Sources of PFAS contamination in St. Mary’s County, Maryland
Part 1 of a 2-part series.
By Pat Elder
June 29, 2025
Navy figure showing 87,847 parts per trillion of 3 PFAS compounds in the groundwater at the Webster Field Annex of the Patuxent River NAS.
In 2020, I was the first in Maryland to test surface water for per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS).
See this Baltimore Sun article. I reported finding 1,894 parts per trillion (ppt) of 12 types of PFAS in St. Inigoes Creek where foams from the Navy base 1,800 feet across the creek regularly settle on my beach.
This photo shows the carcinogenic PFAS foam on the way to my property. Photo shows the mouth of St. Inigoes Creek at the St. Mary’s River.
Our property sits on a cove north of the base, while the prevailing winds blow from the south - that is, from the base to our beach. The foams gather with the tide on many days. Sometimes we can see the line of foam begin to form as it gets close to the shore. If the waves are too high, the foam dissipates. Within about 1-2 hours of high tide, the foams dissolve into water, like dish detergent bubbles left alone in the sink.
The Navy says there is no reason to suspect that consuming seafood caught near Webster Field is unsafe.
The chemicals are present in the water until the tide takes them out again. I have tested the water at the end of my dock, 120 feet from the shore, and I have found levels as low as 13 parts per trillion for 55 compounds tested.
I have also tested the foam on my beach and found 23 different PFAS compounds totaling 6.449.2 ppt with 3,660.9 ppt of perfluoro octane sulfonic acid, (PFOS), suggesting that the Navy is withholding data about the toxic mix at their fire pit on Webster Field.
There is a lot we can and must learn from studying the “fate and transport” of these chemicals in water.
I reported these results in oysters, crabs, and rockfish:
Oysters - 2,070 ppt.
Crabs - 6,650 ppt.
Rockfish - 23,100 ppt (caught at nearby Cornfield Harbor.)
Meanwhile, the EPA requires water service providers like the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission to keep the levels of PFOS and PFOA under 4 ppt.
PFAS foam and the Osage Orange in St. Mary’s City
I lived at Rosecroft Point 50 years ago while I was a junior at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The historic property is on a peninsula fronting St. Inigoes Creek and the St. Mary’s River. There’s a giant Osage Orange tree that grows along the bank of the river and every year many buoyant Osage Oranges fall into the river. I remember seeing them on the beach at Rosecroft, Chancellor’s Point, and at the waterfront at the college, and I wondered if they came from the tree I knew. I think they did!
Prevailing winds blow from the south.
Red X - The sandy soils at the Webster Field Fire Training Area are saturated with PFAS chemicals.
Blue X - Near Rosecroft Point - Dangerous levels have been detected across St. Inigoes Creek from the navy base.
Yellow X - Chancellor’s Point - Foams have been detected here.
Green X – St. Mary’s College of Maryland - Dangerous levels of the foams have been reported here, 3 miles north of the navy’s burn pit.
Carcinogenic PFAS foam on my beach near Rosecroft Point. Webster Field is shown across the creek.
PFAS foam mixes with oyster shells on the beach in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. The photo shows the recreated Maryland Dove at the spot of the state’s founding in 1634.
Poisonous foam on the riverfront at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The floating Osage Oranges are believed to have arrived from the tree at Rosecroft Point. The foam and the Osage Oranges apparently travelled together.
This chart shows the concentrations of 18 different PFAS compounds that were detected on the waterfront at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on December 12, 2023. The amounts totaled 1,680 parts per trillion with PFOS containing 1,301.5 ppt, or 77.5% of total concentrations.
The foam on my beach had 23 compounds totaling 6,449.2 ppt with PFOS containing 3,661 ppt of PFOS, or 57% of the total. PFOS has great mobility in water.
