McConnell Air Force Base toxic exposure cancer claims

Located approximately four miles southeast of downtown Wichita in Sedgwick County, this prominent Air Force installation has a nearly century-long legacy tied to aviation and national defense. Originally built in 1929 as Wichita Municipal Airport, the site was acquired by the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and converted into a primary training facility for Boeing B-47 bomber pilots and crews. The base occupies approximately 3,616 acres and is named in honor of Fred and Thomas McConnell, two brothers from Wichita who were Air Force pilots and World War II veterans. In World War II, it served as a key training base, evolving into a strategic hub that hosted bomber wing operations and operated B-47 Stratojets and B-52 Stratofortresses in the Cold War. Nevertheless, decades of firefighting training and emergency response operations using aqueous film-forming foam have created a contamination crisis that poses serious health risks to military personnel and their families.

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Located in Kansas, McConnell Air Force Base stands among the nation’s most severely contaminated military installations, with PFAS levels in groundwater reaching hundreds of thousands of ppt.

McConnell Air Force Base’s groundwater has been contaminated with PFAS due to historic firefighting training and emergency operations using AFFF. Testing of groundwater between 2018 and 2019 by the Environmental Working Group has revealed PFAS concentrations much higher than the EPA’s safety threshold of 4 parts per trillion. Military installations nationwide were found to have contamination levels as high as hundreds of thousands of parts per trillion.

Known as “forever chemicals” these synthetic compounds permeate the environment and the human body indefinitely, making remediation extremely difficult. The Air Force has monitored and responded to the contamination by installing filters and providing bottled water to the affected communities under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.

Communities relying on groundwater for drinking water are concerned about the contamination. Water sources beyond the boundaries of the base may be affected by PFAS chemicals that migrate through soil and groundwater. The high level of contamination at McConnell AFB places it alongside other heavily contaminated military installations across the United States, including Offutt AFB in Nebraska and Schriever AFB in Colorado.

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What diseases are linked to PFAS exposure at McConnell Air Force Base?

There are a number of serious health conditions that can develop years or decades after exposure to PFAS. McConnell Air Force Base has extremely high levels of contamination that pose significant health risks to anyone who spends time there. Those exposed to these toxic substances should get comprehensive medical screening to figure out if it’s going to affect their health.

Current scientific evidence supports compensation claims for veterans who served at McConnell Air Force Base for 1 cumulative year or longer and developed any of the following conditions:

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Expert legal help for affected veterans who served at McConnell Air Force Base

Our legal team has extensive experience representing victims of toxic exposure, with particular expertise in PFAS contamination cases affecting military personnel. We understand the challenges faced by service members and their families when pursuing compensation for PFAS-related health conditions, and we successfully handled cases involving some of the nation’s most contaminated military installations with contamination levels comparable to McConnell Air Force Base.

All of our cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, which ensures that our clients pay no fees until their claims are successfully settled. If you or a loved one served at McConnell Air Force Base and later developed a severe health condition, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss your legal recourse.

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