NAF Atsugi_ Military’s bungled response to PFAS spill worsened environmental impact, sickened sailors

Without protective equipment, sailors attempt to manage a spill of PFAS firefighting foam at NAF Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 24 September 2022. (US Navy via FOIA)

On 24 September 2022, a leaking roof at a hangar at NAF Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, short-circuited the fire extinguishing system, triggering a large spill of PFAS-contaminated foam – then the subsequent actions of military responders exacerbated the accident.

A US Navy command investigation, obtained by this newspaper via the US Freedom of Information Act, details how senior officers ordered sailors to enter into the foam to retrieve equipment – but the service members did not wear protective clothing. In the following week, approximately 15 of them fell sick with headaches and nausea.

To try to dissipate the foam, sailors used hoses to spray large volumes of water – but the attempts backfired and, according to investigators, the method, “significantly contributed to the quantity of contaminated water that reached the environment.”

When the military realised the contaminated water was approaching off-base Tade River, service members attempted to halt its flow by shutting a sluice-gate but its handle broke. The contaminated water entered the river; not until 11:00am  – eight hours after the spill started – were firefighters finally able to stop the flow.

Approximately 250,000 liters of PFAS-contaminated water were created in the accident but it is unknown how much escaped the base.

According to the command investigation, this was only one of several PFAS-related problems at NAF Atsugi. In October 2021, another leak had occurred, and holding tanks believed to contain PFAS-contaminated water were still stored there with no clear plans for disposal. This newspaper has previously reported NAF Atsugi experienced at least five large accidents involving firefighting foams between 2009 and 2016; severe PFAS contamination has been detected within the base and surrounding communities.