Aberdeen Proving Ground is a 13,000-acre United States Army installation situated in Edgewood, Maryland. It comprises Gunpowder Neck, Pooles Island, Carroll Island, and Graces Quarters. From 1917 until the present, site operations have included chemical research, the production of chemical agents, and the testing, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals.
As a consequence of site operations, hazardous chemical contamination of soil, sediment, and groundwater occurred. Hundreds of current and former US military facilities, including Aberdeen Proving Ground, have been discovered to be contaminated with perfluorinated compounds, or PFAS, owing mostly to the use of firefighting aqueous film-forming foam.
Veterans who served at certain military installations in the United States may have been exposed to a range of chemicals used in routine military activities, such as storing and dispensing liquid petroleum fuels, cleaning and degreasing, and ship, vehicle, and aircraft maintenance, repairs, and overhaul.
For instance, veterans of the U.S. Army's oldest active proving ground, Aberdeen Proving Ground, and their families who resided on the base may face an increased risk of cancer and other adverse health effects from prolonged exposure to PFOS and PFOA, the active ingredients in fluorosurfactant-containing firefighting foams.
The site was included in the National Priorities List (NPL) for the Superfund program by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1990. Following the final NPL listing, the US Army engaged in a federal facility agreement with the EPA and oversaw further site inspections.
The U.S. Army facility Aberdeen Proving Ground is the third most costly base cleanup and perhaps the most complex in the nation. In one government report, the list of pollutants in the soil and groundwater runs five pages long - in small type.
As previously mentioned, the site's primary objective was to conduct testing on ammunition, artillery weapons, air defense guns, and railway artillery. Over the following few decades, personnel at the facility assumed a developmental role, testing new weaponry, automotive components, and armor.
There were other contaminants lurking on the US Army facility Aberdeen Proving Ground in addition to PFAS, including the following, which is why veterans who have been harmed by hazardous exposure may now file a personal injury claim to recover the compensation they deserve for their condition:
The presence of many contaminants on a military installation increases the level of toxic exposure, making individuals stationed there considerably more likely to develop severe illnesses over time. Military personnel who spend at least one year at Aberdeen Proving Ground are at significant risk of developing life-threatening illnesses. If you were stationed at this military installation, it is recommended that you have frequent medical exams so that any possible health issues may be identified in a timely manner.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, studies in humans have shown that exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), the key components in a majority of AFFF, may cause cancer, tissue damage in the liver, and multiple changes to the immune system and thyroid, neurobehavioral performance deficits, congenital birth defects, and other health issues.
If active-duty members, veterans, and family members have any concerns about PFAS exposure and health consequences, they should consult with their healthcare practitioner. The following are the diagnoses that make veterans and their family members eligible for seeking financial compensation:
Our experienced legal team has been assisting victims of hazardous exposure for over 35 years, and we’ll be able to assist you as well if you have been diagnosed with an illness as a result of PFAS exposure that occurred on Aberdeen Proving Ground during your time there.
It is important to know that, in order to qualify for compensation, you must have been stationed on a targeted military base for 1 year or longer and subsequently developed one of the illnesses listed above. Call us and we will be able to tell you if you qualify to file a PFAS claim.
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