Air Force Plant 44
Tucson, AZ
Known Toxins4
Years of Operation1951-Present
Base Background
The U.S. Air Force Plant 44 opened as a federally-owned weapons manufacturing site. This site originally opened under federal ownership but was later transferred to the state in the 1980’s. The EPA identified a variety of soil and groundwater contaminants at the site, showing that personnel at the plant disposed of substances like metals and solvents.
Known Toxins
The following chart outlines the medical conditions associated with toxic exposure at this base, classified by the strength of evidence required (strong, good or limited).* Please keep in mind that it is not a complete list.
| Toxin | Potential Effects & Strength of Evidence Needed | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | Good | Limited | ||
| 1, 4-Dioxane | Potential Effects & Strength of Evidence Needed | - | Acute tubular necrosis |
Nasopharyngeal/SinoNasal cancer Hepatocellular cancer (Liver cancer) |
| PFAS (Firefighting Foam) | Potential Effects & Strength of Evidence Needed | - | - | Testicular cancer Renal (kidney) cancer... Prostate cancer |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | Potential Effects & Strength of Evidence Needed | Acute hepatocellular injury (Hepatitis) |
Scleroderma Renal (kidney) cancer... Psychiatric disturbances Lymphoma non Hodgkin's Hepatocellular cancer (Liver cancer) Fetotoxicity (Miscarriage/spontaneous abortion; stillbirth) Decreased Coordination/ Dysequilibrium Cirrhosis Childhood Leukemias Cardiac congenital malformations Autoimmune antibodies, positive ANA Arrhythmias |
Trigeminal neuropathy Testicular cancer... Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Raynaud's phenomenon Prostate cancer Peripheral neuropathy Pancreatitis Pancreatic cancer Oral clefts (cleft lip and palate) Neural tube defects/CNS malformations Nephrotic syndrome Multiple myeloma Lung cancer Low birth weight/Small for Gestational Age Immune suppression Hodgkin's Disease (lymphoma) Genitourinary malformations (includes cryptorchidism, hypospadias) Cognitive impairment (includes impaired learning, impaired memory, and decreased attention span) Choanal atresia Cervical cancer Brain cancer adult Adult-Onset Leukemias ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity Acute tubular necrosis |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) | Potential Effects & Strength of Evidence Needed | Rhinitis irritant |
- | - |
If you worked at Air Force Plant 44 and experienced adverse health effects, you may be eligible for compensation.
*Effects are according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry unless otherwise noted.