In 2020 I sent my test results to more than a hundred media outlets, everyone in the General Assembly, and the administration at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The Bay Journal covered the story about the PFAS in St. Inigoes Creek. They interviewed Ira May, who oversees federal site cleanups for the MDE, “May suggested that contamination in the creek, if it exists, could have another source. The chemicals are often found in landfills, he noted, as well as in biosolids and at sites where civilian fire departments sprayed foam.”
The St. Andrews Landfill is 11 miles away and the closest fire station in Valley Lee is 5 miles away. The firehouse where the Navy used AFFF is 1,800 feet across the water from me. I knew at this point that the state was covering for the Navy.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland lampooned my test results and warning. On July 8, 2020, the college published a PFAS Final Report that contained several misleading statements. St. Mary’s is a state-supported, 4-year liberal arts college. The college hoped it was a “final report,” but that is impossible with these “forever chemicals.”
The press release said that PFAS may have been released at Webster Field when the Navy had already been forced to admit they had released the substances at Webster Field. My argument has always been that PFAS from the Navy threatens the food we eat, especially the seafood. I made it clear that I had tested my well at 300 feet down and it did not contain PFAS.
The college said the drinking water was free of PFAS and I believe it. They tested the water from the St. Mary’s River which showed total PFAS at 1.7 parts per trillion. I’m not disputing that. PFAS levels in the water wildly fluctuate, depending on many variables. The college stated in its release, “PFAS chemicals are not readily absorbed through the skin so the risk of swimming in the river is negligible, however drinking the water from St. Mary’s River is not advised for reasons separate from PFAS chemicals.”
Despite what the college says, PFAS can enter the body through the skin. I have seen children playing in foamy water at the St. Mary’s College waterfront. Many states have enacted regulations barring swimming where foam gathers.
Although Maryland ridicules concerns about PFAS in the St. Mary’s River, many states, like Wisconsin, have taken steps to protect public health in this regard.
The banks of Maryland’s most historic river are coated with these carcinogens. When the tide ebbs, the riverbanks dry out and the toxins are lifted into the air. PFOS attaches to soil and becomes airborne, settling in our lungs and in our homes as dust.
I tested the dust in my home in December, 2023 and found 958.2 ppt of total PFAS, including 692 ppt of PFHxS and 132.7 ppt of PFOS. Dust is regarded as the most prevalent pathway of ingestion for small children. It is best to do away with vacuum cleaners and brooms. Frequent wet mopping is a safer alternative. Air filters should be frequently changed. To understand the threat from the carcinogenic dust, please see Table 11 (p.31) from the CDC’s PFAS Exposure Assessment of Martinsburg, WV, in homes adjacent to the Shepherd Field Air National Guard base.
Most importantly for us, PFOS accumulates in aquatic life. The estimated bioconcentration factor in fish ranges from 1,000 to 4,000 times the level in the water. (EPA 2017) That means just a few parts per trillion of PFOS in the water could translate to many thousands of parts per trillion in the fish. Scientists have reported finding fish near the burn pit at Wurtsmith Air Force Base containing 10 million parts per trillion of PFOS.
An oyster was found to contain 1,106,000 ppt of PFOS at Hog Point in the bay near the burn pit at Pax River. (ResearchGate 2002). To put this into perspective, the EPA is trying to keep this compound under 4 parts per trillion in drinking water. The St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties have been doing a great job in this regard. However, the overwhelming majority of the PFAS in our bodies is from the food we eat, especially the fish.
I asked Dr. Linda Birnbaum, the former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences if there was a difference between consuming the chemicals in water compared to the fish, and she said, “No. Both are routes of ingestion. Whether you eat it or drink it, PFAS go to the same places in the body and do the same thing. We need appropriate fish advisories and regulations.”
In Maryland it’s OK for pregnant women to consume Largemouth Bass with dangerous levels of PFAS.
The Maryland Department of the Environment has failed to take adequate steps to protect human health. The MDE reported finding 94,200 ppt of PFOS in a Largemouth Bass at the mouth of Piscataway Creek where it empties into the Potomac River. It’s OK for the public to consume this fish.
