Navy says there are “no PFAS exceedances” in Red Hill groundwater samples
Test results show 5,445 parts per trillion of total PFAS; Deadly PFOA levels are 6,250 times over EPA advisory level at the tunnel entrance to Adit 6 at Red Hill.
By Pat Elder
January 30, 2023
The Adit 6 entrance to Red Hill Photo Anthony Hamilton / Hawaii News Now
On Friday, Jan 27, 2023, the Navy released testing results for PFAS obtained from groundwater collected near the Adit 6 entrance to the Red Hill Tunnel in December, 2022.
Although the Navy says the results do not exceed Hawaii Department of Health Environmental Action Levels and EPA Regional Screening Levels, the concentrations of the carcinogens are alarming and underscore the lax regulatory response from the state and the federal government. See the Red Hill AFFF Assessment Sampling report prepared by APPL Labs (P. 660)
The PFOA level is 6,250 times over the EPAs Lifetime Health Advisory of .004 ppt. All of the nine compounds shown above are ingredients contained within Ansulite and other aqueous film-forming foams, (AFFF) used by the Navy. PFOA is a human carcinogen and probably the most lethal of all PFAS compounds. It poses a threat to the health of the mother and child during pregnancy.
Effects caused by PFHxA exposure are largely limited to potential kidney effects and occur at much higher doses than observed for PFOA. A Danish study found that people with elevated levels of PFBA were more than twice as likely to have a severe form of Covid-19. PFBA accumulates in the lungs, which likely explains the finding of the Danish study.
The Navy released 42 sets of records. Environmental Data Services, Ltd of Pittsburgh, PA authored 17 of the tests. APPL Labs of Clovis, CA signed off on 9 reports. Eurofins Environmental Testing offered 16 of the tests, although Eurofins did not report on PFAS concentration of the groundwater. We have 26 sets of PFAS data.
The Navy doesn’t say the groundwater is OK to consume. Instead, it says, “Based on DOH Environmental Action Levels and EPA Regional Screening Levels, validated Navy groundwater monitoring sample results show no exceedances of PFAS following the November AFFF spill at Red Hill.” These are two different things. This is the best way they can spin it.
The reports by APPL Labs and Environmental Data Services, Ltd. do not share data on the depths of the groundwater collected and neither do the PFAS groundwater reports performed by Environmental Data Services, Ltd. This information is typically shared in reports of groundwater concentrations for PFAS contained within Site Inspections. The Navy has not released a single PFAS / AFFF site inspection for any installations in Hawaii.
PFAS is believed to be a ticking time bomb for drinking water aquifers. The toxins slowly migrate into subsurface soils and deep aquifers. There’s a lesson to be learned from the Naval Research Laboratory – Chesapeake Bay Detachment in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. They’ve been practicing putting out fires with PFAS-laced foams since 1968, longer than anywhere.
The Navy tested the groundwater in Chesapeake Beach for PFAS a couple of years ago. There were 23 monitoring wells sampled that were located between 20 to 30 feet below ground surface. PFOS was detected in a well at that depth at 171,000 ppt. The same compound was found at 17.9 ppt in a well nearby that draws water from 200 to 300 feet below ground surface.
The Navy ought to tell us the depths of the tests. The EPA and the DOH ought to be pressuring the Navy to fess up. There’s way too much we don’t know, compared to other states.
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The firm is working to create a multi-base coalition to provide legal representation and blood testing to individuals with a high likelihood of exposure to PFAS and other contaminants.
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