Being exposed to specific toxins while working or going through a specific area can lead to severe health issues depending on the toxin you were exposed to. The perfect example of that is the Marine Corps Air Station (H) in Tustin.
This air station started working in 1942, and it’s in Orange County, CA. The Air Corps Station in Tustin is fundamental to the overall history of the Marine Corps since people here patrolled California’s coast during World War II. Therefore, the Marine Corps had control over it and used it for military purposes until it was closed.
Regardless of that, this Marine Corps Air Station Tustin was also essential for helicopter operations. Performing all those activities led to the place having tons of toxins and contaminants that are harmful to the human body. More than 9,000 frequented the Marine Corps Air Station when it was operational, and all of them are in danger of developing a major health issue due to chemical exposure.
We are Paul Ehline Memorial Ride and care about victims and families of service-related cancer. Hence, you can contact us whenever you need help to deal with cancer and even PTSD after coming back from service.
Why Are There Toxins in the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin?
Unfortunately, chemical exposure is not something unique for the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin since it’s also an issue in other places such as El Toro. While almost all those air stations are closed, people were exposed to dangerous toxins during that time, and they didn’t even know that.
As we mentioned before, Tustin Ranch Road was essential during World War II, so there were many operations there and in Southern California. People back then didn’t know they were dealing with environmental issues in the army, so they didn’t have any safety measures on their military bases. That’s the reason people are at risk of getting a severe disease now.
Tustin is not the only place where PFAS has caused potential impacts on other people, but it’s one of the air stations more affected by this issue. The Department of the Navy has found several PFAS in the groundwater, but that doesn’t represent a risk to many people since that water is not used for drinking.
PFAS are harmful to human health, but everything depends on how to ingest PFAS. Although the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin has some of most PFAS among other air stations, it’s not as dangerous as others since residents there don’t drink that water.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is also on the matter to try to prevent all the potential effects jet fuel and other contaminants may cause to people who worked at air stations at the time. El Toro Marine Corps Air Station is one of the air stations with more complaints about this matter since it has caused overall more diseases than the others.
What Diseases Can These Toxins Cause to Military Personnel?
Chemical exposure in a military base can cause several diseases to people who worked there, as happened in El Toro. However, the issue is not getting diseases but how deadly the diseases are.
Not only do contaminants on the ground or home base cause several diseases to human beings but also take a toll on the environment, so the Environmental Protection Agency has done its best to try to solve this issue along with the Department of the Navy.
Regardless of well they clean the place, the aircraft base was established many years ago, and people are already starting to get sick, so they deserve compensation for what happened. Even if they don’t die, the process to pay for medical treatment is not simple, so you need financial help to take care of that.
If you are a victim of chemical exposure in California, you can always call the Paul Ehline Military Ride for us to support you and help you address all your concerns.
Here are some of the most common diseases chemicals can cause:
- Testicular cancer
- Renal cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Aplastic anemia
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Lung cancer
- Liver cancer
- Parkinson’s disease
- Ovarian cancer
- Adult leukemia
What Does the Environmental Protection Agency Have to Say About the Matter?
The Environmental Protection Agency is doing its best to handle the situation not only in Tustin but in all the other air stations facing this problem as well.
Hence, the EPA issued a Lifetime Health Advisory for PFAS in drinking water. This health advisory is for PFAS of 70 parts per trillion, but it’s still not a cleanup standard. Therefore, it’s complex to know when it’s going to be safe to be around the air station again.
It’s not difficult to see this is a serious issue when the State of California has been issuing regulations on PFAS in drinking water to prevent the problem from getting any worse since 2018. This is a challenging process, so the best victims can do is call someone who can help them get compensation for what happened to them.
Unfortunately, there’s not a cleanup goal from the EPA or the State of California, and that’s a severe concern to think about when dealing with groundwater filled with jet fuel and soil.
What Hazardous Substances Can I Find in This Air Station?
Checking the list of the diseases the hazardous substances on this air station can be overwhelming for victims since they are all deadly diseases, and it’s difficult and expensive to heal from them. However, why do these contaminants cause that many health problems?
The reason for that is the number of hazardous substances in the area. It’s not like you only need to deal with soil or acetone but rather all the other contaminants that come from them and fuel. Apart from that, letting them pile up there only made everything worse.
All the contaminants you can find in this air station can be found in the others, so they are all suffering from the problem. The only difference between them, as we mentioned before, is how many people have gotten sick due to contaminants from drinking contaminated water.
These are the contaminants causing diseases to people who worked in the air station:
- Xylene
- Toluene
- Carbon tetrachloride
- Carbon disulfide
- Styrene
- Aluminum
- Beryllium
- Benzene
- Arsenic
- Acetone
- Bromoform
There were also many pollutants in the area when the air station was active, which is also one of the factors that made these contaminants dangerous after all this time.
Bottom Line
Although air stations suffering from this issue are already closed, there are plans of putting them back into action again. Thanks to that, there’s a special focus on dealing with contaminated groundwater now, and many agencies and state departments are doing their best to find out what caused this issue and the organic compounds they need to deal with.
If you got cancer due to the poor environmental conditions of aircraft stations at the time, call Paul Ehline Memorial Ride for us to support you and help you get compensation for what happened. We can also help you if you are suffering from other issues, such as PTSD.
Paul Ehline supports the Motorcycle Rider and Motorcycle Club Community, so he organizes and sponsors events with motorcycle clubs to help victims of this issue. He also works with personal injury lawyer Michael Ehline.
