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A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of private water well owners in Lubbock for contamination of groundwater in the area.

KAMC News reports that a New York law firm, Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, filed the lawsuit. Napoli Shkolnik has said that this complaint was filed against certain manufacturers.

The law firm says that storage and disposal of certain materials at the former Reese Air Force Base exposed residents in the area to toxic materials. The statement says that residents suffered cancer and other ailments.

Not only that, but in the statement, Napoli Shkolnik said that property values in the area had dropped because of the contamination.

The statement listed aqueous firefighting foams containing perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

Reese Air Force Base closed back in the 1990's. It's reported that the US Air Force had acknowledge contamination at Reese and other bases nationwide. PFAS, Polyfluoroalkyl compounds, were used to extinguish aircraft tires and was used to train firefighters to respond to aircraft fires before the base closed.

Investigations into chemicals found in water near Reese began in 2020, but Paul Caroll, Air Force Program Manager for the former base, said they became aware of the harmful effects on these chemicals in 2017, and began investigating since. Caroll also said residents in the area wouldn't be affected.

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