ABC News got an exclusive look at how the military is limiting PFAS pollution.
Air Force firefighters are transitioning to a new PFAS-free foam to combat fuel fires, eliminating what had been a key source of chemical contamination in water systems near military installations.used at nearby Wurstmuth Air Force base, once the home to America's fleet of B-52 bombers during the Cold War.
Signs warn hunters in Oscoda, Mich., along the shorts of Lake Huron not to eat the deer they kill because of high levels of PFAS chemicals."Wurtsmith was the first military installation in the world at which PFAs contamination was publicly reported, and it's the place where the Department of Defense, theThe beaches along Van Etten Lake in Oscoda, Michigan, are dotted with foam advisories warning of exposure to PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are harmful to human health.
In Oscoda, officials have spent more than 13 years studying the contamination but still do not have a comprehensive clean up plan. "It means of course people are going to be safer. We're going to be able to continue to put out jet fuel fires without contaminating service members and the neighbors of defense installations," Faber said, praising the development.
Spangler insists "rigorous testing" by military and private sector groups confirms that the new foam is safe for the environment and human health. "It's important to keep in mind that when the military stops using it, that has a ripple effect throughout the rest of commerce," he said.
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