Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing Begins New Phase of PFAS Clean-Up In 2019, the Air National Guard began Phase II of their regional site inspections to determine the presence or absence of Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which are a part of a family of synthetic fluorinated chemicals called per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), in the soil, surface water and sediment on Air National Guard installations nation-wide.

These Perfluorinated compounds and chemicals are used in a wide variety of residential, commercial and industrial purposes. PFOS and PFOA are chemicals that are used in many industrial and consumer products, such as nonstick cookware, stain-resistant fabric, some food packaging, and specialized firefighting foam used by military and commercial airport fire departments.

Following in-step with the U.S. Air Force’s commitment to protecting human health and the environment, the 146th Airlift Wing has taken initial action following CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) guidelines to investigate and evaluate whether there is a potential for PFOS/PFOA contamination on and off station.

Currently, the Environmental Protection Agencies lifetime health advisory safe level is rated at 70 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOS and/or PFOA in drinking water, because of a potential risk to human health. It should be noted that the Channel Islands ANGS drinking water is brought in through the Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) pipeline. NBVC obtains the drinking water from the Port Hueneme Water Agency. However, we are still testing and are currently scheduled for future off-site testing, as we work with The Air National Guard Readiness Center moving forward.

As scheduling for further testing of our installation moves forward, we are committed to working with the community to ensure open and transparent dialogue for this process and its findings. The 146th Airlift Wing remains ready to support our community during our remedial investigations, and we will continue to work comprehensively in our compliance with environmental protection laws that protect human health and our environment - communicating our findings every step of the way.

More updates to follow as we move forward with the Air National Guard in the PFAS clean-up process.