User:EJL02/Tucsonians for a Clean Environment
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[edit]Tucsonians for a Clean Environment (TCE) is an environmental activism group that was founded in 1985 on the south side of Tucson, Arizona. Residents of the predominantly Latino area sought to bring attention to illnesses that were being developed from contaminated groundwater near Davis Monthan Air Force Base[1].
Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFA) are synthetic chemicals that are used in many daily items that we see, such as nonstick cooking spray and more stain-resistant clothing, and are used in the automotive, aircraft, and aerospace industries[2]. PFAs have been widely controversial for decades. While they are extremely useful for certain industries, PFAs have been linked to an increase of an individual's risk of developing cancer or other autoimmune diseases[3].
PFAs were found at concentrations of 70 particles per liter were found in Tucson's groundwater.
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Tucson, Arizona has been home to Davis Monthan Air Force Base since 1925, where dry weather conditions are optimal to restore, maintain, and hold aircrafts[4]. Davis Monthan is home to the largest aircraft boneyard[5] in the world, with nearly 4,000 military planes being stored on 2,600 acres of land just five miles south of downtown Tucson.
Several aircraft plants such as Hughes Aircraft maintained their airplanes here during World War II and well into the Cold War, however the solvents that they used to degrease aircrafts were not recognized as toxic until the 1970s. Many companies dumped chemicals directly into the desert, which leached through the ground and made its way into natural aquifers that held groundwater that was transported to residents of South Tucson.
High levels of illnesses on the south side of Tucson was recognized in the 1970s, however nobody suspected that contaminated groundwater from the solvents used by aircraft companies was the cause of it.
Davis Monthan AFB knowingly used firefighting foams filled with PFA's to extinguish fuel fires.
References
[edit]- ^ "Davis–Monthan Air Force Base", Wikipedia, 2024-08-15, retrieved 2024-09-24
- ^ "Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)". National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- ^ "PFAS Exposure and Risk of Cancer - NCI". dceg.cancer.gov. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- ^ "Davis-Monthan Air Force Base". www.library.pima.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
- ^ "Davis Monthan AFB AMARG Boneyard". www.airplaneboneyards.com. Retrieved 2024-10-01.