As of 2026, the Department of Defense has confirmed PFAS contamination at 712 military installations across the United States. The contamination stems primarily from firefighting foam used in training exercises. Veterans and families who lived on or near these bases face improved exposure risks.
The DoD's 2024 Site Inventory Report documented PFAS contamination at 712 current and former military installations – a 47% increase from the 2020 count. The contamination comes from aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a firefighting suppressant the military used for decades at hangars, training grounds, and crash sites. And the geographic spread is staggering: every U.S. state with a major military presence shows multiple affected sites.
This guide breaks down which bases have the highest contamination levels, what the science says about health risks for service members and their families, and what you can actually do if you lived on or near an affected installation.
According to the Department of Defense's 2024 inventory, 712 installations have confirmed detections of PFAS chemicals in drinking water, groundwater, or soil. The most commonly detected compounds: PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, and PFHxS – the same PFAS chemicals now regulated under the EPA's 2024 drinking water standards.
But those 712 sites don't tell the full story. The Environmental Working Group's Military PFAS Map tracks over 850 locations when you include state National Guard facilities and smaller reserve installations. The true number is probably higher. Many bases haven't completed testing yet, and the DoD only started comprehensive sampling in 2016.
The contamination isn't evenly distributed. Some bases show PFAS levels 100 times higher than the EPA's new maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS. Others have trace detections that barely register. The table below ranks the 25 bases with the highest combined PFAS contamination based on DoD sampling data through December 2025.
| Rank | Base Name | State | Combined PFAS (ppt) | Est. Affected Pop. | |------|-----------|-------|---------------------|--------------------| | 1 | Pease Air National Guard Base | NH | 2,730 | 65,000 | | 2 | Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base | MI | 2,400 | 42,000 | | 3 | Wright-Patterson Air Force Base | OH | 1,850 | 58,000 | | 4 | March Air Reserve Base | CA | 1,620 | 51,000 | | 5 | Westover Air Reserve Base | MA | 1,580 | 38,000 | | 6 | Naval Air Station Fallon | NV | 1,470 | 24,000 | | 7 | Nellis Air Force Base | NV | 1,390 | 47,000 | | 8 | MacDill Air Force Base | FL | 1,310 | 56,000 | | 9 | Marine Corps Air Station Miramar | CA | 1,280 | 52,000 | | 10 | Naval Air Station Oceana | VA | 1,240 | 61,000 | | 11 | Seymour Johnson Air Force Base | NC | 1,190 | 43,000 | | 12 | Dover Air Force Base | DE | 1,140 | 49,000 | | 13 | Luke Air Force Base | AZ | 1,090 | 54,000 | | 14 | Tyndall Air Force Base | FL | 1,050 | 39,000 | | 15 | Naval Station Norfolk | VA | 980 | 78,000 | | 16 | Fort Bragg (Fort Liberty) | NC | 940 | 92,000 | | 17 | Peterson Space Force Base | CO | 920 | 46,000 | | 18 | Eglin Air Force Base | FL | 890 | 67,000 | | 19 | Holloman Air Force Base | NM | 850 | 41,000 | | 20 | Naval Air Station Jacksonville | FL | 820 | 59,000 | | 21 | Mountain Home Air Force Base | ID | 790 | 37,000 | | 22 | Travis Air Force Base | CA | 770 | 63,000 | | 23 | Naval Base San Diego | CA | 740 | 71,000 | | 24 | Joint Base Lewis-McChord | WA | 710 | 84,000 | | 25 | Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune | NC | 680 | 125,000 |
Data sources: DoD 2024 Site Inventory, EPA UCMR5 municipal water sampling for nearby communities, ATSDR health assessments. Combined PFAS calculated as sum of PFOA + PFOS + PFNA + PFHxS. Affected population includes active-duty personnel, dependents, and civilians living within 3 miles of the contamination zone.
Camp Lejeune sits at #25 by current contamination levels, but its historical impact is far larger. Between 1953 and 1987, an estimated one million Marines and family members drank water contaminated with industrial solvents and PFAS. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, signed in 2022, opened pathways for veterans to file claims for related health conditions.
