Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Base

Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Base is a South Dakota Air National Guard installation located at Sioux Falls Regional Airport in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The field is named for Brigadier General Joseph J. Foss, a World War II Marine fighter ace, Medal of Honor recipient, and former governor of South Dakota who helped organize the state's Air National Guard squadron in 1946. The base is home to the 114th Fighter Wing, which traces its lineage to the 175th Fighter Squadron and was established at the group level in 1956. Today the wing operates F-16C/D Fighting Falcon aircraft under Air Combat Command and deploys worldwide. Because the military side of the field shares the property with a civilian commercial airport, flight and emergency response operations have long been conducted in close proximity.

Like many airfields where aircraft fire and crash response was a routine activity, Joe Foss Field has been the subject of concerns about potential exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These concerns are associated primarily with the firefighting foam used at the field, and the Air Force has documented the contamination through its environmental review and scoring process.

1. AFFF: Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) is a firefighting agent that was effective at suppressing fuel fires and was used at Joe Foss Field for fire training and emergency response from the 1970s until 2018. The Air National Guard later transitioned its fire vehicles and hangar systems to a different foam formulation. AFFF is the principal source of the fluorinated compounds described below, and exposure to its constituents has been associated with a range of health concerns.
2. PFAS: PFAS is the broad family of synthetic fluorinated chemicals contained in AFFF. Inspections at Joe Foss Field detected PFAS at areas of concern on and in the vicinity of the field where firefighting training and response took place. These compounds are persistent in the environment, and concerns have been raised about potential long term effects from sustained exposure.
3. PFOS: Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is one of the specific PFAS compounds historically present in older AFFF formulations and was among the substances detected at the field. PFOS has been associated in scientific literature with concerns about effects on the immune system, cholesterol, and other health endpoints.
4. PFOA: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a related fluorinated compound that the Air Force has evaluated alongside PFOS at AFFF affected installations. It is similarly persistent, and concerns about potential exposure have prompted ongoing investigation at sites where firefighting foam was used.

Joe Foss Field is not listed on the National Priorities List as a federal Superfund site. The investigation and any response are being handled through the Department of Defense environmental restoration framework under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. A remedial investigation of the PFAS areas of concern is underway, and the Air Force has documented the findings in its Relative Risk Site Evaluation and scoring summaries. Drinking water at the base is supplied by the city of Sioux Falls system.

Veterans, Guard members, and family members who served or worked at Joe Foss Field and who have questions about possible exposure are encouraged to stay informed as the investigation continues. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs maintains resources on military environmental exposures, and speaking with the VA or a health care provider may help individuals understand their options and any benefits for which they may be eligible.