Osan Air Base is home to the 7th Air Force and 51st Fighter Wing south of Seoul, South Korea. (Stars and Stripes)
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Routine testing of drinking water at this U.S. installation south of Seoul has detected low levels of a “forever chemical” commonly linked to industrial use and firefighting foam.
PFOS — a component of the broader class of chemicals known as PFAS — was found in a January water sample at levels below federal safety thresholds but high enough to trigger a Defense Department notification to base residents, the Air Force said during a town hall Wednesday at the Officers’ Club.
The compound was measured at 2.21 parts per trillion, below the 4 parts per trillion limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency and adopted by the Defense Department, base spokesman Andy Ahn said in an email Friday.
The water remains safe to drink, officials said.
“The trigger level notification is not an emergency notification,” Maj. Casey Meyering of Osan’s Bioenvironmental Engineering Group said at the town hall. “This is not an immediate health risk for the general population.”
The sample was collected at the point where water enters the base distribution system from a municipal source near Seoul, suggesting the contamination may originate off base.
PFAS, including PFOS and PFOA, are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and accumulate in the human body. Exposure has been linked in some studies to increased risk of certain cancers and other health effects, according to the EPA.
“They get in the body and then they just have limited means of bio elimination,” Meyering said.
PFAS compounds have been widely used in products such as water- and oil-resistant coatings, including those found in carpets, cookware and food packaging.
The chemicals have also been used in firefighting foam at military installations, contributing to contamination concerns worldwide.
Addressing PFAS contamination has become a long-term challenge for the Pentagon. In the United States, at least 700 military sites are known or suspected to be affected. The DOD has spent more than $2.6 billion on cleanup efforts since widespread contamination was identified in 2017.
Remediation is expected to take decades and cost billions more, according to a report last month by the Government Accountability Office.
At Osan, officials said a drinking water working group is continuing to monitor PFOS levels and evaluate long-term mitigation strategies, regulatory requirements and potential health considerations.
Testing will continue until PFOS levels fall below detectable limits, officials said.
