Families using the Navy’s water system say they’ve detected toxic so-called “forever chemicals” in their water.
The Community Representation Initiative (CRI) for Red Hill, a group formed following the 2021 jet fuel leak at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, announced this week that the chemicals, also known as PFAS, have been found in the Navy’s water system. The detections were found at homes at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
PFAS have been found in the Navy’s drinking water before. In 2020 and 2022 the Navy reported releases of PFAS-containing firefighting foam at Red Hill, totalling over 6,000 gallons.
“The PFAS that we are now detecting at homes at Hickam don't appear to be related to that release in 2020 and 2022. And so we are concerned that there's actually more PFAS in the environment than we are aware of,” said Marti Townsend, chair of the CRI, at a news conference this week.
The results come from non-Navy tests that affected families are paying for on their own. The PFAS level at one home at JBPHH was more than twice the amount recommended by scientists, the CRI said.
The group is advising the 93,000 families on the Navy’s water line not to drink or use the water, and are asking the Navy to provide clean water. It’s also asking the Navy to act on and be transparent about PFAS in the environment.
“The clock is ticking on catching that PFAS before it gets to the water supply. There is no time for the Navy’s games. They have to take responsibility for the PFAS they spilled and clean it up,” said Susan Gorman-Chang, an at-large member of the CRI, in a statement.
PFAS are a group of thousands of manufactured chemicals used for a variety of applications, and exposure to certain levels of them can lead to an increased risk for cancer, developmental delays in children, and reduced immune system function, among other health issues.
“We just learned of the CRI’s claims today and have not been provided any specific information on their evidence," said a Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill spokesperson in a statement.
"PFAS is commonly found in the environment and is a universal issue. The Navy does and will continue to test for it. Recent tests from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam source water, at the Waiawa Shaft, were all non-detect,” the spokesperson wrote.
Families connected to the Navy’s water system have reported their physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing following the 2021 fuel leak, and thousands are suing the federal government.
Some families recently finished recalling their own experiences following the leak in federal court.
