Military bases & toxic exposure

Documented exposures

The confirmed problem at Fort Liberty is PFAS. Army site inspections completed in 2022 found PFOA and PFOS in groundwater beneath Pope Army Airfield, Simmons Army Airfield and other former fire-training and crash-response areas, and the Army has been sampling private wells in Cumberland and Moore Counties under a CERCLA remedial investigation. A February 2020 Defense Department report also listed the installation among more than 600 sites with contaminated groundwater or drinking water, and monitoring-well trichloroethylene has been reported in the range of roughly 6 to 132 parts per billion. One correction worth making plainly: burn-pit exposure claimed by Fort Liberty veterans almost always comes from their deployments, not from the post itself.

Linked conditions

PFAS is associated in the scientific literature with kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, elevated cholesterol and immune effects. TCE is associated with kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, liver cancer and Parkinson's disease.

Documented exposures

Fort Campbell is a federal Superfund facility (EPA ID KY5210020140) but it is not on the National Priorities List — EPA classifies it No Further Remedial Action Planned for listing purposes. The documented contamination is PFAS from aqueous film-forming foam at the current fire-training area (Building 7237), the former fire station, and Fire Station #3 (Building 7160), which the Army has been assessing since roughly 2018. Water testing has additionally detected tetrachloroethylene (PCE), hexavalent chromium, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, haloacetic acids and total trihalomethanes. Claims circulating online about heavy TCE and aviation-fuel plumes at Fort Campbell are not supported by the site record — do not build a claim on them, because VA will check.

Linked conditions

PFAS-associated kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis and immune effects. PCE is associated with bladder cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hexavalent chromium is a documented respiratory carcinogen.

Documented exposures

Fort Ord was added to the National Priorities List in 1990 and is one of the largest military Superfund sites in the country. Trichloroethylene used as a degreaser — along with 1,1,1-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride — reached groundwater, and TCE was detected above legal limits between 1985 and 1994. Other documented sources are leaking underground storage tanks, a landfill of roughly 150 acres, motor-pool and fire-drill training areas, and firing ranges carrying unexploded ordnance and lead. PFAS from firefighting foam is also present. The post ran from 1917 until it closed in 1994, which means generations of basic trainees and infantry passed through it.

Linked conditions

TCE and PCE are associated with kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, Parkinson's disease and reproductive effects. Carbon tetrachloride is a liver toxin. Range work adds lead and explosive-compound residue.

Documented exposures

Dugway was the primary U.S. open-air test range for chemical and biological warfare agents and their simulants from World War II through the Cold War. Nerve and blister agents, biological simulants and defoliant systems were released outdoors. Some simulants were withdrawn only after their toxicity was recognized — zinc cadmium sulfide in the 1960s and dimethyl methylphosphonate in the 1980s. Dugway also appears on VA's list of herbicide test and storage locations. Because many tests were classified and participants were frequently not told what was released, service treatment records from Dugway often show nothing more specific than an upper respiratory infection.

Linked conditions

Veterans who served there have reported lung scarring, peripheral neuropathy, respiratory disease, skin conditions, immune effects and various cancers. There is no single agreed disease list, because the agent varied by test — which is why identifying the test matters more than naming the base.

Documented exposures

Fort McClellan hosted the Army Chemical Corps School, the Military Police School and radiological training. Documented hazards include cesium-137 and cobalt-60 sources, controlled mustard and nerve-agent training, fog oil and hexachloroethane smoke, and off-post PCB concerns in Anniston.

Linked conditions

There is no general VA presumption and no registry for Fort McClellan. A PACT Act-mandated epidemiological study covers service from January 1, 1935 through May 20, 1999 — a study is not a presumption, but it is citable context.

Documented exposures

Edgewood covered chemical-warfare research, testing, storage and disposal, along with radiological wastes and localized soil, water, sediment, food-chain and munitions hazards. ATSDR concluded that access controls substantially reduced many potential exposure pathways — which cuts both ways in a claim, so the specific work area matters.

