On Nov. 29, the Navy spilled about 1,300 gallons of a fire-dousing chemical foam infused with toxic “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) linked to cancers and other health problems, at its trouble-plagued Red Hill fuel facility. Only after this did the Navy reveal an even larger spill of the aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) — an estimated 1,500 gallons on Dec. 7, 2019, as well as a 5,000-gallon spill of AFFF and water on Sept. 29, 2020.

Despite intense public concern, and an ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency probe, the military has yet to release a recounting of how the spills occurred, or video recorded at the site. That’s just wrong — and far from reassuring.