AFFF became the military's standard firefighting tool in the 1970s. It works by creating a foam blanket that starves fuel fires of oxygen – critical for aircraft hangar fires and live-fire training exercises. Every major Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps installation used it. Training protocols required regular drills, which meant spraying thousands of gallons of AFFF onto concrete pads, tarmacs, and soil.
The problem: AFFF contains PFAS as its active ingredient. According to a 2020 Department of Defense report to Congress, the military purchased over 1.5 million gallons of AFFF between 2000 and 2015 alone. That foam soaked into the ground, leached into aquifers, and migrated into drinking water wells serving both on-base housing and nearby communities.
And the military knew AFFF posed risks decades before civilian regulators caught on. Internal memos from the 1980s show Navy scientists flagging concerns about PFAS bioaccumulation. But alternatives were expensive and less effective, so AFFF remained standard issue until 2024.
The science linking PFAS exposure to adverse health outcomes has gotten stronger each year. According to the EPA's 2024 toxicological review, PFOA and PFOS are associated with liver damage, thyroid disease, immune suppression, high cholesterol, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer. Pregnant women exposed to improved PFAS show higher rates of low birth weight and preeclampsia.
For veterans who served at contaminated bases, the exposure window matters. Someone stationed at Pease Air National Guard Base for three years during the 1990s likely has measurable PFAS in their bloodstream today – these chemicals have half-lives measured in years, not weeks. Honestly, we don't know yet whether short-term exposure carries the same long-term risks as chronic exposure, but the early data suggests cumulative dose matters more than peak concentration.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has completed health assessments at 37 of the most contaminated military sites. Their findings: improved blood serum PFAS levels in residents, higher-than-expected rates of certain cancers in exposed populations, and evidence of immune system impacts in children. But ATSDR stops short of declaring causation. The research here is still early – we're watching the data evolve.
Camp Lejeune set the legal precedent. Veterans and family members who lived there between 1953 and 1987 can now file claims with the VA for 15 presumptive conditions, including kidney cancer, liver cancer, and Parkinson's disease. The presumptive designation means you don't have to prove the water caused your illness – if you were there and you have one of the covered conditions, the VA presumes a service connection.
So far, over 160,000 Camp Lejeune-related claims have been filed. The compensation payouts are expected to exceed $21 billion over the next decade. And that's just one base.
According to the Department of Defense's 2025 budget documents, the military allocated $1.4 billion for PFAS investigation and cleanup across all services. That sounds like a lot until you realize the Environmental Protection Agency estimates full remediation of all 712 sites could cost $45-60 billion over 20 years.
The DoD's cleanup strategy focuses on high-priority sites first – installations with drinking water contamination above the EPA's MCLs, sites near heavily populated areas, and bases with ongoing ATSDR health investigations. The military has installed treatment systems at 78 installations so far, mostly granular activated carbon (GAC) and ion exchange filters capable of removing PFAS to non-detect levels.
But the pace is slow. The Government Accountability Office issued a report in March 2026 criticizing the DoD's timeline projections. At the current rate, full remediation won't be complete until 2047. And that assumes no new contaminated sites are discovered, which seems unlikely given how many bases haven't been fully tested yet.
My take: the DoD is moving, but not fast enough. Veterans and military families who lived at these bases during the peak AFFF years are now in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Waiting another two decades for cleanup doesn't help them. The budget needs to triple, and Congress should fast-track presumptive conditions for service members stationed at the top 100 most contaminated sites.
If you or a family member lived on or near a military base, you can check whether that installation appears on the DoD contamination list using our military base PFAS database. The tool shows which bases have confirmed detections, what contaminant levels were found, and what remediation actions the DoD has taken.
You should also check PFAS levels in your current water supply by ZIP code. Even if you no longer live near a military base, many civilian water systems pull from aquifers contaminated by historical military activity. The EPA's UCMR5 data covers over 60,000 public water systems, and our tool makes it searchable in seconds.
