Photograph Source: Lance Cpl. Joey Mendez – https://www.dvidshub.net/image/1033522 – Public Domain

Camp Lejeune, a military base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, was established in 1942 to train future marines for World War II. While it is known as the home of the “Expeditionary Forces in Readiness,” the facility also has a long history of contamination with toxic chemicals such as perchloroethylene, vinyl chloride, trichloroethylene, and benzene. In 1982, volatile organic compounds—gases released by these solvents—were found at Camp Lejeune.

Furthermore, since 1966, military firefighters and trainees have used the fire suppressant Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) to extinguish jet fuel and petroleum fires, which has only worsened pollution. This firefighting foam contains PFAS, a group of over 5,000 dangerous substances often dubbed “forever chemicals,” in a concentration of up to 98 percent. With each use, AFFF contaminates the environment with these chemicals. Some take over 1,000 years to break down, hence their nickname.

The highest PFAS........

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