Read the full article by Pat Elder (Military Poisons)

“We knew the PFAS contamination in Chesapeake Beach was severe, so it is good to see the state confirm our findings. Too bad they aren’t being more responsible in issuing more stringent fish advisories.

Many were shocked two years ago when the Maryland Department of the Environment, (MDE) published results showing PFAS contamination in Piscataway Creek flowing out of Joint Base Andrews at 3,193 parts per trillion. After all, it only requires PFOS in single digits in the water to begin the bioaccumulation process in fish. The levels draining from the Naval Research Laboratory-Chesapeake Bay Detachment in Chesapeake Beach are three times higher, according to the newly released results. The MDE has banned consumption of several species of fish in Piscataway Creek, but there are no fish advisories for the Chesapeake Bay.

We’ll look at the levels of the cancer-causing chemicals in two streams contaminated by the Navy in Chesapeake Beach. We’ll look at two streams contaminated by the Army and the NSA at Fort Meade, and we’ll glimpse at the state’s data on the surface water.

Locating the fish and surface water data on the MDE site

Go here. Scroll down and click on ‘Fish Tissue Monitoring PFAS/PFOS.’ See below where it says ‘PFAS Fish Consumption Advisories’ and click on the pdf file. The data is labeled MDE Fish Consumption Advisory PFAS Sampling Results but they are only reporting on one compound: PFOS.

The Potomac River Keeper has published an interactive map of the MDE’s PFAS Monitoring Data for Fish Consumption. It is very helpful! The surface water data appears below.

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Let’s examine the four figures below that describe the contamination caused by the Navy.

It’s important to understand the level of contamination in the soil released by the Navy 3 years ago. The local and regional press ignored this truly amazing story and they are likely to continue to ignore it.

Results in ng/g = parts per billion

The subsurface soils at Chesapeake Beach reported by the Navy in 2021 showed PFOS at 7,950 nanograms per gram. (parts per billion). This equates to 7,950,000 parts per trillion. These levels were found 8 feet below ground surface. We have not seen higher concentrations anywhere on earth, although the Navy won’t confirm this. This level represents a lethal dose of carcinogens sinking into the breast of mother earth in the heart of Maryland. People here are still unaware of this environmental crisis. These cancer-causing chemicals will continue to sink into the ground, and they will haunt all life in this region forever.

Modern-day Neros fiddle.  People don’t want to hear about it in Maryland and they aren’t eager to do much about it.  It’s a different story in places like Hawaii and Germany and Japan where the public is increasingly aware of the threat to their health. Many are angry about the contamination caused by the military, and they are becoming organized.

The blue line below shows a stream leaving the historic fire-fighting pit at the Naval Research Laboratory – Chesapeake Bay Detachment. The stream is heading north before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay. The white line is the boundary between the base and private property owners. The Navy base is located south and east of the white line.

The red arrow shows the spot where the Navy reported finding 4,960 ppt of PFOS in a stream in 2021. (For the source, go here, and select ‘2021 May RAB Meeting Minutes.’)  The yellow arrow shows where the Maryland Department of the Environment tested the water in 2023 and reported 10,021 ppt of PFOS, more than twice the level reported by the Navy, and 500’ further downstream.

As the chemicals travel in the water they tend to settle on the bottom and coat the banks of the stream. Concentrations in the water diminish as they travel away from the source.

Longer than anywhere on earth

Aqueous film-forming foam, (AFFF) has been used here since 1968, longer than anywhere on earth. 55 years ago, researchers and firefighters began to descend on the town from the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington 35 miles away to light massive fires and extinguish them with various carcinogenic concoctions. The town is also contaminated with depleted uranium and thorium although no one cares about that either because no one knows about it. 

Residents have reported that the routine fires for experimenting with AFFF created thick black plumes of smoke that coated vegetable plants with soot. The Navy has known since the 1970’s that the chemicals in the fire-fighting foams were dangerous.

In May of 2021 a group of 5 of us used information provided by the Navy and created this flyer  that we distributed to residents in Summer City and Locust Grove. We wanted to tell residents about the Navy’s plan to hold a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting. After all, the Navy has a poor track record of advertising these things. We were verbally accosted and physically threatened in Locust Grove while residents followed us and destroyed our flyers.

Apparently, the Town of Chesapeake Beach heard we were coming and warned the community to be suspicious. This notice appeared on the town’s website:

‘The Town of Chesapeake Beach is aware of a private interest group planning to circulate information to citizens by flyer at public locations in Town related to the Chesapeake Bay Detachment (NRL-CBD) location. The Town is engaged with the Navy in discussions of environmental restoration at the NRL-CBD site located south of the Town limits and will disseminate all accurate information to Town citizens.‘

The Town of Chesapeake Beach did not want its residents to pay attention to the factual information we attempted to distribute about the levels of PFAS in their town and how these chemicals are linked to a host of cancers, childhood diseases, and fetal abnormalities. The town did not want its residents to be reading about how the seafood was likely to be contaminated.

Ironically, the Town of Chesapeake Beach later tested fish and found nearly 10,000 parts per trillion of PFAS and oysters with more than 1,000 parts per trillion.  They didn’t tell people how dangerous these levels are, especially for women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. The nation’s top scientists warn that these levels are dangerous to human health while the Maryland Department of Health says there’s no cause for alarm.”…