As the home base of the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing, this military base was built in 1928 as the Klamath Falls Municipal Airport. In 1942, the airport became a site for a Naval Air Station. Known as NAS Klamath Falls during World War II, it was transferred from the U.S. Navy back to civilian use in 1945. Like numerous other military bases throughout the country, Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is contaminated with PFAS, a group of toxic chemicals released into the environment by firefighters and trainees who use aqueous film-forming foam, commonly known as AFFF.
The airport of the military base was selected as a site for the U.S. Air Force base and the airfield returned to military control in 1954. Subsequently, the former naval air station was placed under the jurisdiction of the Air Defense Command. In 1957, the airport was named Kingsley Field in honor of Lieutenant David Kingsley, who earned the Medal of Honor during World War II. Today, Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is still in use but is also heavily contaminated with PFAS, which endangers the health of the people who are currently stationed there.
However, because AFFF has been used on military bases since the 1960s, numerous veterans have already come to struggle with terrible diseases as a consequence of toxic exposure. A sliver of hope is that, with the assistance of a law firm that specializes in toxic exposure cases, they can now recover the financial compensation they are entitled to.
At the end of 2019, multiple organizations, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, found high levels of PFAS contaminating the site of the Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base. When AFFF is used to extinguish jet fuel and petroleum fires, it unavoidably releases large amounts of PFAS in the environment, from which they are very difficult to remove, as they are also known as “forever chemicals”. Similarly, if PFAS enter the human body, they reside there forever, being able to cause serious diseases such as cancer.
Recently, the 173rd Fighter Wing has partnered with local community experts and created a working group to attend to the issue of PFAS contamination on Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base. "By partnering with our community, we can leverage the combined expertise of community leaders, other government agencies, and local colleges. Through collaboration with our partners, we can best assess the situation and develop a way forward", said Col. Jeff Edwards.
Undoubtedly, cancer is the most serious disease prolonged exposure to PFAS can result in. Nevertheless, it can also lead to the development of other health problems. In order to qualify for filing a PFAS claim, however, you have to be diagnosed with one of the following diseases, as these have a definitive causal relation with PFAS exposure:
It is important to know that, if you are the family member of a veteran who was stationed with them at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base and developed one of the diseases above, you are also eligible for compensation.
Atraxia Law has been dedicating its endeavors to providing quality assistance to people whose lives were affected by toxic exposure for more than three decades and is bound to help you as well. Whether you are a veteran injured by PFAS exposure or a family member of one, we will thoroughly assess your situation and let you know if you are eligible to file a PFAS claim. After a 10-minute over-the-phone evaluation if you meet all eligibility criteria an experienced PFAS attorney will file a claim on your behalf.
10 Minutes Over the Phone
*No fees unless compensation is obtained