Shaw Air Force Base

Shaw Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force installation located west of Sumter, South Carolina. It was established in 1941 as Shaw Field to train pilots during World War II and was named for Lieutenant Ervin Shaw, a Sumter native and early American combat aviator of World War I. After the war the facility was renamed Shaw Air Force Base and became part of Tactical Air Command, later hosting Ninth Air Force. Today the base is home to the 20th Fighter Wing, its principal flying unit, along with headquarters elements for Air Forces Central, making it one of the larger Air Force installations in the Southeast.

As with many long-operating military airfields, activities at Shaw have raised concerns about potential exposure to certain chemicals used in routine operations and fire training. The primary concern at Shaw relates to firefighting foam used at on-base training areas over many decades, which has been associated with the presence of persistent compounds in soil and groundwater that can migrate beyond the installation boundary.

1. AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) is a firefighting agent the Department of Defense adopted in the 1960s to suppress fuel fires. At Shaw it was used at fire-training areas beginning in the 1970s, and repeated applications at these sites are understood to be the principal source of the compounds later detected in groundwater. Exposure to the chemicals it contains has been associated with a range of health concerns.
2. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large family of man-made chemicals contained in AFFF that resist breaking down in the environment. Sampling near Shaw has identified PFAS in local groundwater and in community drinking water wells. These substances have been associated in some studies with effects on the liver, immune system, and other outcomes, though research continues.
3. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) is one of the specific PFAS compounds historically present in the foam formulations used at the base. It was among the contaminants detected in wells in the surrounding area and has been associated with potential health concerns in exposed populations.
4. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) is another individual PFAS compound documented in connection with the foam used at Shaw. Like the related substances above, it persists in groundwater, and exposure has been associated with health concerns that remain under scientific review.

Shaw Air Force Base is not listed on the National Priorities List. In early 2020 the South Carolina environmental agency sampled community drinking water wells within roughly three miles of the base and identified PFAS above the federal advisory level of 70 parts per trillion in nearby wells, and in September 2023 the Department of Defense confirmed off-base impacts. The Air Force has been conducting point-source removal actions at former fire-training areas since 2021, operating a groundwater treatment system, and surveying over 1,120 properties, with bottled water provided to qualifying residents while investigation and cleanup continue.

Service members and families who lived or worked at Shaw Air Force Base and have questions about possible exposure may wish to keep informed as testing and remediation move forward. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers guidance on environmental exposures and related benefits, and veterans are encouraged to discuss any health concerns with the VA or a medical provider.