YWNiMzgzMTYxYmZjODhmMDFhYThkZTA0ODQ5YTNlZTI5ZWI0ODliODg4Yjlj We used gallons of TCE to clean .50 cal machine guns every day. I cannot support surgery of any type for my lungs as I would no survive the surgery. PFAS at Former MCAS Tustin and Its Health Effects One of the primary contaminants found by EPA at the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin was PFAS, polyfluoroalkyl substances. PO Box 149200. Thanks, (I am in Portland). The other was at Tillamook, Oregon. YzExZDVhMjhkMzNhN2QwMGIwZWZjNmZhMDQ5ZWQzNDNmZDQzODI2MGNmYzQx Just wondering if there's any other reports of this? All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com. Only 80 of the tanks are in use; the rest have been abandoned and, for the most part, are empty. Up until its closure, the base served as a helicopter base. 1951-53 he worked in Hangar 296 on the base, described over the years as a kind of Ground Zero for toxic exposure and contamination. According to Pentagon documents, around 385 US military bases have PFAS contamination. I worked primality as a motor mech. Njg5YTQ2MDRjYTliZTY0NWJkMzQxMDYyNGMxNjljM2UyMTRhYjQyNjRmNjIy These are man-made chemicals that have resistance properties against water, oil, heat, stains, and more. Human health effects of trichloroethylene: key findings and scientific issues. Among the living are many cancer survivors. The VA has done very little to assist me in finding out what is going in. There has been an attempt by the Marines to be more forthcoming about environmental issues, Agran said. Veterans Unaware of Contaminants & Health Effects. MCAS El Toro's TCE and Radium 226 Contamination Many military Superfund sites are contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). ERRG's value engineering analysis during the design process saved the client $100,000 by incorporating existing extraction wells . The two blimp hangars that established Naval Lighter-Than-Air Station Santa Ana in Tustin were built in 1942. Like his compatriots . Classes on the handling and proper disposal of hazardous materials and wastes are conducted regularly for those who live and work at the two bases. The corps, however, has agreed for the first time to pay for the off-base tests needed to explore that connection. Since then I have been diagnosed with hypertension. We would dump gallons upon gallons in our compound behind the building. Portsmouth, VA 23708-2103, on June 30, 2009. The aftermath of TCE exposure is a genuine concern, and it doesnt end there. MCAS Yuma veterans were exposed to fuel wastes like benzene, mercury, lead, TCE, DCE, and PCE. My Role at Tustin was to help reestablish a fuel farm that was needed to keep Tustin's aircraft flying. I was stationed at MCAS Tustin from 1989-1992. When people say were slow, I think its a fair criticism, Holm said. Marine Corps officials said it was Defense Department policy not to spend federal money to study chemicals that have seeped into private property unless there was proof they came from the military base. I feel confident that exposure to chemicals on base led to my AML. MjEzOTA2NjAwNDU4MDYzNGI1MzQwN2VlMDgyYTBkODlmMzRjNDFkMWJhMmE2 I spent several years at both bases in the 1990s. 2013. 3 wells were tested and all 3 were contaminated, showing PFOS/PFOA at levels of 770,000 ppt. State and local health officials have long pushed for a tank inspection program at El Toro out of concern that the tanks, many of which are as old as the 56-year-old base, may be leaking toxic residues. 2023 Salem-News.com. Trying to find documentation about use of this solvent by f-18 mechanics during this time. However, in 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), after much scientific analysis was undertaken, the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin was declared a Superfund site. Unfortunatly, only one hangar (#1) was marked as an Historical Landmark by the gov't. Therefore, hangar 2 will be demolished. Since being out I've had diverticulitis, 2 colonoscopies with polyps removed both times and in 2012 Acute Myeloid Leukemia for which I needed a bone marrow transplant. The Site Management Plan (SMP) details the activities to address the known or suspected residual contamination on the "Site", defined as a portion of MCAS, Tustin, ~805.5 acres, and is further described as Tract No. The Marine Corps treated the water prior to releasing it, but it still. NLTAS Santa Ana was decommissioned in 1949 . Semper Fi! Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, El Toro, California. I would like to know more about the effects of these exposures and the medical conditions they may lead to. I still love the corps, semper fi. (IRVINE, Calif.) - Toxic waste from the now-closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine is seeping underground into one of the richest neighborhoods in southern California . Please pass this story to all Marines who may have served at any of the 3rd Marine Air Wing bases and let's continue to bring people onto the same page. The 'Great Park Corporation'- overseeing the 'park' project, and the city of Irvine are in quite a fix. The VA initially refused to process her claims before reconsidering and offering her full benefits after Ray lost both his feet. I'm healthy, but I stayed away from the Trike. It was even common practice at many installations, including El Toro, to spray dirt lots and vacant fields with petroleum wastes and chemicals to control dust on windy days. Tustin is a really nice place, let's hope for the best, thanks so much. Besides AFFF, burning chemicals, jet fuel, and other toxins released other hazardous particles into the environment. Recent revelations on the environmental damage by the Environmental Protection Agency and human health forced the implementation of new laws and regulations about chemical disposal at bases. If you believe Wordfence should be allowing you access to this site, please let them know using the steps below so they can investigate why this is happening. ZDc4ZWU0OTczNDlhZTVlOTJjNWVhYzJlNjdjZmY4OTU2NjNlZWYxMzFmNDU1 There are those like myself, who served at both bases. Thanks. Mail it to: Department of Veterans Affairs. Keep in mind that once the government assumes responsibility, they must retroactively apply everything back to the date you filed. The Pentagon owns 133 EPA Superfund sites, the most of any entity. The list of presumptive illness needs to be expanded and the VA needs to start recruiting people in for testing. t.dvorak@sbcglobal.net. I also lost a daughter to leukemia in 2008. I served with WTS-37 from 1978 to 1985 and lived on Longstaff Way on Tustin for five years from 1980 to 1985 with my family. It is time for the USMC/USN/DOD and the VA to acknowledge the fact that they knowingly exposed all of us to these carcinogens and take responsibility much the way they did LeJeune. It takes time to react., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, Want to solve climate change? OTk2OTZjOTU4ZmIyNzY4MmUyZGI3MmUxMzcyMzQyZjhhYWI2NDQyNTlmMDdm NzJjNWY5NTViYjBjOWRiY2IzNTEyMGY4OGU2YWFiMTFlYWY4YTFlYTRlZDEx On July 3, 1999, MCAS Tustin was officially closed, 57 years after the base and its iconic hangars arose from the farm fields of Orange County. Thanks for the update. MzViODNhMjAyYzJhNWI5NzE1YzQyYzNiN2NmNmEyYWI3Y2I2YWFiMzg5OTQ0 MCAS El Toro and Tustin Site Inspection Plan of Action. But the Marines are changing their ways. Date Posted: 1/23/2009 10:59:23 AM. In particular, the high . 27 June. NGEwYjY4YTg4NWYxMGQ1MDdlMjg2N2I4OTI0YTg4MTNlYjI2OGZmMGFkMDFm YTkxZGNmNWUzNGUyNDU5ZTdkMTE3YWQ0MWM5NDNlYzVkYjE0NTMxNDcxM2Zi Designated as a Master Jet Base, its four runways (two of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) and two of 10,000 feet . Laura was the first person to receive disability benefits related to TCE exposure. From the article, Irvine Great Park CEO Michael D. Ellzey: Is This Man An Imposter? Do Infrared Sauna Blankets and Mats Really Work? You just need to claim your condition was caused by the water or even connected to your military service. Marine Corps Air Stations (MCAS) El Toro Documentary Christian Michael Speaks 2.2K views 1 year ago Why the Airship May Be the Future of Air Travel Undecided with Matt Ferrell 1.6M views 1 year. President Signs Historic Toxic Exposure Bill What It Means for Vets? Military.com is a good place to start. The extremely quick and secretive cleanup or coverup I should say was driven by greed of developers wanting the property, coupled with the Dept. YTRkOWEwZmI2ZmYwNjdlYTc5YzkxYWQwYTlhN2UyNDJkZTA2YWZjYzYzNzcy . It is a tragedy that the legacy of the sites will be this environmental disaster. Now my Mother has it and I am showing beginning signs. i was stationes in both