Drinking Water Contaminated By Toxic Chemicals From Firefighting Foam, Study Finds
The chemicals have been linked to cancer, high cholesterol and obesity.
Capital Public Radio:
Study: Chemicals From Firefighting Foam In Drinking Water
A study by UC Berkeley and Harvard University researchers finds a firefighting foam containing highly fluorinated chemicals is contaminating drinking water supplies around many of the nation's military bases, airports and industrial sites. ... Study co-author Arlene Blum says 6 million or more people may be drinking water contaminated with the highly fluorinated chemicals, including people in California's Central Valley. "The ones that we're finding the most of are used in firefighting foams used for practices at military bases and airports," says Blum, who is a visiting scholar in the Department of Chemistry at UC Berkeley. "Turns out fluorinated chemicals are pretty good at putting out oil and gas fires." (Joyce, 8/9)