“Households near an air force base in the spotlight over contaminated water supplies are divided – some are relieved, some alarmed and some are considering legal action.
Results showed 22 households near Base Woodbourne, west of Blenheim, had contaminated drinking water as result of the historical use of a now-banned firefighting foam, though only two properties had chemical levels considered unsafe.
The New Zealand Defence Force collected water samples from wells, drains and streams on 41 Marlborough properties and 23 properties near Base Ohakea, north-west of Palmerston North, in December.
Those tests were prompted by the defence force’s discovery in June that a firefighting foam used at Woodbourne and Ohakea had seeped into the ground at levels higher than guidelines allowed…
Neighbours of the Williamtown air force base in Australia found high levels of the chemicals in their water supply last year.
The suburb would be the focus of an epidemiological study on the chemicals, commissioned by the Department of Health and to be finished in 2020.
The study looked at a ‘cluster’ of residents diagnosed with cancer, which scientists believed could be linked to PFOS and PFOA.
Meanwhile, an Australian law firm had begun organising meetings with people potentially affected by runoff of toxic chemicals from Ohakea and Woodbourne airbases, and was expected to meet with some residents this week.”
Read the full article by Jennifer Eder.