Another Reason to Protest at Travis Air Force Base:

Deadly chemical contamination

By Pat Elder
January 13, 2024

Thank you for being there! Protesters who regularly gather at Travis Air Force Base, CA might consider calling attention to the deadly contamination coming from the base like Dioxin, Volatile Organic Compounds, and PFAS.

Artificial Intelligence provides a breakthrough!

Although the idea of “artificial intelligence” is frightening, there are things I like about it.  Before Google introduced “Experimental AI,” evidence of the truth about Agent Orange being used or stored at almost every military base in the United States was shielded from the public. Now, it is evident the new technology is unable or unwilling to filter out inconvenient truths about the military’s murderous behavior and lies regarding Agent Orange.

I asked, “Was Agent Orange used at Fort Ord?”

It always used to say, “No.”

Now, you can pick pretty much any base in the U.S., and you’ll find veterans claiming they’re sick and dying from Agent Orange exposure, demanding that the VA take care of them. Facing tremendous liability, the VA and the DOD lie to the veterans, explaining they couldn’t be sick from their time at McClellen, or Edwards, or Travis – or wherever - because Agent Orange wasn’t there! See this screenshot about Travis AFB below.

Until recently, google searches would simply parrot the official line.

AI is actually giving truth the benefit of the doubt! Check out this AI response to my query, “Was agent orange used at Travis AFB?” 

This is the official line on Agent Orange: “The Department of Defense maintains a list of all locations outside the Republic of Vietnam in which recorded herbicides were used and/or stored. The records show that herbicide agents were not used, tested, or stored at Travis Air Force Base.  Moreover, Travis Air Force Base was not on any supply line for transporting Agent Orange to or from Vietnam.”

These are lies told by the U.S. government to a sick veteran asking for help. Actually, military minders have pointed out that they’re not lying when they say Agent Orange “was not used, stored, or tested at Travis.”  This doesn’t mean it wasn’t there or that soldiers didn’t get sick from it. 

“In his November 2012 VA Form 9, a Veteran stated that although it may be true that Agent Orange barrels were not stored at Travis or Clark Air Bases, his allegation was that Agent Orange was shipped through those air  bases and that he was required to regularly handle such cargo. He stated again that the barrels were frequently leaking.”  https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files12/A22025872.txt

If you want to explore a hundred cases that mostly deny the existence of Agent Orange at Travis and deny benefits, google this: va.gov "citation nr:" "agent orange" "Travis" Protest Agent Orange!

Other Deadly contaminants at Travis

The soil at Travis was found to contain .0022 mg/kg of deadly dioxin,  (See ProPublica/DOD.)  This is the same as 2.2 parts per billion, more than twice the already high level the EPA regulates. According to the EPA, soil levels above 1 part per billion of dioxin could result in an unreasonable risk to human health. The Europeans are stricter, like they are with almost all of these deadly contaminants poisoning communities near military bases.

Dioxin may last 100 years in soil and may be stirred by the wind. Travis AFB utilizes "prescribed burns" aiming to reduce wildfire risk by intentionally setting controlled fires in specific areas of the base to manage vegetation and prevent uncontrolled blazes from spreading.  Like Fort Ord, there is a concern that dioxins could become airborne. There’s also an issue with a host of other contaminants if they are consumed by fire.  

Agent Orange is made of equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). This may be the deadliest toxin ever created.

American military propagandists have seized on the ongoing contamination at Camp Lejeune to convince the American public that everything is fine and dandy and that the military is deeply concerned with the health and welfare of its soldiers. Millions are suffering from their lies and neglect.

The DOD pointed to six lethal contaminants at Camp Lejeune that sickened soldiers on base: Trichloroethylene, Benzene, Toluene, Vinyl Chloride, 1,2 Dichloroethylene, and Tetrachloroethylene. Those same six are present at high levels at Travis AFB.

Arguably, Trichloroethylene and Benzene were the two deadliest compounds at Camp Lejeune. Groundwater used for drinking water at Camp Lejeune contained a high of 1,400 parts per billion of Trichloroethylene while the concentrations at Travis contained 3,950 parts per billion. (See ProPublica/DOD.)  Similarly, The highest level reported in groundwater for Benzene at Camp Lejeune was 380 parts per billion, while it was ten times that at Travis.

Fortunately,  drinking water at Travis  is purchased from the City of Vallejo Water Department and California State Water Project. Even so, these chemicals also present a threat to human health through vapor intrusion.  Vapor intrusion is the migration of volatile chemicals from the subsurface into indoor or outdoor air.

Travis Air Force Base is among the most severely contaminated bases with PFAS. The groundwater was reported to contain 439,000 parts per trillion of the total of PFOS and PFOA. The EPA is beginning to enforce a limit of 4 parts per trillion of these substances, meaning the levels at Travis are a hundred thousand times higher than what is allowed.

Travis AFB is exempt from these regulations because the DOD dictates environmental policy in the U.S.