Toxic exposure at military bases has been overlooked for decades, but it can result in serious, often life-threatening illnesses for veterans. Over 700 military installations nationwide are contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals” due to their ability to persist in the environment and the human body. Exposure to these hazardous substances can cause myriad health problems, including prostate, kidney and testicular cancer. Once these chemicals are in a veteran’s bloodstream, it takes four years for the level of PFAS to go down by just half.
Washington is home to eight military bases and over 520,000 veterans. Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is one of the military bases closest to Seattle, and it has a high PFAS level — specifically 58,922 parts per trillion (ppt) — which exceeds the EPA’s new safe exposure limit of 4.0 ppt by a whopping 14,730 times. Ault Field, which is part of the military facility, has a PFAS concentration of 3,823 ppt, eclipsing the maximum permissible limit by 955 times. Other military bases that have presented a risk to veterans’ health are Fairchild Air Force Base, heavily contaminated with 167,000 ppt, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, with 299 ppt.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which encompasses McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis, had the two most notorious PFAS chemicals — PFOA, used to make DuPont’s Teflon, and PFOS, an ingredient in 3M’s Scotchgard — detected in the drinking water at both locations. After studies found links to cancer and harm to the reproductive and immune systems, both chemicals were phased out under pressure from the EPA.
At the moment, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) does not recognize the connection between exposure to forever chemicals at military bases and the diseases veterans develop. This is why they currently cannot access the benefits they are entitled to, such as health care and disability compensation.
However, the situation might change in the near future, as the VET PFAS Act has recently been introduced by Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman. The act would establish a presumption of service connection for veterans who were stationed at military bases where they were exposed to forever chemicals. Moreover, the bill aims at providing medical services and hospital care to veterans and their families who lived at military installations at which they were exposed to PFAS. Some of the diagnoses these exposed veterans receive, such as thyroid disease, kidney cancer and ulcerative colitis, could become eligible for VA benefits.
If the VET PFAS Act becomes law, veterans whose health were compromised by exposure to these toxic chemicals would finally be able to claim the VA benefits they deserve. Sadly, thousands of veterans injured by PFAS exposure find themselves in financial hardship due to the high cost of medical treatment. The annual treatment cost of kidney cancer, a common disease caused by forever chemical exposure, can reach up to $200,000. If kidney cancer is found in advanced stages, the five-year survival rate is only 15%, which is why veterans with this disease and other cancers need assistance for treatment as soon as possible.
The new VET PFAS ACT 2023 is crucial for ensuring veterans receive the care they deserve after exposure to PFAS. Supporting this legislation is vital to safeguarding the health and well-being of those who have served the country.
Jonathan Sharp is the chief financial officer at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C., a law firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which assists veterans affected by toxic exposure at military bases.
Read more of the May 8–14, 2024 issue.