DoD Failed To Protect Service Members From Chemical Exposure
Aug. 17, 2021
A report from the Defense Department Inspector General indicates not enough was done to protect service members from PFAS chemicals.
Though the Department of Defense (DoD) has known about the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for decades, it did little to keep service members safe from the toxic chemicals, according to an article from Military Times. A report from the Inspector General (IG) indicates no action was undertaken following a 2011 “risk alert” from the DoD’s Emerging Chemical program until 2016.
According to the article, the IG report contends the risk alert had no muscle behind it because it wasn’t endorsed by the Pentagon’s Emerging Chemicals of Concern Governance Council. The military now tests drinking water, installs filtering systems on installations and limits the use of aqueous film-forming foam to active firefighting situations, but inaction throughout much of the 20th century when the foam was also used for training has reportedly caused decades of build-up in groundwater.
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