The Poison
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Over 12,000 variants. Carbon-fluorine bonds so strong they do not break in the environment, in the body, or across generations. This is what they put in the water.
What Are PFAS?
PFAS — Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances — are a family of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals manufactured since the 1940s. They were designed to repel water, oil, and heat. They succeeded. They also do not stop.
The carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest in organic chemistry. No natural biological process breaks it down. They accumulate in soil, water, and living tissue — indefinitely. This is why they are called Forever Chemicals.
They were used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, stain-resistant textiles, and — most critically for contamination near military installations — AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam), the firefighting agent used at air bases beginning in the 1970s.
Key Numbers
12,000+
Individual PFAS compounds identified
700+
U.S. military bases with known or suspected PFAS contamination
13,700 ppt
PFOS detected in Willow Grove on-base wells. EPA advisory: 70 ppt.
4 ppt
EPA 2024 maximum contaminant level for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water
Ground Zero: Willow Grove Naval Air Station
The ATSDR Finding
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry confirmed in their Willow Grove Health Consultation that private wells near the base contained PFOS/PFOA levels as high as 5,200 ppt — over 74 times the EPA advisory level at the time.
On-base supply wells reached 13,700 ppt PFOS. The chemicals migrated through the groundwater, turning local wells into delivery systems for a toxic payload that had been accumulating since the base began using AFFF in the 1970s.
Read the ATSDR Willow Grove ReportThe Military Pattern
Willow Grove is not an anomaly. The Department of Defense began using AFFF at military installations in the 1970s. More than 700 bases are now known or suspected to have contaminated groundwater or drinking water.
Congressional reporting has documented efforts to delay cleanup, gut protections, and indefinitely postpone the AFFF ban — despite the documented contamination at hundreds of installations affecting neighboring communities.
The foam used at 630 bases has been found to contaminate drinking water or groundwater. Cleanup delays have been called "very concerning" by environmental health experts.
How It Moves: The Contamination Chain
1. Application → Soil
AFFF applied during training exercises and fire suppression soaks into the ground beneath the application site. PFAS compounds bind loosely to soil particles but are highly water-soluble — meaning they mobilize readily when groundwater moves.
2. Soil → Groundwater
PFAS migrate through the water table over years and decades. They do not degrade. They travel. Private wells and municipal water systems drawing from contaminated aquifers become delivery mechanisms — often without detection until levels have been elevated for years.
3. Water → Body
Ingested PFAS bind to proteins in the blood and accumulate in organs — particularly the liver, kidneys, and thyroid. Because they are not metabolized, blood levels rise with continued exposure. The body has no natural mechanism to eliminate them efficiently.
4. Body → Next Generation
PFAS cross the placental barrier and transfer through breast milk. The contamination does not end with the exposed generation — it is passed forward. This is the biological chain of custody.
The full mechanism is documented on The Affected page.
Exhibit A: "Something Icky In The Water"
A musical witness statement. My family's medical history is a roadmap of toxic exposure. My father-in-law served at Willow Grove Naval Air Station — he now battles service-linked colorectal cancer. My wife lived near the base — she suffered severe preeclampsia. Our daughter, born of that high-risk pregnancy, navigates autism every day. This is not bad luck. This is a biological chain of custody.