<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Illnesses related to firefighting foam latest burden for South Dakota veterans<br class="">Ailing veterans join lawsuits over firefighting foam used at Rapid City and Sioux Falls bases<br class=""><br class="">By Bart Pfankuch <br class="">South Dakota News Watch<br class="">September 25, 2023<br class=""><br class=""><br class="">ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. – Military veterans who served on this base near Rapid City and at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station in Sioux Falls are part of new national lawsuits seeking damages due to exposure to toxic chemicals in firefighting foam.<br class=""><br class="">The lawsuits center on cancers, hormonal problems and gastrointestinal illnesses believed to have been caused by exposure to so-called forever chemicals present in firefighting foam that was used for more than 60 years to put out petroleum fires at U.S. airports and military installations.<br class=""><br class="">The chemicals are now known to have caused contamination of groundwater wells and drinking water systems across the country. Civilians who lived or worked at or near military facilities have also gotten sick and are part of the ongoing cases.<br class=""><br class="">The illnesses related to service at military bases in South Dakota are the latest of a series of health problems Rushmore State veterans have suffered due to use of chemicals and exposure to toxic substances in both combat and non-combat environments. <br class=""><br class="">…<br class=""><br class="">For the entire article, see<br class=""><a href="https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/firefighting-foam-air-force-military-veterans-ellsworth-south-dakota/" class="">https://www.sdnewswatch.org/stories/firefighting-foam-air-force-military-veterans-ellsworth-south-dakota/</a><br class=""><div class=""><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div class="">
<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div>—</div><div><br class=""></div><div>Lenny Siegel<br class="">Executive Director<br class="">Center for Public Environmental Oversight<br class="">A project of the Pacific Studies Center<br class=""><a href="mailto:LSiegel@cpeo.org" class="">LSiegel@cpeo.org</a><br class="">P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042<br class="">Voice/Fax: 650-961-8918<br class="">http://www.cpeo.org</div><div>Author:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i class="">DISTURBING THE WAR: The Inside Story of the Movement to Get Stanford University out of Southeast Asia - 1965–1975</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(See <a href="http://a3mreunion.org" class="">http://a3mreunion.org</a>)</div></div></div>
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