Water contaminated on, near Joint Base — chemicals thousands of times higher than fed standards.
LAKEHURST — Foam used by the military at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has contaminated several water sources on and off the base, according to a report.
The Air Force has been testing for perfluoroctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), an unregulated chemical used to make a firefighting foam to extinguish petroleum fires.
The foam is the source of the contamination at the base, which like other bases across the country over several decades, has dumped thousands upon thousands of gallons of the toxins into the ground.
According to NJ.com, results from wells on the base show thousands of times higher than the federal government’s health advisory level for drinking water, while three of 131 private, off-base wells tested for high levels.
Tests of water sources used by the surrounding communities of Jackson, Manchester and Pemberton came back with negative results, according to the report.
The chemicals are also used to make Teflon, Scotchgard, food wrappers and textiles.
The Joint Base will provide complete results to New Jersey 101.5 on Wednesday.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.
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