Military: Contractor Error Caused Hawaii Toxic Foam Spill

Rear Adm. John Korka, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), and Chief of Civil Engineers, leads Navy and civilian water quality recovery experts through the tunnels of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 23, 2021. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Luke McCall/U.S. Navy via AP

HONOLULU—An investigation found that a spill of about 1,300 gallons of fire suppressant at a fuel facility in Hawaii was caused by a maintenance contractor improperly installing an air vacuum valve, U.S. military officials said Friday.

Aqueous Film Forming Foam, which is used to suppress fires caused by flammable liquids, contain PFAS, a class of chemicals that are slow to degrade in the environment.