record saying wells don't need to be tested and people in the county should trust the Navy’s investigation of PFAS, while the Maryland Department of the Environment says we shouldn’t be concerned with PFAS levels in seafood because there are no guidelines promulgated by the EPA. “Don’t worry, Be Happy,” is the state’s response to this very real public health crisis. Meanwhile, other states, like Michigan and New Mexico, are light years ahead of Maryland and are suing the federal government to compensate for millions of dollars in damages.
“Community activist Pat Elder recently became interested in PFAS research.”
It is often a ploy of the military and its minions to demean the messenger. Elder is an investigative reporter with Civilian Exposure, an organization based in Camp Lejeune, NC with tens of thousands of military families who regularly read newsletters linking contamination on military bases with various forms of cancer. The Enterprise, like thousands of papers across the country, doesn’t embrace the idea of investigative reporting and that’s because it costs too much and can affect the bottom line. Elder has been helping to wake public consciousness worldwide and has published 40 articles on PFAS and participated in a dozen national and international conferences on the subject over the last two and a half years. Editor Donnie Morgan knew the county was being poisoned by the Navy a year ago but refused to cover the story.
Fire-suppression systems – some that are capable of discharging enough foam in two minutes to cover a 2-acre hangar with 17 feet of foam have been regularly tested and have gone off accidentally on several occasions, flooding the base and “foaming” Metcom. Massive fires were lit on a regular basis over more than 20 years to train personnel on the use of the deadly foam. Groundwater and surface water tests were never reported from these releases, nor were they reported from releases at a total of 18 other locations on base.
“The reason we use it is because AFFF saves lives,” Steckler said, noting that there is no better compound to put out a fuel fire.”
This is another mistruth that is often repeated from the Navy’s misinformation machine. The Europeans have moved away from the carcinogenic foams, citing the devastating health on its citizenry. The International Pollutants Elimination Network, (IPEN), has published “Flourine Free Firefighting Foams (3F) – Viable Alternatives to Fluorinated Aqueous Film-Forming Foam.” The Europeans say it’s every bit as good as the carcinogenic foam the Navy insists on using. Throughout the US, airports are switching to the environmentally friendly foams. Are the nation’s airports irresponsible for switching to the 3F foams? Are they jeopardizing civilian life?
“The Department of Defense is currently seeking other fluorine-free compounds to use in those cases.”
See Seeking Firefighting Solutions that Already Exist for additional background on this deadly charade. The DOD could replace its entire stock of harmful AFFF with 3F foam in a month or two.
“Steckler is working on Pax River’s initiative to identify and clean up AFFF release sites on base, currently in its early stages of identifying known and suspected release areas.”
This represents another piece of outrageous propaganda. The Navy knows exactly what it has done over two generations of decimating our environment with these carcinogens. It’s time they stop the games and take measures to protect human health – and that involves testing wells close to the base, testing surface water and seafood on and off base, testing sewer sludge and contaminated farm fields – and then making the funds available to clean up the contamination.
“The EPA issued a nonbinding health advisory in 2016 setting the lifetime exposure to PFAS at 70 ppt of combined PFOA and PFOS.”
The newspaper must tell the rest of the story here. In the absence of EPA action, over half of the states are acting to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels for many PFAS chemicals in drinking water, many at a fraction of the EPA’s 70 ppt. In Maryland, we still don’t know what we’re drinking and lawmakers in Annapolis, a town heavily contaminated by the Navy with 70,000 ppt of PFAS in drinking water wells, are in no hurry to pass meaningful legislation.
That’s because the Navy is driving public health policy in the state. Think that’s an overstatement? The Maryland Health Department is on record saying wells don't need to be tested and people in the county should trust the Navy’s investigation of PFAS, while the Maryland Department of the Environment says we shouldn’t be concerned with PFAS levels in seafood because there are no guidelines promulgated by the EPA. “Don’t worry, Be Happy,” is the state’s response to this very real public health crisis. Meanwhile, other states, like Michigan and New Mexico, are light years ahead of Maryland and are suing the federal government to compensate for millions of dollars in damages.
“Community activist Pat Elder recently became interested in PFAS research.”
It is often a ploy of the military and its minions to demean the messenger. Elder is an investigative reporter with Civilian Exposure, an organization based in Camp Lejeune, NC with tens of thousands of military families who regularly read newsletters linking contamination on military bases with various forms of cancer. The Enterprise, like thousands of papers across the country, doesn’t embrace the idea of investigative reporting and that’s because it costs too much and can affect the bottom line. Elder has been helping to wake public consciousness worldwide and has published 40 articles on PFAS and participated in a dozen national and international conferences on the subject over the last two and a half years. Editor Donnie Morgan knew the county was being poisoned by the Navy a year ago but refused to cover the story.
Per Fluoro Octane Sulfonic acid (PFOS) is one type of PFAS and it is very prevalent in St. Mary’s. It is a killer and poses an existential threat to humanity. You have a better chance of having high quantities in your body because the Navy has pumped a ton of it into this environment.
