A sign posted near Yara Hijaga spring near Kadena town, Okinawa, Japan, on March 27, 2026, cautions visitors that the water is not safe to drink. (Ryan M. Breeden/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Two U.S. airfields on Okinawa are the likely sources of the highest levels of toxic “forever chemicals” discovered in nearby groundwater in a decade, according to the Okinawa government.
Okinawa prefecture’s annual groundwater survey found elevated levels of PFAS at 12 spots around Kadena Air Base and 13 sites downstream of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, according to results released Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Division.
The study found PFAS levels exceeding Japan’s water quality standard of 50 parts per trillion at 31 of 44 sampling sites around U.S. bases.
The highest contamination level — 2,800 parts per trillion, or 56 times the national standard — was recorded at Yara Hijaga in Kadena town, downstream from Kadena Air Base. The previous maximum was 2,100 parts per trillion recorded in 2022.
New maximums were also recorded at Yara Ubuga, a natural spring approximately 2,000 feet from the northern edge of the air base, and at Ubuga spring in Ginowan city, downstream from the Marine airfield.
The survey states that the increases are “within the levels recorded” since sampling began in 2016. It urges residents to not drink from the contaminated sources.
A spokesman for the division could not be reached for comment by phone Friday.
PFOS and PFOA — both components of PFAS — were commonly used in aqueous film-forming foam, a fire suppressant used by both U.S. and Japanese forces. The organic compounds are sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they resist chemical breakdown and may persist for decades or longer, according to the Yale Sustainability website.
U.S. Forces Japan in 2024 announced it had incinerated the last of its stockpiles of firefighting foam. PFAS is also used to make water-repellant fabrics and nonstick cookware, among other consumer products.
The survey also found elevated PFAS levels at two sites near the Marine Corps’ Camp Hansen in northern Okinawa, three sites near Camps Courtney and McTureous and one site near Camp Foster.
The prefecture has sought base access for water sampling four times since 2016, when elevated levels of PFAS were first reported near U.S. bases. USFJ denied the requests in December, saying the evidence that its installations were sources of contamination was insufficient.
The environmental division may reapply for entry to MCAS Futenma, stating in the survey that USFJ’s response did not weigh results of an expert committee’s investigation that found the Marine airfield is the likely source of nearby organic fluorine contamination.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has stated that no level of PFAS is considered safe in drinking water. The American Cancer Society has linked PFAS exposure to an increased risk of tumors in the liver, breasts, testicles and pancreas.
PFAS is a “shared concern” tied to both military and civilian industrial activities across Japan, including firefighting, sewage treatment, landfills and chemical plants, Air Force Col. John Severns, USFJ spokesman, wrote in an email Thursday.
“We remain committed to protecting the health of our personnel, their families, and the surrounding communities in which we live and serve,” he wrote. The command continues to comply with all agreements and procedures with the Japanese government, he said.
AloJapan.com