So, New Mexico decided to actually test people living near Cannon Air Force Base to see how much PFAS — the “forever chemicals” — have ended up in their blood. Spoiler: it’s a lot. The state ran a $1.2 million project, drew blood from about 630 folks, and found that 99.7% of them had PFAS in their system. And for the people who live closest to the contamination plume? Their levels weren’t just high — they were “highest tier national guideline” high. Which sounds like the CDC equivalent of: “Yikes.”
The contamination comes from decades of firefighting foam use at Cannon. The foam did its job putting out fires but also seeped into the groundwater, where it now lives forever, like the worst possible roommate. The state is currently in a legal cage match with the U.S. Defense Department over who’s going to pay to fix this. Meanwhile, locals are dealing with cancer risks, messed up cholesterol, and property values that now resemble a used mattress on Craigslist.
Cannon Air Force Base says it has already spent $73 million to “investigate” and “pilot projects” the cleanup — which is government-speak for: We moved some hoses around and printed laminated signs saying we’re working on it.
And before Lubbock gets that smug “glad it’s not us” feeling — hi, yes, Reese Air Force Base checking in from the west side with its own PFAS greatest hits album. We’ve got contamination numbers so spicy they make Clovis look like a vitamin commercial. But don’t worry, we mostly ignore it here because acknowledging environmental contamination is “not part of our culture” (see also: dust storms, broken infrastructure, every time it smells like cow patties).
But hey — at least your nonstick pans still work great, right? After all, if the chemicals are already in your blood, what’s one more pancake flip at this point?
https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/map/
