By Monica Amarelo, EWG, December 19, 2022
More than 600,000 service members at 116 military installations were annually served water with potentially unsafe levels of the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to an Environmental Working Group analysis.
An internal study by the Department of Defense from April concluded the Pentagon served unsafe water containing PFOA and PFOS – the two most notorious PFAS – to 175,000 members a year at 24 installations. That study only counted service members at installations served water with levels of PFOA and PFOS greater than 70 parts per trillion, or ppt, an advisory level set by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2016. But the agency in June tightened that level, to less than 1 ppt.
The DOD’s analysis also did not include service members’ drinking water purchased from local water utilities or from privatized on-base water systems, which may also have been contaminated with the chemicals.
The DOD has not published the assessment, dated April 18, 2022, to its public PFAS website, making it effectively unavailable to the public or service members, except by request. The report was mandated by Congress in the 2019 defense budget.
The number of service members served contaminated water may be even greater than EWG’s estimate, which relies on a review of publicly reported water system tests and DOD records.
|
DOD-identified installations with PFOS/PFOS in drinking water |
State |
|
Belmont Armory |
Mich. |
|
Camp Carroll |
Korea |
|
Camp Red Cloud |
Korea |
|
Camp Stanley |
Korea |
|
Camp Walker |
Korea |
|
El Campo |
Texas |
|
Fort Hunter Liggett |
Calif. |
|
Joint Base Lewis McChord |
Wash. |
|
Sierra Army Depot |
Calif. |
|
Soto Cano Air Base |
Honduras |
|
Mountain Home AFB |
Idaho |
|
Horsham Air National Guard Base |
Pa. |
|
Eielson AFB |
Alaska |
|
New Boston AFS |
N.H. |
|
Wright-Patterson AFB |
Ohio |
|
Kunsan Air Base |
Korea |
|
Naval Air Station Oceana, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress |
Va. |
|
Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia I |
Indian Ocean |
|
Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia Cantonment |
Indian Ocean |
|
Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia Sub Site |
Indian Ocean |
|
Naval Radio Transmitter Facility – Dixon |
Calif. |
|
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (South) |
Calif. |
|
Naval Air Station – Lakehurst |
N.J. |
|
Chievres Air Base/Caserne Daumerie |
Belgium |
|
Additional installations with PFOA/PFOS in drinking water |
State |
PFOA/PFOS in ppt |
|
Eareckson AFBe |
Alaska |
62.1 |
|
Fort Wainwright |
Alaska |
5.6 |
|
Fort Rucker |
Ala. |
6.2 |
|
Camp Navajo |
Ariz. |
17.1 |
|
Silver Bell Army Heliport |
Ariz. |
10.1 |
|
Joint Force Training Base – Los Alamitos |
Calif. |
26.7 |
|
Marine Corps Logistics Base – Barstow |
Calif. |
67 |
|
Military Ocean Terminal Concord |
Calif. |
3.1 |
|
Parks Reserve Forces Training Area |
Calif. |
18.5 |
|
Sharpe Army Depot |
Calif. |
15 |
|
Corry Station |
Fl. |
15.1 |
|
Marianna Readiness Center |
Fl. |
9.56 |
|
Ocala Readiness Center |
Fl. |
16 |
|
Fort Benning |
Ga. |
17.7 |
|
Fort Gordon |
Ga. |
12.5 |
|
Gillem Annex |
Ga. |
12.5 |
|
Guam U.S. Naval Activities |
Guam |
59 |
|
Iowa Army Ammunition Plant |
Iowa |
6 |
|
Rock Island Arsenal |
Ill. |
13.6 |
|
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane |
Ind. |
1.4 |
|
Terre Haute National Guard Site |
Ind. |
5.8 |
|
Fort Leavenworth |
Kan.` |
|
|
Fort Campbell |
Kan. |
15.8 |
|
Fort Knox |
Ky. |
4 |
|
Natick Soldier Systems Center |
Mass. |
11.8 |
|
Rehoboth National Guard Site |
Mass. |
2.1 |
|
Brigadier General Thomas B. Baker Training Site |
Md. |
3.9 |
|
Camp Fretterd Readiness Center |
Md. |
1.66 |
|
Fort Detrick |
Md. |
6.9 |
|
Frederick Readiness Center |
Md. |
2.9 |
|
Gunpowder Military Reservation |
Md. |
5.5 |
|
La Plata Readiness Center |
Md. |
2.2 |
