Throughout the years, the various branches of the United States military have deployed a number of experimental devices and substances, from firefighting foam to brain stimulation. While some inventions have improved the efficiency of the American military, other chemicals and inventions were later shown to be harmful to both soldiers and civilians alike. In this article, we discuss notable incidents in which the U.S. military caused avoidable exposures to dangerous chemicals, high levels of radiation, or other deadly substances.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

Between 1953 and 1987, potable water at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps military base was contaminated with deadly chemicals. Water treatment facilities were contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), laundromat byproducts, and other chemicals unsafe for human consumption. Some of the substances discovered in the base’s water supply included:

  • Perchloroethylene
  • Benzene
  • Tetrachloroethylene
  • Vinyl chloride
  • Trichloroethylene

For the most part, the base’s water contamination was caused by leaking storage tanks, improper chemical storage and disposal protocols, and the off-base activities of a nearby dry-cleaning business. Throughout the course of the on-base issues, three water distribution systems provided the majority of the water used for drinking, cooking, and showering at the base. Two of the water distribution systems, Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point, contained especially dangerous concentrations of chemicals and pollutants.

Anyone living at the base or spending significant time there between 1953 and 1987 was potentially at risk of exposure to a range of dangerous substances. Soldiers and their families were largely unaware that the water they were consuming and using on a daily basis could potentially have significant health consequences. Long-term exposure to the base’s contaminated water could potentially cause:

  • Neurobehavioral effects
  • Breast cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Leukemia
  • Bladder cancer
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Kidney cancer
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Multiple investigations were launched to determine the cause of mysterious illnesses and deaths occurring at Camp Lejeune. Despite multiple reports being released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Grainger Laboratories that indicated that the water supply was toxic, actions were not taken to close the affected wells until after a third report was released in 1984.

AFFF Firefighting Foam

Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) is a substance that has been used since the 1960s to combat hydrocarbon fuel fires. AFFF was developed through a joint effort of the Navy’s Naval Research Laboratory and 3M to improve efforts in fighting motor vehicle and aircraft crash fires. The Navy’s research indicated that combining the chemicals Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) would be highly effective at putting out flammable liquid fires. The foam was even effective at preventing re-ignition, as it would form a film on the surface of petroleum-based liquid once deployed and completely starve the fire of oxygen.

AFFF was so effective in its role of combating vehicle fires that it was deployed on all Navy vessels by the end of the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the Navy began implementing the foam onto all of its military bases. Civilian fire departments and airports began stocking AFFF shortly after. From the 1970s to the 2010s, AFFF was used regularly by the military, municipal fire departments, airports, and the oil and gas industry. The military even used the foam for training aboard their ships, so sailors would be prepared to combat any fires that broke out during a deployment.

By the early 1980s, the Department of Defense had uncovered some worrisome findings regarding the risks of using AFFF. The substances used to create the effective firefighting foam, classified as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were shown to have significant negative health effects. Some of the possible effects of exposure to AFFF include kidney cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors. Making things worse, the chemicals making up the foam are known as “forever chemicals,” since they do not naturally break down over time under normal environmental conditions. In essence, AFFF was not only toxic to humans and the environment, but also incredibly difficult to safely get rid of.

The military chose to incinerate most of its stockpile of existing AFFF, despite the fact that the foam was initially created to combat fires. At the time of this decision, little research had been done on whether incineration would even manage to break down the substance’s chemical bonds and destroy it. Burning AFFF could potentially create equally toxic byproducts or disperse the original chemicals across the communities where incineration was taking place.

Radiation Exposure at Enewetak Atoll

Over a ten-year period ending in 1958, 43 nuclear weapon tests were carried out at Enewetak Atoll. The nearby island chain was also used as a testing ground for biological and conventional weaponry. Naturally, the nature of the devices being detonated resulted in a considerable amount of contamination, both on Enewetak Atoll and within the local marine environment.

In the late 1970s, hundreds of engineers and soldiers across the various military branches were deployed to the area as part of a cleanup effort. The Navy operated ships in the region, the Air Force tackled communications and air supply operations, and the Army Corps of Engineers took on the brunt of the actual cleanup mission. The engineers used bulldozers, shovels, and heavy equipment to transport plutonium-infested debris to a crater at Runit Island. A dome was created over the dumping ground to contain the radioactive wreckage.

Throughout the duration of the cleanup project, the leaders of the mission insisted that the troops carrying out the cleanup were exposed to no more radiation than a dental x-ray. However, records indicate that proper protective equipment was either unusable or missing. Some soldiers were unable to secure respirators and systems designed to monitor radiation levels failed. In the hot weather, many engineers labored in their shorts, in lieu of proper protective gear.

Both veterans involved with the cleanup project and natives of the Marshall Islands were likely exposed to radiation and dangerous chemicals in excess of safe exposure levels. Cancer caused by ionizing radiation exposure is of particular concern for residents of the islands who were directly exposed to the byproducts of nuclear weapons testing. Birth defects, brittle bones, and other health problems experienced by veterans and islanders alike could potentially have been caused by weapons testing or the ensuing cleanup operations.

Dealing With the Aftermath of Preventable Exposure to Deadly Hazards

Many of the people exposed to the dangerous substances and chemicals described in this article unfortunately found themselves suffering from adverse (and sometimes fatal) health consequences. For veterans in particular, securing adequate healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can be an arduous, if not impossible, task.

Litigation such as The Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act has provided outlets for injured veterans and their family members to secure some measure of compensation for the pain and suffering they endured throughout the course of their service. Even so, laws of this nature were primarily passed years or even decades after the initial event causing contamination, so their beneficial effects may be limited by the severity of injuries and illnesses now experienced by survivors.