Hawaii Red Hill Water Contamination
One of those communities is in Hawaii, where the U.S. Navy's fuel storage facility poisoned nearly 100,000 residents, sending thousands to seek medical help after suffering from petroleum exposure.
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Those impacted by the Navy jet fuel spill in Hawaii speak at Freedom Plaza. Image by John Nelson
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For months, pregnant women, children, service members, and pets experienced dizziness, breathing difficulties, vomiting, headaches, and rashes. The Navy denied the dangers despite sickening thousands, including their family and friends. A month after the fuel contaminated the drinking water, the Navy agreed to stop the leaking tanks. Since 1943, it is estimated that 200,000 gallons of fuel have leaked from the Red Hill facility.
A study revealed that the tanks could have chronic leaks releasing up to 5,800 gallons of fuel annually. Despite these warning signs, the facility chose to continue operating the facility making minimal improvements, leading to the catastrophic leak in 2021.
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U.S. Army major Mandy Feindt speaks of the health effect of leaked jet fuel. Image by John Nelson
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Americans Poisoned on U.S. Soil
Mandy Feindt is a U.S. Army major who has dealt with the health effects of leaked jet fuel. Feindt has served on active duty for the past 16 years, with overseas tours, including to Afghanistan. In November of 2021, Feindt was impacted by Department of Defense contamination after jet fuel leaked into the drinking water in Oahu, Hawaii. Her one-year-old son experienced chemical burns on the lower half of his body from bathing. Her four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with neurological conditions after unknowingly drinking and bathing in the contaminated water. Feindt is one of the thousands of military members and their dependents impacted by Department of Defense contamination across the nation.
The Hawaii jet fuel contamination is one example of how self-regulation doesn't work. The Navy was aware it got into the groundwater and failed to notify the public after losing nearly 14,000 gallons of jet fuel. In fact, the Navy issued a notification stating;
"There are no signs or indication of any releases to the environment, and the drinking water remains safe."
One month later, sampling showed petroleum levels were 350 times above the safe drinking water limit.
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Seven-inch tall letters spelled out EPA DO YOU JOB were pushed on rolling carts to the front of the Environmental Protection Agencies' headquarters in Washington DC by advocates impacted by environmental contamination nationwide. Image by John Nelson
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Department of Defense Contamination
Our military uses almost 21 billion liters of fuel every year, and Hawaii isn't the first or only incident of fuel leaks. In 2014, a defense contractor spilled jet fuel at Fort Hood and then lied about it to investigators. 94,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled in Virginia Beach at the Naval Air Station Oceana Bulk Fuel Farm in 2017. Kirtland Air Force Base had the largest toxic spill in the history of the U.S. as jet fuel leaked into soil and groundwater for decades, an estimated 24 million gallons.
The Department of Defense is one of the country's largest polluters. The lack of accountability, reporting, and data, makes it challenging to track their environmental impact. They create 750,000 tons of toxic waste every year in depleted uranium, oil, jet fuels, pesticides, leads, and other chemicals, according to MPN reports.
Military Bases Across the Nation Impacted
The city of Tuscon, Arizona, found that the Air Force had been dumping industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) into the water for 29 years resulting in over 1,300 cases of cancer and illnesses. From 1953 to 1987, Marine Corps Base
Camp Lejeune in North Carolina contaminated the groundwater with harmful chemicals that impacted service members and families with numerous ailments. In Colfax, LA, the military burns toxic waste several times daily with no environmental emissions control. Federal data shows that military bases in Hawaii dumped more than half a million pounds of nitrate compounds into the ocean in 2019.
Water supplies in areas around military bases across the nation are contaminated, with the most recent catastrophe coming from firefighting foam. The DoD used Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) for decades and knew that PFAS chemicals were harmful to the environment, wildlife, and human health but continued to use dangerous levels of these toxic chemicals.
Nationwide Contamination of PFAS Chemicals
Nearly all Americans have some exposure to PFAS, and these chemicals have been found in water supplies across the country. Since the 1940's PFAS have been manufactured and used in industrial applications and firefighting. PFAS doesn't break down in the environment, can move through soil contaminating drinking water, and are very persistent in the environment and human body. Exposure to these chemicals has adverse reproductive, developmental, and immunological effects. Millions of Americans are exposed to PFAS-contaminated water, and the EPA failed to take action for 20 years after being made aware of the health hazards of these toxic fluorinated chemicals in 1998.
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International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Edward Kelly speaks at Freedom Plaza. Image by John Nelson |
Firefighter PFAS & Occupational Exposures
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) President Edward Kelly spoke of the risks firefighters face with PFAS substances in firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE). PFAS plays a role in contributing to the increased incidence of cancer among firefighters. The IAFF represents more than 326,000 professional firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical dispatchers across the United States and Canada.
"For many years, we thought our cancers were caused by smoke, off-gassing from burning combustibles, building debris," Kelly said. "Now we know our own gear is part of that problem. The very thing that is supposed to be keeping us safe is costing us our lives."
Several powerful voices came to Washington DC to demand that federal agencies do more to regulate toxic chemicals impacting firefighters.
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Left is Diane Cotter, Middle is Paul Cotter
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Relentless Advocacy in the Face of Adversity
President Kelly recognized Diane Cotter, who was at the rally with her husband, Paul, a Worcester, MA, firefighter. Diane's pursuit for answers after suspecting that turnout gear was behind Paul's cancer diagnosis in 2014 led to a study by Notre Dame nuclear physicist Graham Peaslee, Ph.D., finding dangerous carcinogens in the protective gear.
The fight wasn't always easy for Diane, who was among the first to raise concerns over PFAS in gear. The Cotters were shunned by the firefighter's union and the IAFF General President at the time, Harold Schaitberger. Her search for answers quickly made their family the target of viciously made-up rumors and intimidation tactics by the union and corporate operatives to silence them. Through persecution, she persisted, and the relentless efforts to discredit her failed as she exposed the truth through scientific research and now has tremendous support in opposing PFAS in gear.
The Cotter's experience with retaliation is echoed across America as advocates share details of their encounters with government, industry, and agencies.
"President Kelly gave long-awaited recognition that I have been seeking from the IAFF. I am very grateful. It removed a hole in my heart that I've been carrying. It was an emotional moment I did not know was coming and didn't realize how badly I needed it." - Diane Cotter
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Left: Diane Cotter, Stel Bailey, Elizabeth Baker, Representative Jim McGovern, Paul Cotter, and Kevin Ferrara
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Cancer Incidence Among Firefighters
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