Concern for PFAS contamination surrounding Military bases continues to grow as more cases are brought to the forefront involving the chemicals. Bases in Pennsylvania are showing extreme amounts of PFAS along with correlating health issues among community members. In 2014, tests revealed groundwater near the Willow Grove base had PFAS levels at 329,500 ppt (parts per trillion). The EPA’s current recommended level of PFAS is 70 ppt.
Pennsylvania is one of the states in which the EPA will conduct research on PFAS chemicals and their impacts on human health. This is the first government-funded research on PFAS, but some believe they are not moving fast enough. Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Linda Birnbaum explains, “Where there’s pretty much growing, and I’d say fairly clear evidence of harm, EPA doesn’t have the flexibility to move rapidly.”
