Officials from Fairchild Air Force Base, city of Airway Heights, Washington state Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency were on hand to provide information and answer questions from residents regarding the water issue concerning perfluoro chemicals contamination during a May 23 public meeting.
The meeting, held in the Medical Lake High School gym, was in response to water wells at and around Fairchild and Airway Heights testing above EPA health advisory levels for perfluoro chemical contamination.
Dr. Brian Howard, with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, explained the process of the well testing. After the EPA updated its health advisory standards for perfluoro chemical concentration to 70 parts per trillion, the Air Force removed the foam, disposed of the waste, conducted preliminary assessments and site investigation.
After Fairchild’s wells were confirmed to be contaminated, engineers conducted tests on private wells in proximity to the base’s former firefighting training site. Howard noted that shallow water wells had a higher perfluoro concentration while those with deeper wells had less contamination or non-detect levels. Phase two of the testing included sampling Airway Heights wells and Howard said there will be a third phase of sampling.
Residents also learned about health effects that come from consuming water above advisory level. Lauren Jenks, of the Washington state Department of Health explained that a person who ingests a high concentration of perfluoro chemicals could develop high cholesterol, a higher chance of developing some cancer and low birth weight. A person with high perfluoro contamination in their blood stream can reduce it by drinking water with less concentration.
“We don’t know the impact these chemicals will have on a specific person’s health, the best way to reduce the chemicals (in your blood) is to follow the health advisory,” Jenks said.
92nd Air Refueling Wing commander Col. Ryan Samuelson encouraged residents whose wells have not been sampled — even if they live outside of Fairchild’s testing area — to contact him.
Michelle Stanfill, who lives in the Medical Lake area, was one of several residents whose well has not been tested.
“I’m still trying to find somebody who can do that,” she said, adding that the information presented at the meeting was vague.
Amber Wiseman, an Airway Heights resident who works at Sunset Elementary School, said that even after the presentation, she still has concerns about the water.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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