Official websites use .mil
Secure .mil websites use HTTPS
Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) FROM ANNAPOLIS: PFAS are a large family of man-made chemicals which have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s because of their unique water- and oil-repelling properties. They have been used in such products as carpeting, apparel, food packaging, and non-stick cookware to make them more stain-resistant, waterproof, and/or non-stick. Additionally, PFAS are key components in firefighting foam (specifically aqueous film forming foam or AFFF), which is used by fire departments across the country to fight fuel fires.
PFAS are very stable compounds, meaning they don’t break down easily and last a very long time in the environment. Once released to the environment, PFAS can move easily into and with groundwater. Exposure to PFAS in drinking water can occur if contaminated groundwater is used as a potable or drinking water source. Several PFAS are now of emerging health concern for the U.S. EPA and other environmental and public health agencies.
PFAS may be present in the soil and/or groundwater at Navy sites as a result of historical activities using firefighting foam, including responses to plane crashes, equipment testing, training, hangars where foam was used in the fire suppression system, and other operations such as plating shops where PFAS were used. The Department of Defense is currently studying fluorine-free firefighting foam alternatives to replace AFFF and prevent future PFAS release. In the interim, AFFF is no longer used in training on Navy installations and is limited to emergency response actions only. FROM MEMPHIS: PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of thousands of different chemicals that have been used since the 1950s in many household and industrial products because of their stain- and water- repellent properties. PFAS are now present virtually everywhere in the world because of the large amounts that have been manufactured and used. Once these compounds are released, many of them tend to stay in the environment for a very long time. The Navy and Department of Defense (DoD) have developed policies to address past releases of PFAS at installations nationwide. The most common activity that could have resulted in the historical release of PFAS to the environment at Navy installations is the use of firefighting foam (specifically, aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF) for testing, training, firefighting, and other life-saving emergency responses. Due to this historical use, PFAS are present in former Naval Air Station (NAS) Memphis groundwater and may also be present in nearby off-base drinking water wells located in the direction that groundwater flows away from former NAS Memphis. For more information, click here to view the former NAS Memphis PFAS Fact Sheet. On April 26, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) establishing nationwide drinking water standards for certain PFAS under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The regulation applies to public drinking water systems. Operators of public drinking water systems regulated by the NPDWR have five years to meet these standards.
For long-term remedial actions, DoD will work with EPA and state regulators on a site-specific basis to determine final cleanup levels, in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and related EPA policies. For the above DoD PFAS interim action levels in private drinking water wells, the Navy will work with property owners to provide an enduring solution, such as connection to a public water supply or a treatment system, as soon as possible. If PFOA and PFOS are detected above 70 ppt in off-base private drinking water wells, the Navy will provide bottled water for drinking and cooking until an enduring solution is implemented.
For website questions email the webmaster This is an Official US Navy Website.