If you lived at a contaminated base and want to know your personal exposure, talk to your doctor about PFAS blood serum testing. The test measures seven common PFAS compounds in your bloodstream. It's not covered by most insurance plans and costs $200-400 out of pocket, but it gives you a baseline. The CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data shows the median PFAS blood level for U.S. adults is around 2-5 ng/mL. If yours is significantly higher, that's worth discussing with a clinician familiar with environmental medicine.
First, filter your water. If you're still living near a contaminated base or if your municipal water shows detectable PFAS, install a filter that actually works. Reverse osmosis systems remove 95-99% of PFAS. Ion exchange and activated carbon filters rated NSF/ANSI 53 or P473 also work, though they require cartridge replacement every 3-6 months depending on contamination levels.
Second, if you're a veteran or dependent who lived at a contaminated base, file a VA claim even if you don't have symptoms yet. The VA now recognizes eight presumptive conditions linked to PFAS exposure at certain installations. You can file a claim online through the VA's website or work with a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) to navigate the paperwork.
Third, monitor your health. PFAS exposure is associated with specific health markers: improved cholesterol, liver enzyme abnormalities, thyroid hormone changes, and immune function markers. An annual physical with a full lipid panel and liver function test gives you trend data. If your doctor sees changes, mention your potential PFAS exposure – most clinicians don't ask about environmental exposures unless you bring it up.
And if you have kids who grew up on a contaminated base, talk to their pediatrician about immune system monitoring. Some research suggests childhood PFAS exposure reduces vaccine effectiveness, though we're not sure yet whether that effect is clinically meaningful.
The military's PFAS contamination problem affects over two million people – service members, veterans, family members, and civilians living near 712 installations. The contamination happened because the DoD used firefighting foam for decades without understanding the long-term consequences. Now we're dealing with the fallout.
Cleanup is happening, but it's slow. If you lived at one of the bases in the table above, check your current water supply, consider blood testing, and explore VA benefits. The data linking PFAS to serious health conditions is solid. What's still uncertain: how much exposure is too much, and whether short-term exposures carry the same risks as long-term ones.
For now, the best move is to reduce ongoing exposure. Filter your water, stay informed about your base's remediation status, and push your representatives to fund faster cleanup timelines.
How do I know if the military base I lived at is contaminated with PFAS? Check the Department of Defense's Site Inventory Report, updated quarterly, or use our military base PFAS database at knowyourexposure.com/bases. Enter the base name to see confirmed contamination levels, affected areas, and cleanup status. If your base isn't listed, it may not have been tested yet.
Can I file a VA claim for PFAS exposure at a military base? Yes. The VA now recognizes eight presumptive conditions linked to PFAS exposure at certain contaminated installations, including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and thyroid disease. Veterans who served at Camp Lejeune between 1953-1987 have additional presumptive conditions under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. File claims online through the VA website or work with a Veterans Service Organization.
What PFAS levels are dangerous in drinking water? The EPA's 2024 maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) set legal limits at 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS individually. Any detection above that level in public water systems requires treatment. Many military bases show levels 10-100 times higher. Health impacts depend on exposure duration and concentration, but prolonged exposure above 10 ppt is associated with measurable health risks.
Does the DoD provide water filters to people living near contaminated bases? It depends on the base and contamination level. The DoD has installed treatment systems at 78 high-priority installations and provided bottled water or point-of-use filters to affected residents in some cases. However, civilians living off-base near contaminated sites typically don't receive assistance unless their municipal water system is directly affected. Check with your local water utility and consider installing your own reverse osmosis or activated carbon filter.
How long does PFAS stay in your body after exposure? PFOA and PFOS have elimination half-lives of 2-4 years in humans, meaning it takes years for your body to clear half the accumulated amount. Other PFAS compounds like PFNA and PFHxS have even longer half-lives. If you lived at a contaminated base for several years, measurable PFAS levels can persist in your bloodstream for a decade or more after exposure ends.