Dangerous levels of PFAS found in a stream draining from the runway at Joint Base Charleston
Stream containing 3,000 parts per trillion of the toxins empties into the Ashley River, contaminating fish.
The PFAS Action Act grants Charleston County Aviation Authority and the Air Force an exemption from liability and cleanup costs.
By Pat Elder
April 18, 2022
This stream draining from the runway at Joint Base Charleston in North Charleston, SC near Rt. 642 contains 2,997.6 parts per trillion of PFAS.
The unnamed stream flows from the runway to the Ashley River about 4,000 feet away. The red dot is our sample location. Google Maps
PFAS totals in surface water
Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) Area 3 is located on base about two miles from where we collected our sample.
The Air Force reported totals for three PFAS compounds totaling 2,201 ppt in surface water. The waters also drain into the Ashley River. We tested for 55 analytes and found 21 in the water. The Air Force reported 3 compounds.
Surface Water Analytical Results (ppt)
Compound Air Force Military Poisons
PFBS 120 123
PFOA 81 121.1
PFOS 1,900 809.5
Other PFAS 0 1,944
- Air Force results from Final Site Inspections Report of Fire Fighting Foam Usage at JB Charleston-Air, Charleston County, and North Auxiliary Airfield, Orangeburg County, South Carolina May 2018
PFAS totals in surface water
PFOS is a priority hazardous substance under the European Union’s Water Framework Directive, with an Environmental Quality Standard value of .065 parts per trillion in inland surface waters.
The stream draining into the Ashley River has a concentration of PFOS that is 1,245 times over that limit. It’s not something people talk about in South Carolina. What’s in the fish?
There are numerous pathways to human ingestion of PFAS in the environment. Consider the 809.5 ppt of PFOS and 804.4 ppt for PFHxS we detected in the stream.
The CDC has documented high concentrations of PFOS and PFHxS in dust in the homes of people living close to Shepherd Field in Martinsburg, West Virginia where surface waters are also contaminated with the two compounds. One home had dust with 16.4 million parts per trillion of PFHxS. Another had PFOS at 13.9 million ppt. New Castle Air National Guard Base also has toxic dust. The dust in Charleston is likely poisoned by the Air Force.
PFAS saturates the banks of the Ashley River. When the river subsides and the sun bakes the land, the wind lifts the carcinogens into the air to settle in homes as dust. The same two compounds topped the list for PFAS concentrations in blood serum in the Martinsburg community.
We can not allow dust to become airborne when we clean our homes. Brooms and vacuums are out. Wet mops are in, although some use toxic substances. We still don’t know how to dispose of the materials used to capture the carcinogenic dust.
Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination
In 2018, the Air Force reported frightening levels of PFAS in the groundwater at Joint Base Charleston:
Groundwater Analytical Results (ppt)
PFBS 34,000
PFOA 790,000
PFOS 360,000
Total 1,184.000
- Final Site Inspections Report of Fire Fighting Foam Usage at JB Charleston-Air, Charleston County, and North Auxiliary Airfield, Orangeburg County, South Carolina May 2018
Groundwater at Joint Base Charleston is among the most contaminated nationwide. Charleston is the tenth most contaminated base in the US, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group. Overall, there are 13 bases with concentrations greater than one million parts per trillion for PFOS/PFOA in groundwater. People who drink from wells miles from bases may be impacted. Crops and farm animals are also affected.
More importantly, groundwater seeps into surface water and this can be expected to occur in Charleston for a very, very long time.
Who is going to clean it up?
The short answer is no one. Although cleanup of PFAS contamination in the Ashley River basin alone could top tens of millions of dollars and perhaps more, no one is required to make things right, if it is even possible.
Charleston International Airport is operated by the Charleston County Aviation Authority under a joint-use agreement with Joint Base Charleston. A joint-use airport is an airport owned by the Department of Defense where military and civilian aircraft share use of an airfield.
Congress gave a pass to the military and civilian owners of these joint-use airports. According to the PFAS Action Act, “No sponsor, including a sponsor of the civilian portion of a joint-use airport or a shared-use airport shall be liable under the Superfund Act for the costs of responding to, or damages resulting from, a release to the environment of PFAS designated as a hazardous substance.”
These airports are suddenly off the hook after willfully poisoning communities for two generations. The Federal Aviation Administration has identified 21 military installations as Joint-Use Military Airfields, including Joint Base Charleston.
The Superfund Act contains provisions that require violators to remediate the harm caused by deadly chemicals. This could become crucially important if the EPA classifies some PFAS compounds as hazardous substances. Then, the polluters will be forced to pay, although not here in Charleston, South Carolina.
Evidence of high levels of PFAS in fish in the Ashley River
A 2019 study published in the journal Environmental Research examined PFAS in edible fish species from Charleston Harbor and its tributaries, including the Ashley River.
PFAS levels in fillets varied significantly by location with higher concentrations of PFOS from the Ashley River than the Cooper River and Charleston Harbor. The average fish from the Ashley River contained 18,600 ppt while the median value was 15,200 ppt. In the study, PFOS was the dominant PFAS compound in whole fish representing 45.9% in mullet, 58.5% in red drum, 59.7% in spot, 62.4% in seatrout and 69.6% in croaker.
To put these figures into perspective, the EPA advises drinking water providers across the country to limit PFOS and PFOA in drinking water to 70 ppt. Meanwhile, many states are enforcing lower limits. The same states, however, typically allow PFAS-contaminated fish to be freely consumed. South Carolina does not regulate PFAS in any media. It says it is waiting for guidance for the EPA. The entire country is too, although more prudent states have taken matters into their own hands.
Fish have been caught near military bases with 10 million parts per trillion of PFOS/PFOA. One mouthful of filet from a fish with these concentrations far exceeds the level of toxins consumed while drinking water containing 70 parts per trillion for an 80-year lifetime. What’s in your fish?
South Carolina - PFAS Concentrations in 5 fish
In 2014, the EPA tested fish from 5 rivers in South Carolina. The sampling was part of a nationwide study that sampled 349 fillets for PFAS. Totals are shown in parts per trillion.
Source: EPA, 2014 - https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/2013-2014-national-rivers-and-streams-assessment-fish-tissue-study#results
We often hear that PFAS is ubiquitous and that officials are searching for the sources of these compounds. It’s not tough figuring out how these fish were poisoned. Find your state in the database, copy and paste the latitude/longitude into google maps and see where the sample was collected. What’s nearby? Landfills? Wastewater treatment plants? military and/or industrial sites? It’s not rocket science, although rocket science may be the cause of some of the contamination.
Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not eat the poisoned fish. No one should.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says in its introductory paragraph on PFAS that it lacks regulatory authority to clean up PFAS contamination:
“Protecting public health and ensuring the safety of South Carolina’s air, land, and water are DHEC’s highest priorities. One of the challenges with this priority is addressing chemicals for which the agency has no regulatory authority. These chemicals, referred to as emerging contaminants, are those with which we have a new awareness and understanding of how they behave in the environment and affect public health.”
This is nonsense. South Carolina has the authority to regulate PFAS in the state. The “new awareness” the state is referring to is an admission that they’re about 7-8 years behind several states in taking the initial steps to protect human health.