Hawaii congressional delegation calls for independent investigation into AFFF leaks at Red Hill
U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Kai Kahele on Monday said an independent investigation initiated by Congress must be conducted to determine how the Department of Defense and the Navy addressed spills of AFFF at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The congressional call comes a day after Honolulu Civil Beat reported that the Navy spilled toxic fire suppressant, known as Aqueous Film Forming Foam or AFFF, at the Red Hill fuel facility in 2020 but told health inspectors that no foam had been released.
The Navy also spilled over 1,100 gallons of the concentrated form of AFFF at Red Hill on Nov. 29, but the military agency has not determined what caused the spill and will not release the video of the spill to the public.
AFFF foam is used to suppress fires caused by flammable liquids such as fuel and contains PFAS, which are known as forever chemicals because they are very slow to degrade. PFAs increase the risk of certain cancers, high blood pressure in pregnant women and other health problems.
