George AFB, CA - Hazardous Toxic & Radioactive Waste (HTRW)

The former Victorville Army Airfield/Victorville Air Force Base/George Air Force Base (George AFB) is a Superfund site and one of the most contaminated military bases in the country. From 1941 to 1992 (51 years), over 100,000 people were potentially exposed to unsafe levels of hazardous, toxic, and radioactive materials on and around George AFB. About 20,000 people lived in the surrounding community, and 80,000 worked, lived, and went to school on George AFB. Most military personnel and their families were forced to live on base because of the low pay, high rent, and limited off-base housing. The contamination caused numerous health issues for those stationed at or who lived near the base.

The Air Force/DoD was aware of the contamination, in some cases for decades, but failed to address the issue or inform those stationed at or living nearby of the potential health risks. When the Air Force/DOD suspected they had a problem, they had a moral and legal obligation to test the water supply and habitable structures. If the water supply or any building tested positive for unsafe levels of toxins, the Air Force/DOD was required by law to replace the water supply, condemn the building, relocate the occupants, and notify the current and former residents about their possible exposures. They did not.

The contaminants at the base caused significant harm to the base personnel and those living nearby, including some families who have lost up to seven children due to repeated and prolonged exposure to the numerous toxins. The effects of this exposure have been linked to congenital disabilities, miscarriages, stillbirths, infant mortalities, preterm births, low birth weights, and childhood cancers. This is because the developing fetus is especially vulnerable during the first 12 weeks (first trimester); during this time, all major organs and body systems are forming and can be damaged if exposed to toxic substances or radiation. [Read More…]

If you or a loved one have health issues due to PFAS exposure after time spent in the military, contact The Downs Law Group for a FREE case review. The manufacturers of PFAS may owe you compensation! The Downs Law Group employs attorneys accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist those who have served nationwide.
Call (305) 444-8226 or visit DOWNSLAWGROUP.COM today.
*The Downs Law Group is licensed to practice in Florida and handles PFAS claims nationwide. The firm is headquartered in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Completed Exposure Pathway (CEP)

George AFB’s Flawed Public Health Assessment (PHA)

January 1, 2023

The Air Force deliberately misled the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Congress, and the American people about the toxic substances present at George AFB, CA. They failed to disclose the Completed Exposure Pathways (CEPs) and potential health threats to base personnel, their family members, civilian employees, and the surrounding community. The ATSDR relied on the Air Force to supply the [Read More…]

George AFB’s Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing Decontamination Centers

August 18, 2015

If you worked or lived next to the west side of George AFB, worked at an engine test cell or the weapons test bunker, you were likely exposed to unsafe levels of fission byproducts (radioactive dust) from the decontamination of aircraft and equipment used in the open-air nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). This exposure could potentially pose serious health risks [Read More…]

George AFB’s Asbestos Contamination

August 18, 2015

If you worked, lived, or went to school in a building built before 1980, on George AFB, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of asbestos. “There are 1,970 buildings on-base (including 1,641 housing units) with a total square footage of floor space of 4,629,926, approximately 10 percent of which has been surveyed for asbestos. Forty percent of those facilities tested had asbestos containing [Read More…]

George AFB’s Organochlorine Pesticides Contamination

February 4, 2016

If you worked, lived, or went to school in a building built before the late 1980s, on George AFB, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of chlordane and other organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). These OCPs are classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), are toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and the environment, and the DOD banned their use in the late 1980’s. [Read More…]

George AFB’s Burn Pits and Incinerators

October 31, 2012

If you worked, lived, or went to school on George AFB you were probably exposed to unsafe levels known carcinogens and respiratory sensitizers. George AFB had over a dozen unlined open-air burn pits and two old style incinerators (without an air scrubber to remove toxic chemicals). Known carcinogens and respiratory sensitizers were released into the atmosphere and pose both acute and chronic health hazards to civilians, [Read More…]

George AFB’s Lead Based Paint Contamination

December 21, 2015

If you were a child that lived or went to daycare/school on George AFB, before 1978, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of lead-based paint (LBP). The buildings constructed before 1978, when the DOD banned the use of LBP, are likely to contain one or more coats of LBP. In addition, some facilities constructed immediately after the ban may also contain LBP, [Read More…]

George AFB’s West Winds Golf Course

July 30, 2018

If you played (as a child), lived next to, played golf, or worked at the West Winds Golf Course from 1965 to 1981, you were most likely exposed to unsafe levels of partially treated sewage and industrial waste containing known carcinogens. Before 1965, George AFB discharged its industrial waste into the Mojave River. On November 17, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive [Read More…]

