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.`

649 

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.

98 

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.

100.3 

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.

103 

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.

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The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action