Linked conditions

Depends entirely on the agent and the program. Do not use a generic chemical list; identify the compound documented for your work area and match the medical literature to that compound.

Documented exposures

Area B groundwater at Fort Detrick is a Superfund site. Area A is a state-led cleanup and is not on the National Priorities List. The distinction is the whole claim: assignment to Fort Detrick alone does not establish exposure to Area B groundwater or to any particular contaminant.

Linked conditions

Tie the disease to the specific contaminant documented for the area and water source you were actually connected to, not to the installation name.

Documented exposures

From August 1953 through December 1987, drinking water serving Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point was contaminated with trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene and vinyl chloride. It is the most thoroughly documented water contamination event in U.S. military history, and the regulation covers Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River — not just the main side.

Linked conditions

Eight diseases are presumptive for VA disability compensation under 38 CFR § 3.309(f): adult leukemia; aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; liver cancer; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; and Parkinson's disease. That is the list — eight. A separate group of fifteen conditions, including breast, lung and esophageal cancer, female infertility, miscarriage, neurobehavioral effects, renal toxicity, scleroderma and hepatic steatosis, qualifies you for VA health care cost reimbursement but is NOT on the disability presumptive list. Confusing the two lists is where most Camp Lejeune claims fail.

Documented exposures

PFAS from decades of aqueous film-forming foam use is under active environmental investigation at MCAS Miramar, and groundwater sampling is part of the station restoration program. One qualifier you should know before you file: California does not designate the groundwater beneath the installation as a beneficial drinking-water source, so the site record does not currently establish a drinking-water pathway the way Camp Lejeune or Whidbey Island does. The stronger Miramar argument is usually occupational — flight-line and hangar personnel worked around JP-5 and JP-8 fuels, hydraulic fluids, solvents and paint systems every day.

Linked conditions

PFAS is associated with kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, elevated cholesterol and immune effects. Fuel and solvent work is associated with benzene-linked blood cancers and with chronic respiratory and skin conditions.

Documented exposures

Barksdale's documented environmental issue is PFAS from aqueous film-forming foam used in firefighting and training, and you should know both halves of the record. In 2023 the Air Force environmental management division reported that tested PFAS compounds in the base's treated drinking water were below detectable limits; at the same time, ecological studies have identified PFAS in nearby surface water and sediment. Separately, flight-line work at a bomber base means daily JP-8 exposure from fueling, defueling and maintenance. JP-8 contains benzene, a recognized cause of leukemia, and naphthalene — both absorb through skin as well as lungs.

Linked conditions

Benzene is associated with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, aplastic anemia and other bone-marrow disorders. PFAS is associated with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease and immune effects. Fuel and solvent work is also associated with chronic respiratory and skin conditions.

Documented exposures

Plattsburgh AFB has been on the National Priorities List since November 1989, after volatile organic compounds were found in monitoring wells. The base operated from 1955 until it closed under BRAC in 1995, and aqueous film-forming foam was in use from about 1970 until closure. PFAS has since been confirmed in soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment above EPA health advisory levels. Private wells within roughly a mile have been sampled and bottled water and granular activated carbon treatment provided, and in 2024 a contract was issued to extend the municipal water line. The remedial investigation continues under a 1991 Federal Facilities Agreement with EPA and New York State oversight.

Linked conditions

PFAS is associated with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, elevated cholesterol and immune effects. The solvent-class VOCs found in base groundwater are associated with kidney cancer, liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Documented exposures

Air Force Global Strike Command opened the Missile Community Cancer Study in early 2023 after missileers raised cancer concerns. Investigators reviewed 148,078 cancer cases among personnel who served in the missile community between 1976 and 2010. PCBs were detected in some launch control centers, prompting mitigation, although toxicologists judged the measured levels to be below occupational exposure limits. Radiation dosimetry practice in the Cold War missile field was inconsistent, and VA now maintains a dedicated missileers exposure page.