Completed Exposure Pathway (CEP)

George AFB’s Family Housing

April 19, 2014

If you lived in George AFB’s Family Housing, built before 1988, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of chlordane and other organochlorine pesticides (“OCPs”). The Air Force knew that the housing and soil under/around the base housing were contaminated with unsafe levels of OCPs that could present a risk to human health. Additionally, the Air Force knew that there was NO safe [Read More…]

Chemical Weapons at the Victorville Army Airfield – George AFB

January 7, 2024

If you worked at George Air Force Base’s bomb dump, trained in the Southeast Disposal Area (SEDA), or rode dirt bikes on the base’s motocross (Mx) track, all of which were located south of Air Base Rd. In that case, you may have been exposed to unsafe levels of Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA) and Chemical Warfare Materials (CWM). These highly hazardous materials were [Read More…]

Federal Agencies Can And Do Lie

August 25, 2024

FOIA 5 USC 552(c) exempts information from disclosure. For some national security (nuclear weapons – 91b radioactive material) & law enforcement content, the agency can legally lie to you about its nonexistence, 5 USC 552(c) – on top of Glomar (“can’t confirm or deny”) responses. To avoid both of these scenarios, exclusions authorize the agency to “treat the records as not subject to [Read More…]

Did the DoD force the US EPA to remove any reference to the radioactive contamination at George AFB?

July 15, 2024

Why did the US EPA, the agency charged with protecting the environment and public health, remove any reference to the radioactive contamination at George Air Force Base from its website? George AFB’s southeast disposal areas (SEDA) radioactive disposal site is only ¼ mile upstream of the supply wells for George AFB, Adelanto, private homes, and ranches, posed a significant threat to the local [Read More…]

Veterans And Their Families Are Being Denied Their Constitutional Right To Due Process

January 29, 2024

The US Government has implemented a complex web of regulations and laws that are designed to shield itself by preventing discovery (the ability to depose witnesses and subpoena records) to conceal the misdeeds of a few federal employees. For this reason, veterans and their families are being denied the constitutional rights that they were willing to lay down their lives to protect. The [Read More…]

Environmental Statutes and Executive Orders

April 24, 2023

The former Victorville Army Air Field/Victorville Air Force Base/George Air Force Base (George AFB) is a Superfund site (EPA ID: CA2570024453) and one of the most contaminated military bases in the country. The following is a list of Executive Orders and federal environmental laws most likely violated. Executive Orders EO 11258 – on November 17, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Executive Order—Prevention, [Read More…]

An open letter from the Gomez Trial Attorneys to Senators Feinstein and Padilla

April 14, 2023

Re: Robert Anderson, et al v. The United States of America 2:21-cv-09102-VAP-PD Dear Senators Feinstein and Padilla, We represent individuals and families whose lives have been devastated by our Nation’s failure to warn them of the dangers of exposure to hazardous materials and waste while they lived and/or worked on the former George Air Force Base. Unfortunately, these families are not alone. There [Read More…]

The City of Adelanto and George AFB production wells

Did the Air Force supply contaminated water to Adelanto and George AFB?

May 29, 2022

Did the Air Force supply contaminated water to Adelanto and George AFB and contaminate the aquifer used by the public? Yes Three contaminated sites threatened the supply wells for George AFB, Adelanto, and private homes and ranches via soil contamination leaching into the aquifer: 1) the Southeast Disposal Area (SEDA), 2) the George AFB Golf Course, and 3) the Base Family Housing. It [Read More…]

Is the VA defrauding atomic veterans of medical care and compensation for their SC injuries

May 10, 2022

Is the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) defrauding atomic veterans and their families of medical care and compensation for the veteran’s service-connected (SC) injuries? Over one hundred thousand military personnel and veterans were exposed to highly classified radioactive material from the Department of Defense’s (DoD) nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons or subjected to DoD or VA’s radiation research. See: military personnel and veterans [Read More…]

Cushman v. Shinseki, 576 F.3d 1290 (Fed. Cir. 2009)

June 8, 2021

In 2009, the Federal Circuit held in Cushman v. Shinseki that applicants for veterans‘ benefits have a constitutionally protected property interest in their application for benefits. Accordingly, such applicants are entitled to constitutionally prescribed procedures in connection with their claims for benefits under the terms of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Ninth Circuit also found that Mr. Cushman’s medical record had been [Read More…]

Primer On Federal Facility Compliance With Environmental Laws: Where Do We Go From Here?

