Established in 1918, Fort Bragg is one of the largest U.S. Army installations in the country and serves as the home of the XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and Pope Army Airfield. With more than a century of military operations, the installation contains numerous older buildings where asbestos-containing materials were historically used, and the Army has identified PFAS contamination linked to the historic use of AFFF at its airfields and firefighting locations.
The Army has officially identified Fort Bragg as an installation where AFFF was historically used. Firefighters relied on the foam during aircraft firefighting, certification exercises, emergency response drills, fuel fire suppression, and fire suppression system testing at Pope Army Airfield and Simmons Army Airfield. These older formulations relied on PFOS, PFOA, and related PFAS chemicals to suppress flammable liquid fires effectively, but these same compounds build up in the human body and resist breakdown over time.
Personnel who may have faced exposure at Fort Bragg include:
- military firefighters
- civilian firefighters
- aircraft rescue and firefighting personnel
- fire protection specialists
- firefighting instructors and training personnel
- personnel assigned to fire departments at Pope Army Airfield or Simmons Army Airfield
- firefighters who handled or tested AFFF suppression systems
Firefighting at Pope and Simmons Army Airfields meant regular contact with AFFF, whether discharging foam during live-fire drills, testing suppression systems, or handling gear soaked in foam residue after training exercises. These exposures add up over a career, and PFAS chemicals absorbed during that time can remain in the body for years before any health effects surface. Diagnoses often arrive long after a firefighter has left Fort Bragg, which is why service history matters as much as current health status. PFAS compounds have been linked to increased risk of kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, elevated cholesterol, liver effects, and immune system changes.
Like many installations constructed before asbestos restrictions were adopted, Fort Bragg incorporated asbestos-containing materials into thousands of buildings and infrastructure projects for their fire-resistant and insulating properties. Common uses at Fort Bragg included:
- pipe insulation
- boiler insulation
- steam distribution systems
- roofing materials
- floor tiles
- ceiling tiles
- fireproof wallboard
- HVAC duct insulation
- mechanical equipment
- gaskets and packing materials
- cement pipe and siding
The Army continues to maintain an asbestos management program through its Environmental Compliance Branch, reflecting the ongoing presence of these materials on base. The greatest exposure risk generally involved personnel whose duties disturbed aging construction materials, including:
- Army engineers
- construction personnel
- electricians
- plumbers and pipefitters
- boiler operators
- HVAC technicians
- welders
- maintenance personnel
- demolition crews
- remodelers
- building maintenance staff
Veterans assigned to older barracks, motor pools, warehouses, maintenance facilities, and administrative buildings may also have encountered deteriorating asbestos-containing materials during routine duties. Compensation may be available if you developed lung cancer or mesothelioma from asbestos exposure at Fort Bragg. Veterans with non-cancerous diagnoses such as asbestosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pleural plaques, pleural effusion, or diffuse pleural thickening should seek a second opinion first, given how often these conditions are misdiagnosed.