DoD dragged its feet on toxic chemical exposure prevention and clean-up, IG finds
Meghann Myers
July 27
Back in 2011, the Defense Department’s Emerging Chemical Program issued a “risk alert” detailing the hazards of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS, found in aqueous film-forming foam used to fight vehicle and aircraft fires. Then nothing happened.
Due to a tricky bit of bureaucracy, that risk alert had no muscle behind it, because it wasn’t endorsed by the Pentagon’s Emerging Chemicals of Concern Governance Council, according to an inspector general report released Friday. In short, they could put out the alert, but there was no accompanying instruction to allow them to do anything about it.
“Therefore, DoD officials were not required to plan, program, and budget for any actions in response to the 2011 risk alert,” according to the IG report. “EC Program officials did not require proactive risk management actions for PFAS‑containing AFFF until 2016.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/07/27/dod-dragged-its-feet-on-toxic-chemical-exposure-prevention-and-clean-up-ig-finds/
