HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Hundreds of neighbors surrounding Hill Air Force Base will be pleased to know their homes have been cleared from the possible vapor contamination list.
Hill Air Force Base started its Indoor Air Sampling Program in the early 2000s to test the air inside homes and find out if there were dangerous contaminants inside it.
“In the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s Hill dumped aircraft cleaning chemicals onto its base, and over the decades they migrated outwards to the neighborhoods,” explained Mark Loucks, lead Environmentalist of the Restoration Team at HAFB.
465 homes out of a current 1,200 have been removed now from the potentially contaminated homes. There are still 735 left to test.
The contaminates could cause low birth rates and cancer in the liver and kidneys.
“It's not that we had these problems in the area that with these chemicals, but they have noted in studies across the country, not necessarily here at Hill, but these chemicals could cause problems,” said Louks.
While the groundwater is where the chemicals seeped through over the years, it’s the air that is the threat. That is why they must enter each home on their lists and test the vapors seeping from the floors.
If they do find positive tests, they will go in and use a suction tool to get rid of the vapors and dispose of them outside of the home.
More information from HAFB and links to find out if your house is in the potentially contaminated area: www.hill.af.mil/iap