January 30, 2021

Look, Buster, don’t bug me with your crap about permits. I’m building nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, some of the worst [environmental] offenders are our own federal facilities. As President, I will insist that in the future federal agencies meet or exceed environmental standards: The government should live within the laws it imposes on others. Pollution caused by facilities owned or operated by various federal [Read More…]

DoDs Opportunity To Clean Up Its Hazardous Waste Act

January 6, 2021

ABSTRACT: The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 was enacted to address the serious problem of hazardous waste contamination in the United States. Although the program has achieved some success, it has failed to achieve its primary purpose – the permanent cleanup of inactive and abandoned hazardous waste sites. With the taxing authority of CERCLA set to expire on [Read More…]

sampling for perchlorate was unnecessary

DoD – Report to the Congress Perchlorate in the Southwestern United States

July 3, 2020

In 2005, the DoD/Air Force deliberately misled Congress about the possibility of perchlorate from George AFB contaminating the aquifer used for drinking and irrigation water. As early as 1982, the DoD knew that there were several sources for perchlorate contamination in the Southeast Disposal Area (SDEA). The SEDA is about a ¼ mile upstream of the drinking and irrigation water supply wells for [Read More…]

Featured

SAIC Admits To Falsifying Radiological Testing Results At George AFB

December 7, 2019

In 1991, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) pleaded guilty to defrauding the government by falsifying testing of samples at DoD Superfund sites. SAIC was responsible for the radiological testing done at George AFB’s Weapons Storage and Assembly Area (WSA) and radioactive disposal site (RW-09). Air Force acknowledged that it routinely withheld classified information and records about Buried Radioactive Weapons Maintenance Waste at its [Read More…]

91(B) RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL (RAM)

April 1, 2019

The term “91(b)” refers to highly classified radioactive material (RAM) covered under Section 91(b) of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954 associated with current nuclear weapons material, legacy nuclear weapons maintenance wastes, residuals from nuclear weapons accident/incidents, some residuals from atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, and residuals from nuclear reactor operations. 1.2.3. Installations located in the United States that possess residual 91(b) [Read More…]

January-June 1963 Inspections of Nuclear Activities at Manned Interceptor Squadrons

Nuclear Weapons at George AFB

March 23, 2019

George AFB was one of 35 bases that had Fighter Interceptor Squadrons with air-to-air nuclear weapons for stopping enemy bomber attacks. Because the early generation nuclear weapons (non-sealed pit) required regular onsite maintenance, a considerable amount of radioactive contamination/waste would be generated during the polonium-beryllium (Po-Be) initiators’ replacement operation. The Air Force has repeatedly denied that there were any nuclear weapons at George [Read More…]

2018-09-26 GAO – Status of DOD Efforts to Address Drinking Water Contaminants Used in Firefighting Foam

November 29, 2018

The GAO report “Status of DOD Efforts to Address Drinking Water Contaminants Used in Firefighting Foam” fails to address the known PFOA and PFOS contamination of the soil and groundwater at the DoD Superfund site George Air Force Base, CA “EPA Superfund ID: CA2570024453.” Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs or what is now called PFOA and PFOS) were detected as high as 5,396 parts per [Read More…]

George AFB’s Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – PFAS

November 7, 2017

The Air Forced just released the test results for PFAS at private and municipal supply wells near the southeast corner of George AFB, where the production wells for George AFB were located. ALL of the wells that were tested had detectable levels of PFAS, and one well exceeded the US EPA health advisory (HA) level of 70 ppt. These results are significant because, [Read More…]

Seeking Justice

August 4, 2017

When we (the injured) try to seek justice for our injuries through the courts, we are told that our case has no standing because of the Statute of Limitations, Feres Doctrine, and/or the sovereign immunity clause of the Federal Torts Claim Act (FTCA). How can the DOJ/DOD argue that the Statute of Limitations has expired when rogue employees within the DOD conspired to [Read More…]

1980-12-11 – CERCLA §120(h) Deed Restrictions – Special Nuclear Material

June 24, 2017

Because all activities supporting the nuclear defense program are highly classified to protect national security Congress included a provision in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) that requires the DOD to withhold information and records about Special Nuclear Material at its Superfund sites. This requirement creates a unique set of problems for the DOD; Federal, State, and Local regulators when trying [Read More…]

I am not a doctor, Veterans Service Officer (VSO), or attorney; therefore, I cannot provide medical or legal advice.

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The ATSDR’s Flawed Public Health Assessment