Some fear groundwater near Georgia military bases is toxic

FILE – In an Aug. 11, 2015 file photo, an Air Force military member walks out to medevac biocontainment unit aboard a C-17 military transport plane at Dobbins Air Force Reserve Base during a media tour, in Marietta, Ga. There are fears that groundwater near Georgia military bases could remain contaminated from a toxic firefighting foam used for decades by the U.S. Air Force. Recent tests at Georgia’s three air bases show extensive environmental contamination of groundwater. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

ATLANTA (AP) — Groundwater near Georgia military bases remains contaminated from a toxic firefighting foam used for decades by the U.S. Air Force, prompting fears among residents about their exposure to the chemicals.

Recent tests at Georgia’s three air bases show extensive environmental contamination of groundwater, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Environmentalists say that contamination from the foam exposed Georgia communities to chemicals linked to cancer and a variety of other health problems.

The Air Force has said that Georgia’s drinking water is safe for the thousands of people living around its installations.

But experts and nearby residents question those findings, saying the military’s review was too narrow and failed to test water off-base.

“Given that there are concentrations of these compounds on site, over time they’re going to move off of the site. That’s just common sense,” said Jamie DeWitt, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at East Carolina University. “No contaminant obeys property lines.”

Nationwide, the Air Force has acknowledged contaminating drinking water in communities close to its bases in more than a dozen other states. In Georgia, Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Cobb County, Robins Air Force Base in Houston County and Moody Air Force Base […]

Full article: Some fear groundwater near Georgia military bases is toxic