{"id":80,"date":"2020-03-23T19:49:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T19:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/groundwater-war\/?p=80"},"modified":"2020-12-21T19:58:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T19:58:28","slug":"pentagon-ids-four-more-nm-sites-at-risk-of-pfas-contamination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/groundwater-war\/2020\/03\/23\/pentagon-ids-four-more-nm-sites-at-risk-of-pfas-contamination\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon IDs Four More NM Sites At Risk Of PFAS Contamination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"NMPBS\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Frontline\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Stories\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Stories<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Timeline\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

Timeline<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"PFAS\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

PFAS Map<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"PFAS\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n

PFAS FAQ<\/a><\/h2>\t\t\n

\n\t\tPentagon IDs Four More NM Sites at Risk of PFAS Contamination\n\t<\/h1>\n\t

Laura Paskus<\/p>\n

March 23, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n\t

The Pentagon has identified four more military sites in New Mexico that could be contaminating local waters with PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.<\/figure>\n

On Friday, March 13, just as federal and state agencies ramped up emergency efforts to address the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Defense released a\u00a0report<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>summarizing its progress on PFAS issues through the end of last September.<\/p>\n

According to its\u00a0updated list<\/strong><\/a>, the military will assess whether activities at the Army National Guard armories in Rio Rancho and Roswell, the Army Aviation Support Facility in Santa Fe, and White Sands Missile Range have polluted groundwater with PFAS. The toxic compounds do not biodegrade, and have been linked to cancer and many other health problems.<\/p>\n

Nationwide, the updated list of military sites under investigation swelled from 450 military locations to 651. The military does not appear to have notified states, including New Mexico, prior to making the list public.<\/p>\n

\"PFAS
As of the end of September, the Defense Department is studying possible PFAS releases at 651 military installations nationwide. | Courtesy: U.S. Department of Defense<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the report from the Defense Department\u2019s PFAS Task Force, the military\u2019s earlier investigations focused on contamination from aqueous film forming foams, which the military used for firefighting and training from the 1970s until just a few years ago.<\/p>\n

The updated progress report notes that the task force\u2019s expanded investigations now also focus on \u201cinstallations where PFAS may have been used or released.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report does not include details about specific activities that might have exposed people or the environment to PFAS. Defense Department spokesman Chuck Pritchard could not be reached for additional information before publication.<\/p>\n

PFAS are a class of thousands of toxic, human-made chemicals that have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems, liver and kidney disease, and immune system problems. Exposure to PFAS has also been tied to high cholesterol, low infant birth weights, thyroid hormone disruption, and cancer, including non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma and kidney, testicular, prostate, and ovarian cancers.<\/p>\n

Chemicals within the PFAS family are found not only in firefighting foams, but in common household items, like weather-proof clothing, stain-resistant carpet, and nonstick cookware. The chemicals can cross the placental barrier and be passed from mother to child during breastfeeding. They also bioaccumulate, moving up the food chain.<\/p>\n