DoD Put Troops and Families at Risk with Slow Response to 'Forever Chemicals,' Report Finds
The Defense Department waited five years to take action after being warned of the dangers of chemicals used in firefighting foams and elsewhere on military installations, possibly exposing "people and the environment" to preventable risks, a Pentagon audit has found.
The DoD's Emerging Chemical Program issued an alert to Pentagon leadership in 2011 on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, collectively known as PFAS, highlighting the risks of exposure to DoD personnel, including firefighters and other employees.
As a result of a bureaucratic glitch, however, the DoD was not required to take any actions to address the risks until 2016, allowing years to pass while troops continued to be exposed to PFAS-containing aqueous film forming foams, or AFFF, used in firefighting, and other industrial compounds, according to a DoD Inspector General's report released July 22.
That delay -- and a subsequent focus on firefighting foams while largely ignoring other sources -- have continued to expose personnel to the dangerous substances, the report found.
more…
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/08/01/dod-put-troops-and-families-risk-slow-response-forever-chemicals-report-finds.html?ESRC=eb_210802.nl
‘Bureaucratic glitch,’ huh? Hardly a charming euphemism for ratfucking the troops and their families.
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