Four water systems in the Oklahoma City metro area were found to have per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAs) above levels allowed by the agency. Residents near Tinker Air Force Base have been using bottled water supplied by the U.S. government for more than two years.
Some residents have gone to the hospital for severe stomach pain. Residents claim firefighting foam used to control flames from planes is to blame. The Environmental Protection Agency says one PFA is 73% higher than acceptable levels.
Other nearby water systems have also been affected by PFAs above the permissible level in their drinking water, including Noble Utilities Authority in Noble, Oklahoma, where one PFA was found to be 136.7% above safe limits, Piedmont Municipal Authority in Piedmont, with three pollutants 20% or more above acceptable limits and Norman Utilities Authority in Norman, Oklahoma, with one pollutant 22% over level.
An examination of water analysis from 3,800 systems found that 1,245 had PFAs above acceptable limits as set by the Environmental Protection Agency.