{"id":43765,"date":"2023-05-07T15:47:41","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T15:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/05\/07\/toxic-foam-spill-at-hawaiis-red-hill-facility-due-to-contractor-error\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:00:13","slug":"toxic-foam-spill-at-hawaiis-red-hill-facility-due-to-contractor-error","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/2023\/05\/07\/toxic-foam-spill-at-hawaiis-red-hill-facility-due-to-contractor-error\/","title":{"rendered":"Toxic foam spill at Hawaii\u2019s Red Hill facility due to contractor error"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A maintenance contractor\u2019s error, and lack of adequate oversight by the Navy, led to the spill of 1,300 gallons<\/a> of toxic fire suppressant at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage site near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on Nov. 29, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military investigators found that the contractor improperly installed an air vacuum valve on the system that carries Aqueous Film Forming Foam<\/a>, used to suppress fires caused by flammable l<\/a>iquids, just inside the underground facility\u2019s Adit 6 tunnel in April 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same contractor also failed to disable AFFF pumps from automatically starting prior to fire suppression system testing on Nov. 29, 2022, which led to an uncontrolled discharge of the toxic chemicals, investigators found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concentrate pooled on the floor inside the facility and then seeped under a door and onto a paved access road, as well as soil on the edge of the paved road outside of Adit 6. Federal firefighters, contractors and government civilians from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam responded to the site and took actions to contain the release, including the removal of impacted asphalt and soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aqueous Film Forming Foam, which is used to suppress fires caused by flammable liquids, contains perfluorinated chemicals, collectively known as PFAS. These so-called \u201cforever chemicals\u201d have been used across the military to battle aircraft and ship fires, and the Department of Defense has identified 400-500 military sites<\/a> that have been contaminated by them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PFAS, which are also found in household items such as nonstick cookware, stain repellents and food wrappers, have been linked to some types of cancer and birth defects, and may also affect growth and development, reproduction, thyroid function, the immune system and the liver.<\/p>\n\n\n\t