The Pentagon is facing opposition from environmentalists opposed to the burning of "forever chemicals," polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) such as firefighting foam, because it is causes toxic pollution, The Guardian reported.
The Sierra Club and Earthjustice argued in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper earlier this month, the Pentagon is in violation of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by disposing of PFAS through incineration and "must immediately cease all PFAS incineration until it has come into compliance," according to The Hill.
The allegations led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release a statement on its dealing with the disposal of toxic PFAs.
"Under President Trump, EPA is continuing to aggressively implement our PFAS Action Plan – the most comprehensive cross-agency plan ever to address an emerging chemical of concern," EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler wrote in a statement. "For the first time in agency history, we utilized all of our program offices to construct an all-encompassing plan to help states and local communities address PFAS and protect our nation's drinking water.
"We have moved forward and continue to forward with several important actions, including the maximum contaminant level process, that will help affected communities better monitor, detect, and address PFAS."
The chemicals have been linked to cancer, kidney and thyroid disease, and pregnancy complications, according to the report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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