EPA and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) are working together to identify drinking water wells in the area of the Dover Air Force Base to determine if they have been impacted by perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). EPA is also coordinating with the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the United States Air Force to ensure that public health is protected.
The Air Force collected groundwater, surface water and soil samples near known Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) releases on the Dover Air Force Base in Kent County, Delaware to determine whether PFCs were released into the environment. Results showed that PFC levels in surface water and groundwater exceeded EPA’s provisional health advisory levels (HALs). As a result, EPA asked Tidewater Utilities Inc. (Tidewater) to sample the on-base drinking water supply wells. PFCs were not detected in any of the on-base drinking water supply wells, nor were they detected in the nearest off-base public water supply well.
PFCs are a group of organic chemicals used in repellants for stains, water, oil, and grease. Commercial and consumer products containing or degrading to these compounds were first introduced in the 1950s. They have been used in a variety of products such as the fabric of upholstered furniture, carpets, nonstick cookware, floor wax, and in some food packaging. The source of the PFCs detected on Dover Air Force Base is the AFFF used for firefighting.
