Biologists in Florida are beginning to discover fluorinated chemicals, once-widely used in firefighting foams, present throughout the local food chain. Apex predators (those at the top of the food chain) like dolphins and gators store them in their bodies at higher concentrations and this has problematic implications. These are the same chemicals that worry many who live, work or go to school near Patrick Air Force Base and Kennedy Space Center. (And the same substances recently found in groundwater in Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach.)

“…research follows frightening clues that indicate human health also is imperiled by the chemical waste from the Space Race and U.S. military training exercises. It is the unintended health and ecological fallout from America’s dominance in space and on the battlefield that threatens more than just wildlife.

Biologist Greg Bossart and others have been warning officials for more than 15 years to heed the signs they have been finding in lagoon wildlife. The unexpected tumors and other immune-related diseases researchers now see in marine mammals, in particular, are considered by biologists as likely proof of the dangers that pollution poses to people.”1

RELATED STORY:

To report a cancer or other health concern in Satellite Beach or South Patrick Shores area, call the Florida Department of Health in Brevard at 321-454-7101.

Community meeting

Florida Health Connection is hosting a meet-and-greet to discuss the contaminant issue affecting the community, featuring the progress of the group’s projects, an updated map and an opportunity for the community to unite on August 30th from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Kingdom Gate Worship Center, 535 Cassia Blvd., Satellite Beach

To report a cancer or other health concern in Satellite Beach or South Patrick Shores area, call the Florida Department of Health in Brevard at 321-454-7101.

Sources and References

  1. Florida Today, August 24, 2018.