PFAS from JB Andrews is contaminating the soil, air, dust, groundwater, and surface water in Prince Georges County, MD
The Air Force wants to help us understand PFAS
By Pat Elder
April 24, 2025
“Joint Base Andrews remains committed to sound environmental stewardship and to taking care of our people and the communities in which we serve.”
The Air Force manipulates the public
The Air Force has chosen to engage contaminated communities like Prince George’s County, Maryland in three ways: through the establishment of a Restoration Advisory Board, through community “town hall” meetings that provide community members the to participate in a “Q & A” sessions, and through highly scripted “community conversations.”
The Air Force tightly controls the agenda and the narrative at all three kinds of these civic engagements. An Air Force Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) is a regularly held community forum made up of Air Force representatives, regulatory agencies, and the local community members. The agenda and public releases regarding the meetings concerning environmental cleanup efforts are controlled by the Air Force.
RABs have no decision-making power, and their input can be easily dismissed or ignored by the Air Force. They create a kind of pressure valve to allow community members to vent their frustrations. RABs typically provide limited access to information, incomplete data sharing, and technical jargon that makes it hard for community members to fully understand the issues. RABs typically fail to reflect the full diversity of the impacted communities. There is no standardized model for how RABs function, so individual commands tend to make things up as they go along.
Even so, RAB’s can occasionally provide a source of embarrassment to the chain of command so the Air Force would rather not have to deal with them. Throughout the country, the Air Force has issued boilerplate press releases saying the community wouldn’t be interested in participating. Here’s the one from JB Andrews:
Todd E. Randolph, Colonel, USAF Commander, Joint Base Andrews, issued this statement on September 12, 2023:
Decision Not to Establish a Restoration Advisory Board for Joint Base Andrews
In accordance with DoDM 4715.20, Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) Management, Encl 3, para 16.c(3), this memorandum for record documents my decision not to establish a restoration advisory board (RAB) for Joint Base Andrews (JBA). I based my decision on a determination that there is not sufficient and sustained community interest in establishing a RAB for the Air Force environmental restoration program (ERP) at JBA.
Town Hall meetings may also prove embarrassing to the Air Force command, especially when members of the community are afforded the opportunity to hold the microphone and address the public and the press in attendance. Often, engineers and activists would directly contradict official statements.
It is understandable why the Air Force prefers highly scripted “Community Conversations” often featuring 2’ by 3’ professionally designed posters on tripods along the perimeter of a library room that typically fail to address the most pertinent environmental issues. Each information panel is “manned” by trained professionals who adhere to Air Force talking points. This preferred mode of public interaction allows the delivery of the DOD’s propaganda campaign, while depriving community members the opportunity to collectively address each other.
Let’s examine the environmental calamity the Air Force will likely ignore this Tuesday evening at the Surratts-Clinton Branch Library.
Dangerous levels of PFOA in groundwater
See the Status of Notifications to Agricultural Operations Pursuant to Section 335 of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, July, 2021. The document shows severely contaminated groundwater at JB Andrews – 435,000 parts per trillion of PFOA and 33,000 ppt of PFOS.
The PFOA concentration is the fourth highest level reported anywhere on earth that I can find. It is notable that none of the Site Inspections or other reports published by the Air Force have reported this concentration. The EPA has established a maximum contaminant level of 4 ppt for PFOA. So, the levels at JB Andrews are 108,750 times over this limit.
This is a potential threat to public health for several reasons, but also because PFOA actively partitions from water into air. PFOA may also sublime into the air. In other words the inhalation of PFOA is possible inside buildings. PFOA isn’t technically considered volatile, yet it goes airborne, like Air Force One.
Do you think the Air Force will have an information panel with this data and information?
PFAS in Piscataway Creek
Sherman Hardy holds two Cyclopure test kits used to sample the contaminated water of Piscataway Creek.
In September of 2021 local environmentalist Sherman Hardy and I tested the water from Piscataway Creek as it flowed out of the base. We received our results in 10 days. We sent the results to a host of individuals with the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Prince George’s County Council, and the Maryland General Assembly. No one wanted to hear from us. I had been hounding MDE for two years to test the water and the fish in Piscataway Creek. See the photo of the spot where we collected a sample and our results.
Many of these compounds become a permanent part of the sediment and the creek banks. They flow into the Potomac River.
PFAS in the air and dust
Many PFAS compounds, especially PFOS, attach to soil and become airborne, settling in our lungs and in our homes as dust. To understand the threat, Please see Table 11 (p.31) from the PFAS Exposure Assessment of Martinsburg, WV.
The dust in homes adjacent to the Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base had concentrations of 16,400,000 ppt of PFHxS, 13,900,000 ppt of PFOS, and 3,430,000 of PFOA. This is thought to be the leading pathway to human ingestion in many locations like the Piscataway Creek watershed. Levels of these three compounds in surface water and groundwater at Andrews dwarf anything we see at Shepherd Field.
