By: Tara Copp
The U.S. government is moving forward on a review of water contamination at military bases, a study that may one day help answer a heartbreaking question: Did exposure to DoD chemicals give troops or their family members cancer?
The study, announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, will specifically look at the levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in people in the affected communities.
PFAS are chemical compounds that were used in fire fighting foam on military bases and are also found in everyday household products. PFAS have been tied to cancers and developmental delays for fetuses and infants. The Pentagon released a review last year that found that scores of military installations had contaminated groundwater and well water.