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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFearing bad PR-WH & EPA tried to suppress "Unsafe drinking water at 126 military bases in US"
Fearing bad PR, the White House and EPA tried to suppress a report that American troops and their families were potentially drinking unsafe drinking water at 126 military bases throughout the U.S.
The Military Drinking-Water Crisis the White House Tried to Hide
A new, previously suppressed report has grave implications for service members, veterans, and their families.
By EMILY ATKIN
June 21, 2018
The Trump administration feared it would be a public relations nightmare: a major federal study that concluded contaminated groundwater across the country, especially near military bases, was more toxic than the government realized. Political aides to President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt pressured the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry against releasing the results.
Peace OfficersThe public, media, and Congressional reaction to these numbers is going to be huge, an unidentified White House aide wrote, according to Politico. The impact to EPA and [the Defense Department] is going to be extremely painful. We cannot seem to get ATSDR to realize the potential public relations nightmare this is going to be. The study was not released.
That is, until Wednesday. Amid a media firestorm about the administrations immigration policy, the ATSDRa division of the Department of Health and Human Servicesquietly published its 852-page review of perfluoroalkyls, or PFAS, which are used in everything from carpets and frying pan coatings to military firefighting foams, according to ProPublica. All told, the report offers the most comprehensive gathering of information on the effects of these chemicals today, and suggests theyre far more dangerous than previously thought.
These chemical compounds pose health risks to millions of Americans. Theyre in roughly 1 percent of the nations public water supply, according to the EPA; in roughly 1,500 drinking water systems across the country, according to the Environmental Working Group. People who drink from these systems, even if their exposure to PFAS is low, now have a potentially increased risk of cancer; of disruptions in hormones and the immune system; and of complications with fetal development during pregnancy.
https://newrepublic.com/article/149280/military-drinking-water-crisis-white-house-tried-hide
C_U_L8R
(45,047 posts)What is wrong with these people??!!
Ferrets are Cool
(21,122 posts)As a country, we SUCK.
Crutchez_CuiBono
(7,725 posts)Soooo many things we do in the military just get buried somewhere on the base. Combustion w each bullet and shell is just the beginning. Aquifers are being tainted nationwide w fracking et.al. Pruitt sure did'nt order this study. So sorry military folks pay this kind of price and are fed a line of horse poo.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)This is what Republican governance thinks of you. They won't supply you with safe drinking water, and they'll try to withhold that information from you given half a chance. This is in addition to cutting pay and benefits, and underfunding VA. Next time you go to the polls, think about who's really on your side, and who's responsive to your concerns. Because it sure doesn't look like Republicans give a tin shit about you, despite their high-flown campaign rhetoric.