places between 1993-1998. Written by Personal Injury Warriors on November 25, 2022. Last year (2015) I had some medical complications. My daughter was born while we lived there. We brought our above-ground fuel pumps and set up a tactical aircraft fueling system that tapped into the large above-ground tank and allowed us to refuel the Marine Corps CH-46, CH-53 Alpha and CH-53 Echo helicopters. Marine Corps Air Station Tustin covers an area of about 1,602 acres, and nearly all of the property is located in the City of Tustin, near the center of Orange County. The longtime Marine Corps Air Station, . Soil and groundwater contamination at MCAS El Toro is a result of several past operations that were accepted practices. I was stationed on Tustin and El Toro from 1992 to 1999 and a year later I was diagnosed with leukemia. (IRVINE, Calif.) - A number of Marines are now sick and dying from their contact with toxins at MCAS El Toro, such as TCE (trichloroethylene) a chemical used to clean jet fighters; but Marines aren't the only victims. That is much much higher than the general public. All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied. YjY5OWIyYjNkZGU0M2Q5NDc4MGJkYjAzOTNiMDkwMzE0Mzk1ZGE3MmFjNzJh ODFiNSIsInNpZ25hdHVyZSI6IjgzYjhlYTEzNzU2ZTFjN2Q1ZmU1MTEzN2M5 We have written about this extensively and again, there is no reason to suspect that Tustin Marines should be much better off than the rest of us. The now abandoned Marine Corps Air Station El Toro has a large portion devoted for a park and this portion for housing and development.Tip Me on PayPal: pay. The building I worked out of is still standing across the street from the armory. NGE1NDk4OTQ5NTE3N2VhMjU5Y2M1NjljZDMzMDYwNTBmZTA2NWFjZmY5OGZj El Toro, California Marine Base contaminated with TCE and PCE solvents lot of information on sites below: A trichloroethylene (TCE) toxic plume was discovered in 1985 off of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, California. In 1984 I was diagnosed with an ulcer after several years of unknown stomach problems. According to the City of Tustin's, 'Tustin Legacy' Website, MCAS Tustin-(LTA) has an environmental history of contamination that includes but is not limited to, solvents and jet fuel supporting the base operations, and pesticides associated with the agricultural uses. An environmental assessment of the MCAS Tustin base by the EPA revealed that the soil and water had large concentrations exceeding remedial goals of Dichloroethene, Trichloroethene (TCE), 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, Carve-Out (CO)-2, and other compounds resulting in contaminated groundwater plumes. asnd when I brought it up to the person in charge at the vet center she gaffed me off. I would like to know more, if you don't mind, please drop an email to me, tim@salem-news.com I appreciate your contact very much and we protect the privacy of those we work with, thank you. Immediately, I left my home in Oceanside and drove to Tustin. The DOD data from Tustin, a base that closed in. Even with documentation of paperwork 3 feet high I am constantly in battle to keep my disability. For example, Berchthold said, it took the Marines 5 years to study, design and install a $1.5-million drainage system to remove a shallow pool of polluted ground water beneath an abandoned firefighting pit at the Tustin base. 1992-04-09 - Radiological contamination in the United States. Thanks, I currently live in the new homes by tustin fields. Some of the emails are posted at www.mwsg37.com. The base is used by approximately 9,500 active-duty personnel, 6,500 family members, and more than 1,700 civilian employees. !! I have four children with two different mothers, all four having the same complications at birth (shallow breathing and heart rates dropping off). Facing public pressure, tougher laws and a health risk to their own troops, they have given environmental issues a higher priority, said Holm, director of facilities management at the El Toro base. The building has already led to two lawsuits. As I recall, it was finally determined that there was a major underground leak and it was stopped in the next few days. We lived at El Toro base housing and in the fifty's MCAS Tustin hosing and I worked at both stations at the gas station. Site ID: SITE 00003. YmMxZmE5NGU4YzhhMzA3NWZmY2M0MDRmYTMwODcyNDVlN2RhYmRjNTk4ZmM5 