|
Queen Anne Readiness Center |
Md. |
1.04 |
|
Bangor Training Site |
Maine |
16.3 |
|
Camp Grayling |
Mich. |
13.2 |
|
Grand Ledge Hangar |
Mich. |
1.78 |
|
Jackson Readiness Center |
Mich. |
0.687 |
|
Camp Ripley |
Minn. |
1.79 |
|
Fort Leonard Wood |
Mo. |
5.1 |
|
Camp McCain |
Miss. |
0.907 |
|
Billings Field Maintenance Shop 6 |
Mont. |
1.69 |
|
Fort Bragg |
N.C. |
|
|
Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point |
N.C. |
21.2 |
|
Seymour Johnson AFB |
N.C. |
11.53 |
|
Camp Davis |
N.D. |
0.92 |
|
Camp Grafton |
N.D. |
5.85 |
|
Camp Ashland |
Neb. |
2.3 |
|
Norfolk Field Maintenance Shop 7 |
Neb. |
3.4 |
|
New Hampshire National Guard Training Site –Strafford |
N.H. |
10 |
|
Flemington Armory |
N.J. |
1.67 |
|
Franklin Armory |
N.J. |
2.73 |
|
Picatinny Arsenal |
N.J. |
|
|
Camp Smith |
N.Y. |
51 |
|
Fort Drum |
N.Y. |
53 |
|
Seneca Lake |
N.Y. |
1.8 |
|
Watervliet Arsenal |
N.Y. |
4 |
|
West Point U.S. Military Academy |
N.Y. |
3 |
|
Camp Gruber Training Center |
Okla. |
1.02 |
|
Mcalester Army Ammunition Plant |
Okla |
3.1 |
|
Midwest City Readiness Center |
Okla |
4.42 |
|
Camp Rilea |
Ore. |
0.719 |
|
Christmas Valley Radar Site |
Ore. |
1.2 |
|
Lane County Air Force Readiness Center Facility Monitoring System 5 |
Ore. |
1.68 |
|
Ontario Readiness Center |
Ore. |
1.2 |
|
Salem Anderson Readiness Center |
Ore. |
1.8 |
|
Carlisle Barracks |
Pa. |
2 |
|
Fort Indiantown Gap |
Pa. |
1.42 |
|
Tobyhanna Army Depot |
Pa. |
4.78 |
|
Camp Santiago Training Center |
Puerto |
2.9 |
|
Fort Allen Training Area |
Puerto |
2.11 |
|
Muñiz Air National Guard Base |
Puerto |
7.1 |
|
Coventry Training Site |
R.I. |
10.6 |
|
North Smithfield |
R.I. |
27.6 |
|
Fort Jackson |
S.C. |
18.2 |
|
McCrady Training Site |
S.C. |
1.19 |
|
Custer Training Site |
S.D. |
0.1 |
|
Holston Army Ammunition Plant |
Tenn. |
6.1 |
|
Camp Bowie-Musgrave |
Texas |
0.8 |
|
Fort Hood |
Texas |
2.4 |
|
Camp Williams |
Utah |
3.39 |
|
Fort Lee |
Va. |
1.5 |
|
Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads Northwest |
Va. |
1.2 |
|
Vint Hills |
Va. |
410 |
|
Bethlehem Military Compound (St. Croix) |
VI |
1.23 |
|
Blair Hangar AAOF (St. Croix) |
VI |
0.903 |
|
Francis Armory Nazareth (St. Thomas) |
VI |
3.6 |
|
North Hyde Park |
Vt. |
1.97 |
|
Camp Ethan Allen Training Site |
Vt. |
40.8 |
|
Westminster Training Site |
Vt. |
0.869 |
|
Fairchild AFB |
Wash. |
4.5 |
|
Yakima Training Center |
Wash. |
|
|
Camp Guernsey |
Wyo. |
0.836 |
EWG has identified more than 400 DOD sites with known PFAS contamination in ground or drinking water. The use of firefighting foam made with PFAS is the primary source of this contamination. PFAS can migrate to wells the DOD uses for drinking water, depending on site-specific conditions.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because once released into the environment they do not break down and can build up in our blood and organs. Exposure to PFAS increases the risk of cancer, harms the development of the fetus and reduces the effectiveness of vaccines. The blood of nearly all Americans is contaminated with PFAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The internal DOD assessment recognizes many of these harms, but it ignores the increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer from PFAS exposure, which is well documented by other federal agencies.
The DOD also excluded the effect of PFAS on maternal and fetal health because its review “focused on military members and veterans.” Studies show that about 13,000 service members give birth every year, and many family members live on DOD installations.
“PFAS exposure during pregnancy and childhood is linked to numerous health harms, including pregnancy-induced hypertension, low birth weight, shorter duration of breastfeeding, thyroid disruption, reduced vaccine effectiveness and harm to reproductive systems,” said EWG Toxicologist Alexis Temkin, Ph.D.
