Stratton Base investigated for possible PFOS contamination

PHOTOGRAPHER: Patrick Dodson

The Air National Guard is investigating its Stratton base in Glenville, seen here in 2014, after the facility was found to have intermittently used firefighting foam since the 1950s that contained PFOS.

The Air National Guard is investigating its Stratton base in Glenville after the facility was found to have intermittently used firefighting foam since the 1950s that contained PFOS.

The base will be submitting a Site Investigation Work Plan by October, and is expected to begin field work in December, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement on Tuesday. There are no known water supply impacts or threats at the facility as of now, the organization said.

Perfluroctanesulfonic acid, or PFOS, is a pollutant similar to PFOA, which was found in abnormally high levels in the drinking water of residents in Hoosick Falls. Both chemicals have been linked to cancer and other health issues. PFOS is a key ingredient in Scotchgard, which is a fabric protector, and firefighting foams like those used at the Stratton Air National Guard base.

Through the Governor’s Water Quality Rapid Response Team, the state is evaluating the surveys of 2,500 likely users of compounds similar to PFOS, and will be performing additional sampling near any areas of potential concern, the DEC said.

As a result, the Air National Guard will submit its plan by next month and begin field work by December to further determine if there are any impacts caused by the chemical. That process involves sampling water around the base, for example, the DEC said.

In August, Stewart Air National Guard Base in Orange County, New York, was designated as a state Superfund site because of the use of PFOS. The designation means the state would seek to have the U.S. Department of Defense pay for cleanup costs.

PFOS is unregulated at the federal level; however, the DEC in April added the chemical to the state list of hazardous substances.

Reach Gazette reporter Brett Samuels at 395-3113, [email protected] or @Brett_Samuels27 on Twitter.