It was commissioned in October of that year as one of two new blimp bases on the west coast. AtEhline Law, we help veterans exposed to toxic chemicals and even PTSD at Tustin, El Toro, Camp Lejeune, and others under the PACT ACT. I later met an owner of a pesticide spraying company that the farmers on Tustin used to spray their fields. The north hangar was closed in 2013. Six CH-46 squadrons from MCAS Tustin have relocated to MCAS El Toro. The Marines on Okinawa removed potentially contaminated soil near a Marine Corps Air Station Futenma hangar Friday following the spill of 60,000 gallons of potentially toxic firefighting foam two . And prior to that lived in Laguna Hills. As it turns out, thousands of veterans and their dependents lived and worked on military installations that are now listed as EPA Superfund sites. Thank you for your response and comments to this post.kprater378@gmail.com. The base closed in 1999, and today, the City of Tustin has spent $250 million in capital improvements to complete the backbone infrastructure for residential housing/building compliance studies over the last decades. Today, asbestos is found in the soil. A retired Marine Corps SgtMaj described "the drying cleaning like operation" in Hangar 296, "When I was a member of VMR 352 or 152 in the early '50s I worked in the engine shop in Hanger 296. . But today, as far as compliance with the underground tank-testing program goes, were very pleased.. The presence of cancer-causing TCE, a strong degreasing agent used by the military until the late 1970s to clean jet fighter and helicopter engines, poses no immediate threat to public wells. Define MCAS Tustin. We also used the TCE at the airfield at Pendleton, just found out about thos through a friend and would like to get more info if possible. When I was there most of the fields to the northwest were strawberry fields. When you pass through the Marine Corps Air Station (Helicopter) Tustin, you will see two giant decommissioned blimps reminding you of the height of US innovation and their road to military success. VA plans to propose expanded disability benefits eligibility for Veterans exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune - VA News VA announced today that it plans to propose expanded disability compensation eligibility for Veterans exposed to contaminated drinking water while assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. MCAS Tustin 1988-91, CH-46 Crewchief. Beginning in the 1940's the fuels and solvents were dumped in open pits which eventually led to groundwater contamination. PFAS are usually found in household and industrial products. I can't say exactly what happened, I recall being told the lines had rusted out and I'm sure that probably is exactly what happened. We havent always been the best neighbor when it comes to taking care of the environment, Holm said. Has anything been linked to autism from these findings? I was based at MCAS Tustin 85-89. A total of 25 potentially contaminated areas were identified on the Air Station, including four landfills suspected of containing both hazardous and solid waste, and other areas where polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), battery acids, leaded fuels, and other hazardous substances were suspected of being dumped or spilled. Under California law, all underground chemical and fuel tanks should have been inspected by their owners by 1986. Will try to send this article to them. Ground Zero Members Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. International Human Rights Organizations Call on President Biden to Close Guantanamo Prison. The main contaminant is TCE - trichloroethylene, a chemical degreaser that was used to clean jet fighters. I was stationed at Tustin with H&MS-16 Aviation Ordnance from 1984-1988. At the El Toro air station, the Marines in recent years have identified 14 sites, including several landfills and firefighter training pits, where hazardous wastes such as jet fuel and paint thinners may have been dumped in the past. It also served as a base for military service members deployed to Vietnam. A year ago, we were not very happy with the Marines, said Robert Merryman, Orange Countys director of environmental health. . The contamination is about 150 feet deep beneath the base and 300-700 feet deep in the community area . The studies