Duluth Air National Guard Base

Duluth Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard installation located near Duluth, Minnesota, where it shares runways and facilities with Duluth International Airport. The base was built in 1948 and serves as the home of the Minnesota Air National Guard 148th Fighter Wing. The wing flies the F-16C Fighting Falcon and supports air combat and air defense missions, with a normal complement of a few hundred personnel that surges during monthly unit training assemblies. Over its decades of operation, the installation has carried out routine flight operations, aircraft maintenance, and emergency response training. Like many aviation facilities of its era, that work included the regular use of firefighting foam for fire suppression and training exercises.

Environmental investigations at and around the base have raised concerns about potential exposure to a group of long lasting chemicals tied to firefighting foam. Sampling has documented elevated levels in soil, groundwater, and nearby surface water, prompting state and federal agencies to study how far the contamination may have moved.

1. AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam): AFFF is a firefighting foam used to suppress fuel fires, and it has been associated with the release of fluorinated chemicals into the environment. At Duluth, the foam was used during firefighting training at the base over a period of decades, and it is regarded as the likely source of the contamination found in groundwater and surface water near the installation.
2. PFAS: PFAS are a large family of synthetic "forever chemicals" that resist breakdown and can persist in water and soil. The PFAS detected near the base have been linked to firefighting foam use, and the chemicals have migrated into local surface waters, including Miller Creek and the Wild Rice Lake Reservoir. Research has associated some PFAS compounds with potential health effects, and fish consumption advisories have been issued for these waters.
3. PFOS: PFOS is a specific PFAS compound that was a common ingredient in older firefighting foams. It has been among the chemicals identified in testing connected to the base, and concerns about potential exposure stem from its persistence in drinking water sources.
4. PFOA: PFOA is another individual PFAS compound historically associated with industrial and firefighting foam products. It is part of the group of substances examined during the investigations around Duluth, where studies have considered its possible presence in groundwater that supplies nearby wells.

The Duluth site is one of six locations in Minnesota that the Department of Defense has identified for PFAS investigation. Testing has reported PFHxS, a PFAS compound, at levels around 5,400 parts per trillion in the area, and the contamination has been associated with elevated readings in nearby creek and lake waters. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota Department of Health have worked with the Air National Guard to sample residential wells in the surrounding area, with filtration provided where warranted. The site is not listed on the federal National Priorities List, and the response has proceeded through DoD and state environmental programs.

Veterans who served at Duluth Air National Guard Base and who have questions about these findings may wish to stay informed as the investigations and any cleanup work continue. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the appropriate resource for guidance on potential exposure and related health programs, and speaking with the VA can help service members understand what monitoring or benefits may be available to them.