Linked conditions

The study found higher rates of testicular cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma than in the broader Air Force, and melanoma rates higher than the U.S. general population. Two findings matter just as much if you want a claim that survives scrutiny: non-Hodgkin lymphoma — the very concern that triggered the study — came in roughly 20 percent LOWER than expected, and overall cancer mortality in the missile community was lower than in the U.S. general population.

Documented exposures

Soil and groundwater contamination at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base is linked to leaking chemical-storage tanks and waste-disposal operations. The Air Force conducts the cleanup under Michigan state oversight, and the site is not currently on the National Priorities List.

Linked conditions

Do not assume a disease list here. Match the specific contaminant documented for the area where you lived or worked to the medical literature for that contaminant, then build the opinion around it.

Documented exposures

The Navy is investigating PFOA and PFOS from aqueous film-forming foam at both Naval Station Norfolk (Sewells Point) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard; both are Superfund sites. Historical contamination at Sewells Point includes volatile organic compounds, metals, pesticides and PCBs. EPA lists human exposure as under control at both, with groundwater migration data still insufficient to call the plumes stabilized. Asbestos is a different kind of exposure and needs to be argued differently: it comes from the ships and from shipyard work rather than from the base's environmental record — pipe lagging, boiler and engine spaces, and berthing compartments in older hulls. Shore work also involved JP-5, hydraulic fluids and chromate paint systems.

Linked conditions

Asbestos is associated with mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural plaques and lung cancer. Benzene in fuels is associated with leukemia. PFAS is associated with kidney and testicular cancer and thyroid disease.

Documented exposures

PFAS from aqueous film-forming foam used in firefighting training at Ault Field and Outlying Field Coupeville has reached the island aquifer. Hundreds of public and private drinking-water wells have been sampled; a portion exceeded federal health advisory levels, some at thousands of parts per trillion, and the Navy has supplied bottled water to affected residents. 1,4-dioxane has also been identified moving from the base's Area 6 Landfill, a former industrial and household chemical waste disposal site. The remedial investigation is ongoing with EPA involvement. Whidbey sits on a single-source aquifer, which is why the plume matters so much locally — and why a drinking-water pathway is genuinely arguable here.

Linked conditions

PFAS is associated with kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, elevated cholesterol, immune effects and developmental effects in children. 1,4-dioxane is classified as a likely human carcinogen.

Documented exposures

The research this site relies on does not verify a specific official contaminant profile for Atsugi, and we will not invent one. Keep regional environmental conditions separate from shop, hangar, aircraft and occupational exposures — they are different arguments with different evidence.

Linked conditions

Determined by the contaminant you can actually document. Use Navy and DoD restoration records, air monitoring data, unit and housing location, and your actual duties.

Documented exposures

The research does not assert a verified contaminant list, period or pathway for Vieques, so this entry will not give you one. Work from official Navy, EPA, DoD restoration, munitions-response and public-health records for the exact area and dates you were there.

Linked conditions

Determined by the documented contaminant and route of exposure for your assignment and worksite.

Documented exposures

Bagram ran one of the largest open burn pits in theater. Reported volumes vary by year and source, so here are the figures that are actually documented: roughly 300 tons of trash a day were burned in pits in 2009, while by 2018 the base generated about 70 tons of waste a day, most of it sorted and incinerated. Jet fuel was commonly used as an accelerant. Waste streams included plastics, medical waste, batteries, aerosol cans, tires, vehicle parts, construction debris and human waste. A 2011 Army memo about Bagram specifically warned that the smoke plume exposed personnel to contaminants and raised the risk of reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis, asthma and cardiovascular disease. Bagram closed its last open burn pit in 2014. Regional dust also carried silica, heavy metals and microbial material.

Linked conditions

The presumptive respiratory illnesses under 38 CFR § 3.320 are asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, constrictive or obliterative bronchiolitis, emphysema, granulomatous disease, interstitial lung disease, pleuritis, pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis. The presumptive cancers cover brain and central nervous system, all respiratory cancers, any gastrointestinal cancer, genitourinary cancers, head and neck cancers, lymphoma of any type, hematologic cancers, acute and chronic leukemia, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, melanoma and other skin cancers. You still need the diagnosis — the presumption covers causation, not diagnosis.

