"Chemicals In Drinking Water Prompt Inspections Of U.S. Military Bases"

"Health workers are piecing together a complicated puzzle in El Paso County, Colo. In January, three cities — Security, Fountain and Widefield — noticed synthetic chemicals known as PFCs in the drinking water.

Historically, these compounds had been used to make products like carpet and firefighting foam. The Environmental Protection Agency has linked exposure to low birth weights, and even forms of cancer. And the Pentagon says it's examining hundreds of military base sites for possible contamination.

In the city of Security, south of Colorado Springs, resident Brenda Piontkowski has visited a filtered water station every other day for months because she says water at home isn't safe."

Grace Hood reports for NPR's All Things Considered September 15, 2016.