The Air Force has not released data on fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), a class of PFAS. These chemicals are often part of the carcinogenic stew known as aqueous film-forming foam, (AFFF). Unlike most PFAS compounds that are highly persistent and non-volatile, FTOHs have lower molecular weights and higher vapor pressures. This makes them more prone to volatilization. The air in homes and residences in the watershed may be contaminated with these compounds.
PFAS in Fish
In late October, 2021 the Maryland Department of the Environment, (MDE) released its long-awaited report, Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Surface Waters and Fish Tissue in Piscataway Creek. It was a shocker because they honestly reported PFOS levels in the creek and in the fish. See their figure below, Piscataway Creek PFAS Sampling Project – Water and Fish Tissue Sampling results.
This is not a cheap shot at the MDE. I worked with a national expert in 2020 who came to me with serious concerns about how the MDE reported PFAS in oysters at the mouth of St. Inigoes Creek and the St. Mary’s River.
In brief, the state only reported levels of various PFAS compounds above 1 part per billion, so all the results came back as “no detect.” MDE used Alpha Analytics, a firm that was forced to admit malfeasance for similar chicanery in Massachusetts. They were fined $700,000. The state continues to refuse to test blue crabs for PFAS. I tested crabs at my home 1,800 feet from the fire pit at the Webster Field Annex of the Patuxent River NAS and found 6,650 ppt of PFAS.
Please examine the MDE’s work here:
MDE – Piscataway Creek PFAS Sampling Project, June, 2021
I had reported 2,781.8 ppt of total PFAS at the “Colonial Lane” site. MDE reported 3,452.5 ppt of total PFAS. I had reported 894.7 ppt of PFOS while the state reported 1,280 ppt.
According to the EPA, which is great at studying things but lousy at enforcing measures to protect human health, “PFOS has been shown to accumulate to levels of concern in fish. The estimated bioconcentration factor in fish ranges from 1,000 to 4,000.”
A pregnant woman with a Largemouth Bass.
The state says the levels of PFOS in the water in the non-tidal portion of the creek as it exits the base, contained 1,280 ppt. If we multiply that by a factor greater than 1,000, we may have concentrations in aquatic life exceeding a million parts per trillion. Fish testing in waters flowing from military bases have shown concentrations up to 10,000,000 ppt. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant must be warned not to eat the fish from the Potomac. No one else should eat it either.
Although the MDE figure above doesn’t show it, Table 2: PFAS Samples in Fall 2020 Piscataway Creek shows a Redbreast Sunfish containing a concentration of 417,000 ppt of PFOS and 430,960 of total PFAS in the non-tidal portion of the creek.
BREAKING NEWS – Largemouth Bass swim in and out of Piscataway Creek and the Potomac River.
The Largemouth Bass feeds on the carcinogenic Redbreast Sunfish. A Largemouth Bass was found in the tidal portion of the creek with 100,690 parts per trillion of total PFAS and 94,200 ppt of PFOS in its fillet. The MDE advises against eating Largemouth Bass from the tidal portion of the creek, but they say it is OK to consume the fish from the Potomac. The MDE recommends that adults limit their consumption of Largemouth Bass from the Potomac River to no more than three meals per month. Largemouth Bass and other species may travel up and down the Potomac River, visiting the following military installations with documented releases of PFAS contamination: Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, the Washington Navy Yard, Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall, Fort Belvoir, Marine Corps Base Quantico, and Naval Support Facility Indian Head.
MDE-calculated risk-based screening concentration for PFOS for fish consumption
The Math behind the contamination
Although the MDE says the PFAS in fish is different from the PFAS in drinking water, it’s all the same.
Let’s examine the state’s guidelines for fish tissue for Women of child-bearing age (67 kg.)
Consumption Rate MG/Day 29,825
The state says it’s OK for pregnant women to consume 48 “8-ounce” meals per year.
Fish Tissue cooked Screening Concentrations are 64 ug/kg for women of child-bearing age. (64,000 ppt)
Just a little math:
29,825 mg-day = 1.05 ounces/day
8 ounces = 227 grams
48 “8-ounce meals” is same as 48 “227-gram meals.”
48 meals x 227 grams = 10,896 grams of the carcinogenic fish allowed per year.
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So, the state of Maryland says it’s OK for a pregnant woman to consume 8 ounces of fish containing 64,000 ppt of PFOS 48 times a year. If the fillet of the fish contains 64,000 ppt of PFOS, that’s 64 parts per billion, which is the same as 64 nanograms per gram. So, 64 ng/g x 227 g = 14,528 ng of PFOS.
To recap: An 8-ounce serving of fish with a concentration of 64,000 ppt contains 14,528 nanograms of PFOS. This is an amount of the carcinogen.
The EPA and the FDA have failed to set enforceable standards. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set a Tolerable Weekly Intake of 4.4 nanograms per kilogram of body weight for PFOS (and several other PFAS) in food. So, according to this guideline, our expectant mom weighing 150 pounds (67.8 kilos) can “safely” consume about 300 nanograms per week of PFAS chemicals. (4.4 ng x 67.8 kg = 298.32)
One meal of the fish containing 14,528 ng of PFOS is 48 times greater than the European weekly limit, while the state of Maryland is telling pregnant women they can eat this fish 48 times in a year or 12 times during their first trimester.
