At the moment, Homestead Air Reserve Base is a Superfund site, as numerous other contaminants of concern than PFAS were found lurking in the environment of the installation by the Environmental Protection Agency. Consequently, there are relentless cleanup activities ongoing at the military base, whose purpose is to mitigate the presence of all the toxic agents polluting Homestead Air Reserve Base.
What toxic agents are present on Homestead Air Reserve Base?
PFAS are the main contaminants present on Homestead Air Reserve Base, and the source of these chemicals is the use of AFFF by military firefighters and trainees to extinguish petroleum and jet fuel fires. This is a fire suppressant that, interestingly, was invented by the U.S. Navy together with the 3M company in 1966. Since then, it has been widely employed by both civilian and military firefighters. The problem with AFFF is that it contains a high concentration of PFAS, which are "forever chemicals". As soon as they spread throughout the environment, they persist and do not break down. For this reason, the cleanup efforts of organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency are necessary to remediate the issue.
In addition to PFAS, the Environmental Protection Agency found the following toxic agents polluting Homestead Air Reserve Base:
- aluminum
- antimony
- arsenic
- barium
- benzene
- cadmium
- chloroform
- chromium
- chrysene
- cyanide
- lead
- manganese
- mercury
- nickel
- vanadium
- zinc
Naturally, the presence of so many toxic agents on the premises of Homestead Air Reserve Base endangers the health of military members stationed there to a tremendous extent. Exposure to most of these contaminants is associated with cancer, among other serious health issues. If you were stationed at this military installation, please keep a close eye on your health, as you are at high risk of developing health problems. Periodical visits to the doctor are highly recommended to people who were stationed at Homestead Air Reserve Base for more than a couple of months.
What diseases can I develop as a result of PFAS exposure?
Plenty of diseases have a strong link to PFAS exposure, the most terrible being cancer, which can affect a wide range of body parts, depending on where the largest amount of these chemicals is inside you. Nevertheless, there are many other diseases and health issues than cancer that can occur as a consequence of prolonged exposure to PFAS, which are the following:
It is very important to know that these are also the diagnoses that qualify you for filing a toxic exposure claim. Accordingly, if you struggle with one of these health problems, you should give our legal team a call and explain your situation, as you are most likely entitled to compensation from the liable AFFF manufacturers. Finally, if you were stationed at Homestead Air Reserve Base as a pregnant woman and you had a child with health issues, you should also contact us, as you can recover compensation on behalf of your baby.
