Residents find chemicals 43k times water standard

Residents living near a former RAF base say independent testing has found levels of 'forever chemicals' 43,000 times higher than environmental standards.

The testing, paid for by residents, was carried out in a stream 0.5km south of the former RAF Upper Heyford base, where the Environment Agency (EA) say there is a risk of contamination from historic fire fighting activities.

Concerns were raised in April after previous water data came to light and showed high levels of the chemicals 4km downstream.

Bicester and Woodstock MP Calum Miller, said he would be "pressing" national and local agencies to "take their responsibilities seriously to protect the health of people living in this area."

The fear is that the land may be contaminated with polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of more than 10,000 substances often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they can take thousands of years to break down.

Dr David Megson from Manchester Metropolitan University specialises in environmental forensics and said PFAS are "much more mobile" than traditional forever chemicals and can "easily get into shallow groundwater and into local rivers and ditches."

One of the chemicals found by both the EA and the independent testing is PFOS, a substance banned in the UK due to potential carcinogenic risks, often used in firefighting foams.

The levels recorded in the independent test were 27,000 ng/l, which is forty times higher than levels recorded by the Environment Agency further downstream and 43k times higher than environmental quality standards (EQS) of 0.65 ng/l.

The stream is one of a number that flow from an aquifer underneath the air base, however, the source of the contamination is not known. Thames Water has reassured residents that drinking water in the area is safe.

Dorchester Living, which owns the site has said "extensive environmental investigations and remediation had already been carried out in consultation with the EA."

Its CEO Paul Silver added, "further targeted investigation is appropriate in specific areas".

But Leigh Radwell who has lived on the periphery of the base in Heyford Park for more than a decade, wants to know whether it has polluted the surrounding environment where she lives.

"If you're getting readings in the thousands further on down this stream that's off the richter scale... I am very concerned for the people that are close and the people that have got it running, like me, 16-17ft from their front door."

She has a large garden adjacent to the stream where she grows a variety of fruit and vegetables that she also gives to friends and family.

"If the produce that I've been growing is contaminated in some way, hows it going to affect somebodies health. How is it going to affect my health?," she said.

Mr Miller said a couple of "sporadic tests on one water stream give us a bit of information and give us a reason to act rapidly. They don't give us a full picture."

"What we need is for the environment agency, local authorities to come together and put in place some regular testing that will allow us to establish the scale of the problem and then to think about what can be done."

An EA spokesperson said it tested surface water at Upper Heyford as part of its routine surveillance monitoring, to improve understanding of PFAS concentrations in water across England.

"Given Upper Heyford's former use as a military airfield, there is a risk that the site could be contaminated with PFAS in firefighting foams."

They added it "will work alongside developers and local planning authorities as part of any redevelopment proposals to ensure that investigations are carried out along with any necessary remediation."