https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/13/pfas-pollution-us-military-bases-forever-chemicals

Plumes of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” flowing from at least 245 US military bases are contaminating or threatening to pollute drinking water for nearby communities, and hundreds more are likely at risk across America, a new Department of Defense report finds.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-18-mn-96-story.html

The United States’ far-flung network of overseas military bases, operating far outside the reach of American environmental regulation, left a quagmire of chemical contamination all around the globe.

For years, the brook that runs through Rohl just beyond the runways of Bitburg Air Base was a dumping ground for unwanted jet fuel, chemical solvents and firefighting chemicals.

US military installations polluted the drinking water of the Pacific island of Guam, poured tons of toxic chemicals into Subic Bay in the Philippines, leaked carcinogens into the water source of a German spa, spewed tons of sulfurous coal smoke into the skies of Central Europe and pumped millions of gallons of raw sewage into the oceans.

As the world’s most extensive industrial enterprise, the US military generates huge quantities of hazardous wastes--used oils and solvents, paint sludges, plating residues, heavy metals, asbestos, cyanide, PCBs, battery acid, pesticides, herbicides and virtually every other toxic substance known to man.

The Pentagon also creates such special classes of lethal byproducts as high-level radioactive wastes from atomic weapons plants, high explosive powder, outdated chemical weapons, rocket fuels and ordnance practice ranges full of unexploded bullets, bombs and artillery shells.

While there is no systematic effort under way to determine how badly polluted America’s overseas bases are, the US Army--without even looking formally--identified 300 contaminated sites in West Germany alone. Of the total, 30 are on bases slated for closure and 25 are currently deemed serious enough to require expensive long-term remedies.