Use the chart here to identify all of the cancers and diseases associated with PFOS.
The Air Force will not address this, either. Instead, they are likely to focus on the drinking water. Sherman tested the tap water from an apartment building a mile from the highest PFAS concentrations in Piscataway Creek and found a total of 2 ppt for 55 analytes tested. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is providing drinking water with almost no PFAS. However, if there are any people drinking well water or watering vegetable gardens within a few miles they could be in serious danger.
PFAS in Soil
Let’s direct our attention to the levels of PFAS in the soils at AFFF Area 6 Fire Station #1 (Building 1287) Data from Final Site Inspections Report JB Andrews, 2018. PFOS 17,000,000 PFOA 150,000 PFBS 110,000 ppt in surface soil 0-6” deep. Other compounds were not reported.
These are dangerously high levels, among the worst anywhere. As stated, carcinogenic PFOS may attach itself to soil and become airborne, settling in our lungs and our homes as dust. Base housing is located 1,000 feet from Building 1287. Off-base residential housing is a mile away while PFAS can travel in dust in the air for several miles.
Neither the EPA nor the state of Maryland have established enforceable levels of PFOS in soil or air. As a result, public health may be at risk when the wind blows.
Highly Contaminated groundwater in Brandywine
Although this is among the most toxic sites in the U.S., the Pentagon prefers to call it the Brandywine Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office, (Brandywine DRMO)
The Brandywine DRMO site was a dump used by various U.S. Navy and Air Force installations from 1943 to 1987 for the disposal of toxic wastes. It is a massive carcinogenic injection of deadly poison into the breast of Mother Earth. The 8-acre site is profoundly contaminated with hazardous chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, and dangerous levels of PFAS.
The Brandywine DRMO has groundwater containing 11,500 ppt of PFHxS and 5,060 ppt of PFOA.
Wastewater from JB Andrews
A tremendous amount of PFAS is carried through the sanitary sewer system so it is important to know where the outfalls are located.
See the Environmental Assessment for the Expansion and Consolidation of the Base Exchange Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, Prince George’s County, Maryland, August, 2013.
The sanitary sewer system at JBA was privatized in February 2006. Terrapin Utility Services, Inc., owns and operates the sanitary sewer system. The majority of the sanitary sewer system on JB Andrews is approximately 60 years old and consists of more than 33 miles of sewer lines and approximately 1,000 manholes.
The wastewater generated at JB Andrews is believed to be heavily contaminated with PFAS. It is treated off-base at facilities owned and operated by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, (WSSC).
On the western side of the base, the sanitary sewer system discharges to the Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant in Accokeek, Maryland. The plant discharges its effluent directly into the Potomac River via a 3.5-mile pipeline.
Wastewater discharges from the eastern half of the base are collected and treated at the Western Branch WWTP. The Western Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant is located at 6600 Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The plant discharges its treated effluent into the Western Branch of the Patuxent River. The discharge point is situated approximately one mile southeast of the Town of Upper Marlboro, adjacent to the Patuxent River.
We don’t know what happens to the sewer sludge. It is likely spread on agricultural fields, causing crops, soil, groundwater, and surface water to be poisoned forever.
Stormwater Runoff from JB Andrews
Surface runoff from the base is also believed to be highly contaminated with PFAS. It is conveyed through a network of underground culverts and is discharged from eight major storm drain outfalls. This stormwater is eventually discharged into several nearby water bodies, including Meetinghouse Creek, Henson Creek, and Payne Branch to the west, and Cabin Creek and Charles Branch to the east. All of these creeks can be expected to be contaminated with PFAS.
In July, 2005 a malfunction of the foam suppression system in Hangar 11, the home of Air Force One, caused a release of 750 gallons of AFFF. The AFFF flowed outside the hangar and into the storm drain system. Significant foam was observed in Cabin Branch Creek which flows into the Patuxent River.
How can we convey this message to the people of Prince George’s County without the help of mainstream news organizations?
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Please help us pay for environmental testing at Fort Ord, CA
Fort Ord is poisoned just like JB Andrews
We are trying to raise money to perform environmental testing at the Army’s Fort Ord in California. Who “we” are.
Depending on your response to our fundraising appeals, we intend to perform all of the following environmental tests at the former Fort Ord by the end of the year. These tests will cost a minimum of $10,000-$15,000. We have raised $6,500 so far.
A list of expensive tests:
Home vapor monitor for multiple volatile organic compounds, VOCs
Trichloroethylene vapor monitor
Perchloroethylene Vapor Monitor
Carbon Tetrachloride vapor monitor
Benzene, Toluene, Ethyl Benzene, Xylene air and water test kits
PFAS pin-prick blood testing
PFAS tap water and surface water testing (PFAS in tap water is not a problem at JB Andrews)
PFAS soil test kit
Dioxin in soil test kit
TCE, PCE, CT and other toxins in tap and stream water
U-238 Isotope Water Test kit
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Please donate. See our website, www.fortordcontamination.org for more information on the contamination at Fort Ord.