After the Japanese launched the aerial assault on the US naval station at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, the military approved the construction of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, which was completed and commissioned in 1943. This facility quickly became a significant employer in the region as well as one of the Navy's most important sites.
Over 50 tenant operations are presently housed at NAS Patuxent River, including the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and the Naval Air Systems Command. Among its primary responsibilities, are development, research, testing, and engineering, which serve a range of land and air fleets.
At Site 34, PFOS and PFOA were detected in shallow groundwater above the EPA lifetime health advisory levels. These compounds often referred to as "forever chemicals" because of their inability to degrade in the environment, contaminated St. Inigoes Creek, the St. Mary's River, the Patuxent River, and the Chesapeake Bay by leaching into groundwater and draining onto surface water.
What toxic agents were found on NAS Patuxent River?
This military installation was discovered to have a number of contaminants of concern, including the following:
- Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
- Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
- Pesticides/Insecticides
- Ethylene glycol
- Solvents
Residual material generated as a by-product of wastewater treatment operations, cesspool wastes, spent oil absorbents, thinners, and photographic laboratory wastes resulted from the processing of color, black-and-white, and X-ray film were also found on the site.
The Naval Air Station Patuxent River was evaluated for an initial preliminary assessment for areas where the release of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), firefighting agents containing perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) used to extinguish petroleum fires occurred. Old fire training areas, a crash site, the Fire Station as well as hangers where AFFF discharges occurred, were among the preliminary assessment sites. Patuxent River Naval Air Station has been assessed to have a total of 67 hazardous sites.
Site inspection results at NAS Patuxent River:
- 4 had PFOS or PFOA concentrations of more than 10,000 PPT in shallow groundwater
- 3 had PFOS or PFOA concentrations in shallow groundwater ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 PPT
- 9 had PFOS or PFOA concentrations in shallow groundwater ranging from 100 to 1,000 PPT
If you were stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, either alone or with your family, and experienced serious health effects as a result of your service, you may be eligible for compensation.
What diseases can exposure to PFAS at NAS Patuxent River lead to?
PFASs are a group of compounds that are made up of a long chain of carbon atoms bonded by fluorine. The fluorine-carbon link is one of the strongest chemical connections known, giving the molecules their "forever" moniker and allowing them to persist in the environment and in the human body.
Service members stationed at contaminated military bases such as NAS Patuxent River are exposed primarily through ingestion of contaminated water and epidemiological studies over the last decades have shown that PFAS levels are associated with cancer and other severe effects. However, only the following diseases entitle you to file a claim for financial compensation:
Because exposure to PFAS may result in devastating illnesses, veterans and family members stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River may file a personal injury claim to recover the financial compensation they deserve for their injuries. However, the assistance of a qualified attorney is essential throughout the process, since filing a toxic exposure claim is a tough process that the afflicted individual is unable to accomplish alone.
