Washington’s two senators joined 16 of their Senate colleagues in requesting information from the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency on drinking water standards related to a chemical present in firefighting foam.

Recent media reports stated that the Department of Defense asked the White House to adopt substantially weaker standards for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. PFAS contamination was found at 126 military installations, including Fairchild Air Force Base, Joint Base Lewis-McCord and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

On Whidbey, testing of 272 residential wells around Ault Field and Outlying Field Coupeville found that 15 wells contained PFAS in excess of the EPA’s lifetime advisory limit.

U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell signed the letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, requesting the agencies release communications regarding the establishment of federal drinking water standards for PFAS and groundwater pollution guidelines related to these chemicals.

“If this reporting is accurate, the DOD’s actions may endanger the health of service members and families who live and work near the 401 military installations where there are known or suspected releases of PFAS chemicals in the drinking water or groundwater,” the senators wrote. “We urge you to act in the best interests of impacted communities and support efforts to develop groundwater and drinking water standards that will protect the public from the health hazards associated with PFAS contamination.”

PFAS are chemicals found in firefighting foams that have been used at military installations and civilian airports. The chemicals may cause developmental damage, certain cancers and immune system problems.

“Given the significant public health concerns related to these chemicals,” the letter states, “immediate action must be taken to reduce exposure to PFAS and address any potential negative health effects contamination from these materials may have on our communities.”

Murray and Cantwell have led efforts in Congress to address water contamination due to PFAS, according to a press release. They have called for the inclusion of firefighters in studies on the health effects of occupational exposure to PFAS and helped secure resources to clean up contamination caused by the chemicals.

A proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court this year against 3M and other companies on behalf of Whidbey Island residents affected by PFAS water pollution.

“There is a clear national effort to down play the dangers of PFAS exposure,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that it is coming from both the public and private sector, but the trend they are pushing for stands in stark contrast to a growing body of scientific research indicating that we should be lowering, not raising, exposure levels. We hope, for the residents of Whidbey Island as well as thousands of communities around the country, that scientific reason wins out.”