Tests of groundwater at two former firefighter training areas at the Madison airport have revealed hazardous chemicals known as PFAS at levels thousands of times higher than recommended health standards.
An environmental contractor hired by the Dane County Regional Airport found combined levels of two chemicals â PFOA and PFOS â at more than 68,000 parts per trillion in water collected from a site near Darwin Road, according to a report submitted last week to the Department of Natural Resources.
Samples taken from a site near Pearson Street found levels in excess of 20,000 ppt.
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends against consuming water with more than 70 ppt of PFOA and PFOS combined, while Wisconsinâs Department of Health has proposed a safe drinking water standard of 20 ppt for the two.