McConnell Air Force Base

McConnell Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force installation located about four miles southeast of downtown Wichita in Sedgwick County, Kansas. The Air Force took title to the former Wichita Municipal Airport in 1951, and the facility was named McConnell Air Force Base around 1954 in honor of Wichita brothers and military aviators who served in World War Two. Over the decades the base supported B-47 aircrew training, a Strategic Air Command mission, and a period of Titan II missile operations. An air refueling mission was added in 1971 and continues today, with the base now home to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing along with Air Force Reserve and Kansas Air National Guard units. As a long-running flying installation, McConnell conducted routine firefighting and fire-training operations on site.

Like many military airfields, McConnell has been the subject of concerns about potential exposure to contaminants associated with past firefighting and aircraft maintenance activities. Investigators have focused in particular on a group of manufactured chemicals linked to firefighting foam that was used in training for decades. The following contaminants have been documented in connection with the base.

1. AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam): AFFF is a firefighting foam developed to suppress fuel fires and was widely used in Air Force fire-training and emergency-response operations. At McConnell, AFFF use during fire-training activities over many years has been identified as a primary source of the chemicals later found in groundwater. AFFF is significant mainly because it carried the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances described below.
2. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances): PFAS are a large family of long-lasting synthetic chemicals sometimes called "forever chemicals" because they break down very slowly in the environment. At McConnell, PFAS are reported to have entered the soil and groundwater through historic AFFF use. A 2020 sampling event conducted by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, with data reviewed and validated by EPA Region 7, has been associated with on-base groundwater PFAS levels reported well above proposed federal standards. PFAS exposure has been associated in some studies with a range of potential health effects, though findings vary.
3. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate): PFOS is one of the specific PFAS compounds historically present in older AFFF formulations. It has been among the chemicals investigated in groundwater at and near the base. PFOS has been associated in research with concerns about potential effects on the immune system, liver, and other outcomes, although evidence continues to be studied.
4. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid): PFOA is another individual PFAS compound linked to firefighting foam and industrial uses. It has been included among the substances of concern in sampling associated with McConnell. PFOA has been associated in some studies with potential health concerns, and like other PFAS it is persistent in the environment.

McConnell Air Force Base is not listed on the National Priorities List as a federal Superfund site. PFAS work at the base has instead been carried out through Department of Defense environmental investigation efforts in coordination with EPA Region 7 and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, including the 2020 sampling and data validation. KDHE has also described broader proactive PFAS sampling at suspected sources across the state. These investigations help characterize the extent of contamination and inform decisions about monitoring and any further response.

Veterans, family members, and others who lived or worked at McConnell Air Force Base may wish to stay informed as PFAS investigations and federal standards continue to evolve. Anyone with questions about possible exposure and related health matters is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a personal healthcare provider, who can offer guidance based on individual circumstances.