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Old 08-28-2019, 01:59 PM
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Exclamation Pentagon chief: VA to take lead on fighting potential military service-linked cancer

Pentagon chief: VA to take lead on fighting potential military service-linked cancer
By: Tara Copp - MCClatchy DC Bureau - 8-28-19
RE: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nat...234467962.html

WASHINGTON
The Department of Veterans Affairs will take the lead on improving access to medical care for military members exposed to potentially cancer-causing compounds during their service, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters Wednesday.

In response to a question from McClatchy on the rising number of cancers in the military that could be connected to compounds service members were exposed to while deployed overseas or during training, Esper acknowledged the role of both the Pentagon and VA may grow.

“That is one of the areas where I want to improve and make sure we are doing everything we can to assist soldiers, sailors airmen and Marines as they transition out of the service into the VA system,” Esper said.

Earlier this year, the military service organization TAPS said that the top cause driving new survivors to join its organization will soon be military member cancer deaths. TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, is a support organization for spouses and family members who have lost a service member.

The Pentagon will continue to take the lead on addressing the number of military bases and communities with ground and well water contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) compounds, which are cancer-linked chemicals found in the military’s fire-fighting foam.

There’s already some momentum within the Pentagon and Congress to address the impact of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), which has been used since the 1970s to fight aircraft fires. The foam has concentrated amounts of PFAS compounds that are linked to cancers and birth defects. The compounds are found in everyday household products, but are concentrated in firefighting foam.

Full Report on site: Contaminated water sources on military bases

In 2018 the Pentagon released its first assessment of the levels of PFAS in its water systems. PFAS is a chemical compound that has been used in military and commercial airport fire-fighting foam for decades; it has been linked to cancers and birth defects. On Monday, Northeastern University and the Environmental Working Group combined this data with public water utility reports to provide the most comprehensive look to date at the extent of PFAS contamination, to include hundreds of communities across the U.S. Based on the research, more than 610 locations in 43 states, impacting 19 million people. The list below is just the military base data, which is searchable by state, military base, service and the extent of contamination.

On site Chart showing:
State - Country - Military Base - Service Branch - Water Source - EPA limit - Above EPA
(On site you will find all the information on all the items listed above)

Over the past few decades, PFAS has seeped into ground water and drinking well sources on military bases and the communities surrounding them. A number of cities are now calling on the Defense Department to clean up the contamination, citing rising numbers of cancers in their communities.

As the health risks have become more widely known, the services said they have backed off using the AFFF in training. For example, the Air Force now uses Phos-Chek 3 in training, which is a substitute foam which has lower levels of the compound.

The Marine Corps guidance now “is to use aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) for emergency fire fighting only (i.e., no testing using AFFF) and minimizing releases to the environment where AFFF is required to be used,” said Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Joseph Butterfield.

The Navy “has ceased using AFFF for training purposes and has reserved the use of AFFF to rapidly extinguish Class B fires,” said spokesman Lt. Tim Pietrack.

Photo Link: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/latest news/sbahtt/picture234468792/alternates/FREE_768/PFAS-WATER
ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 28, 2019) Airman Austin Reid conducts checks of the Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) sprinkler system near a training AV-8B Harrier on the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5). The foam has been linked to cancers and birth defects, and is being phased out of use in many parts of the military. U.S. NAVY PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST SEAMAN LEVI DECKER USS BATAAN (LHD 5)

About this writer: Tara Copp is the national military and veterans affairs correspondent for McClatchy. She has reported extensively through the Middle East, Asia and Europe to cover defense policy and its impact on the lives of service members. She was previously the Pentagon bureau chief for Military Times and a senior defense analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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