Documented exposures

Burn pits at Camp Taji and the Victory Base Complex around Baghdad International Airport are documented in Defense Department and Government Accountability Office records. Waste burned included food waste, plastics, Styrofoam, electronics, batteries, tires and medical waste, and audits found prohibited materials routinely entered the burn stream despite CENTCOM guidance. VA Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry data show that 88 percent of deployments to Camp Taji reported close proximity to the burn site, and a Periodic Occupational and Environmental Monitoring Summary exists for Taji. Ambient air monitoring was frequently unable to separate burn-pit emissions from dust storms, vehicle exhaust and regional industry — which is exactly why the presumption exists.

Linked conditions

The same 38 CFR § 3.320 list applies — the respiratory illnesses and the presumptive cancers. One practical note: the symptoms veterans reported on site, such as chronic cough, headaches, sore throat, eye irritation and rashes, are not themselves ratable. The ratable claim is the diagnosed disease that followed.

Documented exposures

Uzbekistan is a designated covered location, but a contaminant-by-contaminant profile for K2 is not verified by the research this site relies on. Do not build a claim on the uncited generic chemical lists circulating online — use DoD sampling records, ILER material, unit reports and your exact duty and tent location on the base.

Linked conditions

The 38 CFR § 3.320 presumptive list applies to covered service in Uzbekistan on or after September 11, 2001. Anything outside that list needs a diagnosis-specific analysis on documented exposure.

Documented exposures

Sodium dichromate dust containing hexavalent chromium was present at the Qarmat Ali water-treatment facility, where approximately 830 U.S. service members were potentially exposed while providing site security and support in 2003.

Linked conditions

High, prolonged hexavalent chromium exposure can cause lung cancer. Nasal, skin and respiratory injury are documented concerns, and acute symptoms recorded at the time are valuable evidence.

Documented exposures

Sulfur dioxide released by the Al-Mishraq mine fire is a pulmonary toxin capable of airway injury. Because it was a single, dated event, plume proximity and unit position carry unusual weight in the claim.

Linked conditions

Early constrictive-bronchiolitis clusters were associated with the event. Be aware that the disease also occurs without Mishraq exposure, so the opinion has to address that directly.

Documented exposures

Herbicides containing the dioxin TCDD were sprayed and stored at a defined set of locations during defined periods, and presumed exposure requires your service to fall inside one of them. The Republic of Vietnam including inland waterways, and vessels operating within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam and Cambodia: January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975. U.S. or Royal Thai bases in Thailand: January 9, 1962 to June 30, 1976. Laos: December 1, 1965 to September 30, 1969. Cambodia at Mimot or Krek in Kampong Cham Province: April 16 to April 30, 1969. Guam, American Samoa and their territorial waters: January 9, 1962 to July 31, 1980. Johnston Atoll or a ship that called there: January 1, 1972 to September 30, 1977. The Korean demilitarized zone: September 1, 1967 to August 31, 1971 — roughly 21,000 gallons were applied along the DMZ in 1968 and 1969 by Republic of Korea personnel. Certain C-123 aircrew, maintenance and medical evacuation personnel who worked on contaminated aircraft between 1969 and 1986 are also covered.

Linked conditions

Presumptive: bladder cancer; chronic B-cell leukemias; Hodgkin's disease; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; prostate cancer; respiratory cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea and bronchus; soft tissue sarcomas excluding osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and mesothelioma; AL amyloidosis; chloracne; type 2 diabetes; hypertension; hypothyroidism; ischemic heart disease; monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance; parkinsonism; Parkinson's disease; early-onset peripheral neuropathy; and porphyria cutanea tarda. Three of those — chloracne, early-onset peripheral neuropathy and porphyria cutanea tarda — must have reached at least 10 percent disabling within one year of your last exposure.