also suggested the plume was moving in a westward direction at a rate of 1 to 4 feet a day. U.S. military officials say the fee is a tax, and that federal agencies are exempt from local and state taxes. Similarly, 11 such sites have been identified at the Tustin base. U.S. Marine internal reports highlight serious flaws in training and suggest that the lessons of past accidents have not been effectively implemented. It was common practice back then to use Tric, perc, PD-680 dry cleaning solvent, jet engine oil, and many other toxins, on a daily basis without any personal protective equipment (PPE was issued as part of new hire orientation at my first civilian job)whatsoever. At home, they think nothing of going out back and dumping a couple of cans of motor oil into the stream. we did have kitty litter sometimes. Tustin Markers The top of a hangar is partially visible between the apartment buildings. Digestive issues, every piece of cartridge and joint in my body is ravaged! MCAS Tustin by Paul Freeman This field was originally built as a blimp base in 1942 as Santa Ana Naval Air Station. I too have a child with autism. Tetrachloroethylene-contaminated drinking water in Massachusetts and the risk of colon-rectum, lung, and other cancers. Since my last post I have been notified by my primary care physician that I have chronic liver disease. Ray Alkofer spent three years, from 1951 to 1953, stationed at El Toro, where he and thousands of service members were seriously exposed to many dangerous chemicals. NGZmN2Y0Njg5MzdkMTQ2ZDlmOGIzZmQ4ZDgyYTc3ZjkzYTkwNTNmMzIxMTAx Roger Butow has pointed to the fact that the system at MCAS El Toro to remove the TCE contamination from the groundwater, captures the toxic liquid and discharges it raw and untreated into the Pacific Ocean through an outfall pile a short distance off the coast of South Laguna. moritz1111@hotmail.com. Is there a connection? We, and I am just as guilty as all aircraft maintainers back in the day, just did not know. Constructed of Oregon Douglas fir, they are among the largest freestanding wooden structures in the world at 1072 feet long by 292 feet wide by 192 feet tall. Quick Description: The MCAS Tustin is a superfund site due to groundwater contaminants. If you need help with your application, call our Camp Lejeune Family Member program staff at 866-372-1144. Nobody in both sides of family has any of these problems. Cal., not to mention the great memories for families like mine. In 2004 I was diagnosed with bladder cancer and had a large bladder tumor removed. I was stationed at El Toro from '83-'87 (MAG-11) while living in Tustin Base Housing. Cost. (See my post below.) History of MCAS(H) Tustin Chemical Exposure. 40 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, approx. He told me that the chemicals they sprayed would eat the bottom of their boots. Many approved benefits deny within months of approval due to all the bureaucratic red tape and snail pace investigation. We also would dump hydraulic and brake fluid in the corner of our compound. Although the water district paid for the initial TCE tests and is going ahead with the cleanup of contaminated ground water outside the base, agency officials say they eventually will bill the Marines for those costs. Lived on base housing at both bases. I agree with the post by Phillip, the common practices, dumping and spills, no protection, ect. MWU3NmJmYTQzMjhjMGNlOTlkZGUzOGM5MmQ1OWVlYjZlZDM2OTRmZTUyYzEx The doctors told him that he only had five years to live. It does seem like the city is being somewhat transparent in dealing with the toxic matter and while that is the least they can do, it is still noticeably better in spirit than Irvine as noted in this article. I was discharged in July 1980. The 246-square-mile military training complex was established in. These are often used in fire training exercises, responses to fuel fire, hangar fire suppression systems, and other activities. YjhhOGY0NDAwMDZkM2I1ZGU4ZjUxYzA3NzczY2UwMDEzNmM5MTU5NWM2ZGVm Located in the heart of Orange County, the nearly 1,600 acres former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Tustin was commissioned in 1942 and played a critical role in Navy and Marine aviation for over 50 years. I now suffer non-reversible Lung disease COPD level 4. NzI2NmZlYjgzOTI0M2NkNzVlMDg5YjFhZjY5MDNiZGQ1ODg3OWQ4Y2YyNWI1