Pope Army Airfield is located roughly 12 miles northwest of Fayetteville on the northern edge of Fort Bragg. A key figure in the history of U.S. airpower, Pope Army Airfield has been responsible for a diverse range of operations that have included everything from airlift and close air support for American military forces to assisting humanitarian missions overseas. A significant percentage of toxic chemicals known as PFAS was found in the formula of the foam that the Department of Defense first used in the 1970s and has been in use ever since. As a consequence of their exposure to PFAS, a large number of veterans who spent at least one year at Pope Army Airfield developed horrible ailments.
The site was formally designated as Pope Field by the War Department on March 27, 1919, making it one of the Air Force's earliest facilities. Currently, the airfield is a critical tactical jump-off location for the 82nd Airborne, Army Special Operations Command, and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), with Delta Force using it in the event of a counterterrorism situation anywhere on the globe.
In the 1960s, researchers with the United States Navy started developing a new type of firefighting foam capable of swiftly extinguishing fires. Only a decade later, in the 1970s, this sort of foam was extensively employed on the majority of US military sites, including Pope Army Airfield.
Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) is a highly efficient type of fire suppressant agent used to extinguish flammable and combustible liquids by combining the techniques of cooling, removing the flame/ignition source from the product surface, suppressing vapors, and smothering. AFFF has been used for decades for flammable vapor suppression and during live-fire training exercises at many military installations, including Pope Army Airfield.
In 2018, Pentagon authorities publicly disclosed for the first time a list of at least 126 military locations where higher-than-recommended quantities of harmful PFAS substances have been identified as the source of soil and groundwater contamination. Nonetheless, many military families fear that years of exposure to the chemicals may have resulted in long-term harm. According to the Pentagon's assessment, there are more than 380 military installations nationwide polluted with toxic firefighting chemicals, and Pope Army Airfield is among them.
While a single instance of hazardous chemical exposure is seldom lethal, repeated and protracted exposure to a variety of chemicals may result in significant, life-altering damage and even death. Continuous exposure to PFAS may result in levels in the body that are high enough to pose a health concern. Researchers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that the fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS increase a person’s risk of cancer, kidney disease, thyroid conditions, and auto-immune disorders.
While there are numerous diseases that may be linked to PFAS exposure, only certain diagnoses qualify you for compensation. These include the following:
If you are worried that you've been exposed to PFAS from the use of AFFF, you should see your doctor right away; you may get potentially life-saving medical attention before it's too late. If PFAS exposure was the cause of your illness, you will be able to file a claim for compensation.
If you lived or worked on the Pope Army Airfield and developed one of the diseases listed above, we strongly encourage you to file a claim with our assistance. We pursue compensation claims stemming from PFAS exposure on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that each claim is thorough and tailored to the individual's specific loss and harm. Our mission is to maximize the value of the toxic exposure claim you file, as well as to provide knowledge, guidance, and confidence throughout the way - so you can concentrate on your health and your family.
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