PFAS

PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl substances) refers to a class of man-made chemicals in commerce, including Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), and more. PFOA and PFOS are the most extensively studied and historically the most widely-used throughout the U.S.

For our YTC neighbors, we know that PFAS was released on Yakima Training Center. We will use the best science available to identify where there is a hydrogeologic connection to the groundwater that is used for drinking water in private wells off the installation and we will sample those. If your water isn’t in the sampling plan, there is no evidence to suggest your water contains PFAS released from YTC sources.

For people who work or train at Yakima Training Center: Drinking water wells on YTC are dug deep, were tested, and were determined to meet all federal and state drinking water standards. PFAS is not in YTC drinking water above the EPA’s lifetime health advisory levels.

The primary exposure routes for PFAS is in drinking water and foods or beverages prepared with that water. Exposure routes that are not significant include bathing, showering, dishwashing and laundry. YTC is providing bottled water for purposes of consumption to homes with wells above EPA’s lifetime health advisory of 70ppt. Bottled water is provided as an intermediate measure for consumption based on the above assessment.

PFAS is an emerging chemical of concern. Beginning in the 1950s, common use of PFAS have been in heat-, stain-, grease- and water-resistant products, such as carpets, clothing, upholstery fabrics, paper packaging for food, and cookware. PFAS have also been part of the chemical makeup of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), an important product used by military and civilian firefighting units since 1970 to suppress fuel fires.

PFAS TIMELINE

Because we don’t currently have any information to suggest that your private well contains PFAS, or at what level, we can’t make a recommendation until we know more about the potential release of PFAS off-post. For more information, talk to your local health department or physician or click here.

YTC is providing bottled water for purposes of consumption to homes with wells above the EPA’s Lifetime Health Advisory of 70 ppt. At this time the Army is not providing water for residents’ livestock. Information regarding PFAS and livestock, please contact the Washington State Department of Health at https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/contaminants/pfas and the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, some scientific studies suggest that certain PFAS may affect different systems in the body. ATSDR is working with various agencies to better understand how exposure to PFAS might affect people's health, especially how exposure to PFAS in water and food may be harmful. Additional information about the effects of PFAS can be found at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (link to click here) and the ATSDR PFAS Frequently Asked Questions (link to click here)

All landowners whose wells are sampled and analyzed will be notified in writing of validated off-post sampling results. A press release will be issued to local newspaper and published on this website providing the summary of sampling results, though no specific results will be included.

The EPA establishes health advisory levels. Please click here for more information.

1 part per trillion (ppt) is equivalent to a single drop of water in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

We recommend you contact the Washington Department of Agriculture at (360) 902-1800 for information, or visit their website at https://agr.wa.gov/