Jonathan Sharp: VET PFAS Act would protect veterans from ‘forever chemicals’
According to the Veterans Administration, over 43,000 veterans receive a cancer diagnosis every year across the country. Toxic exposure is a major contributor to this grim statistic, as when they train at military bases, service members encounter many harmful substances, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Also known as PFAS and “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and the human body for a long time, these dangerous agents are now contaminating approximately 710 military installations nationwide.
The source of PFAS at military bases is primarily the firefighting foam AFFF, which sometimes contains 98 percent of these toxic substances. Exposure to “forever chemicals” can result in health conditions such as fertility issues, thyroid disease, liver damage, high cholesterol, and kidney disease, but also in life-threatening illnesses such as kidney and testicular cancer. However, veterans affected by PFAS exposure are currently unable to access VA healthcare.
Home to four military bases, Pennsylvania has a population of nearly 800,000 veterans, having the fourth-largest veteran community in the country. One of the military installations in the state with a high PFAS level in the environment is North Penn (BRAC), which is located in Worcester. The military facility has a “forever chemicals” concentration in the water of 33,270 parts per trillion, exceeding the EPA’s new safe exposure limit by roughly 8,317 times.
Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster is another military base in Pennsylvania whose environment has a worrisome PFAS concentration. Founded in the 1930s, the installation has a “forever chemicals” level of 22,400 parts per trillion, which eclipses the safe exposure limit by a whopping 5,600 times. Lastly, another military base in the state with a tremendous PFAS level is Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove. Located in Horsham Township, the facility has a “forever chemicals” concentration in the water of 188,179 parts per trillion, exceeding the safe exposure limit by over 47,044 times.
It is worth noting that PFAS and other toxic substances present at these installations can easily infiltrate nearby drinking water systems, which is why most people living close to military bases have to consume contaminated water. For instance, the drinking water supply of Warminster, which serves 40,000 residents, contains eighteen contaminants over the maximum permissible limit, including PFBA, PFOS, and PFOA, but also chloroform, arsenic, trihalomethanes, chromium, and uranium. Moreover, the drinking water system of Horsham Township, which serves 25,000 people, has 20 contaminants of concern, such as PFOS, PFOA, chromium, arsenic, radium, uranium, trihalomethanes, and chloroform. Exposure to all of these substances can result in cancer, so the health of residents might be at risk if the drinking water systems do not undergo treatment. Nevertheless, while the existence of “forever chemicals” in the water endangers the lives of people living near military bases, those who have the highest risk of developing a disease are veterans.
At the moment, the VA does not recognize the connection between PFAS exposure and the numerous health problems it can cause in veterans who trained at military bases across the country. For this reason, veterans struggling with cancer and other diseases stemming from exposure to “forever chemicals” do not have access to the healthcare they deserve. Still, the situation might change in the near future, as on July 17, 2023, the VET PFAS Act was introduced by Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman. If signed into law, the bill would provide hospital care and medical services to veterans and dependents who were stationed at military bases where they were exposed to PFAS. Furthermore, the VET PFAS Act would establish a presumption of service connection for certain veterans who lived at military installations where they were exposed to “forever chemicals.”
The health conditions for which veterans impacted by PFAS exposure could seek VA healthcare if the bill became law are thyroid disease, high cholesterol, kidney cancer, preeclampsia, ulcerative colitis, and testicular cancer. Most veterans suffering from diseases caused by toxic exposure find themselves in financial hardship, as the treatment cost of these conditions can be very high, especially if their diagnosis is cancer. For instance, the annual treatment cost of kidney cancer can reach $200,000, which, for a lot of veterans, is unaffordable without VA healthcare. Not only would the VET PFAS Act ease veterans’ financial hardship stemming from the high cost of treatment, but it would also provide them with accessible healthcare, which, for many, can be the difference between life and death.
Jonathan Sharp is Chief Financial Officer at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, the law firm provides assistance to veterans injured by toxic exposure at military bases nationwide.