We have a public health crisis. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not consume this fish.
Exposure to PFAS has been linked to weakened immune function, including reduced vaccine effectiveness, and disruption of thyroid and reproductive hormones. Long-term exposure is associated with increased risks of kidney and testicular cancers, liver damage, and high cholesterol levels.
PFAS is associated with these diseases/disorders in children:
· Low birth weight
· Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
· Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
· Neurodevelopmental disorders and learning impairments
· Childhood cancer incidence (It has risen over 40% since 1975.)
· Teenage depression rates (Over 25% in teenage girls.)
· Suicide Ideation
· Diagnosed anxiety among teenagers
· 25% of American children suffer from allergies
· Celiac disease rates (gluten allergy, 5-fold in American children since the 1980s.)
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health study
The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health conducted a study of PFAS in the blood of Marylanders, and I was at the top of the chart with a total of 42.15 ng/mL of total PFAS. That is nanograms per milliliter, or parts per billion. See the results below.
PFAS is closely associated with adverse cardiovascular effects including hypertension, altered lipid profiles, and an increased risk of heart disease. I suffer from all three. I’ve had double bypass, and cardiac stent implantation on three occasions. I’m not claiming causation, but I am concerned that I had to tell my cardiologist and my primary care physician in Leonardtown about PFAS contamination. They had never heard of it and many practicing medical doctors in the county are still oblivious. It’s not like this in New England and states like Wisconsin and Michigan where public health departments are all over it.
The St. Mary’s County Health Department defers to the MDE and the EPA when asked about the threat caused to our health through the consumption of seafood contaminated by PFAS caught in the county. The MDE has issued a series of weak non-mandatory fish advisories in a few places. Their sampling regime suggests they stayed away from hotspots like military bases, industrial sites, and the outflows from wastewater treatment plants while sampling fish for PFAS. Signage and a robust public educational campaign are still missing.
The Navy poisoned the seafood I ate for years. See my article, PFAS in Foam, Fish, Oysters, Crabs, and my Blood.
I put this spreadsheet together hoping to tell the story. I harvested oysters and participated in Maryland’s aquaculture oyster float tax credit. I ate a lot of oysters, crabs, and rockfish. It poisoned me. (My well water doesn’t have PFAS in it.)
All results are in parts per trillion.
Now, let’s look at the fish advisories set by the Maryland Department of the Environment in St. Mary’s County. The link below shows a spreadsheet of all fish, crabs and water bodies.
Maryland Department of the Environment - Fish Advisories for St. Mary’s
https://mdewin64.mde.state.md.us/WSA/FCA/index.html Re-formatted for waters in St. Mary’s County.
Fish and crabs are a source of PFAS in St. Mary’s County. For many years, the state has had advisories suggesting residents limit their consumption of certain species of fish due to dangerous levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB’s) and Mercury. Regarding PFAS, MDE has placed advisories on spot and black sea bass in the bay. It also advises against eating more than one Sunfish in the lower Potomac and it advises against eating more than 7 silver perch from the St. Mary’s River. This is the extent of specific advisories concerning PFAS in waters adjacent to the county.
Hepatopancreas (crab mustard)
In addition to PFAS, Mercury, and PCBs, the following toxins have also been found in the hepatopancreas (crab mustard) in Blue Crabs: Cadmium, Lead, Arsenic, Chromium, Dioxins and Furans, DDT, Chlordane, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, (PBDEs). Higher concentrations may be expected for some of these toxins near military and industrial sites. The Patuxent River NAS has reported dangerous levels of most of these compounds in groundwater that is known to empty into surface waters and the bay.
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Questions and answers from the NAS Patuxent River Restoration Advisory Board. (in bold)
“Are crabs and fish safe to consume since they are found to 15,000 parts per trillion of PFOS?”
Sampling for PFOS and PFOA is extremely sensitive and requires specific laboratory capabilities to test samples. No EPA guidelines have been developed as yet for crab and fish tissue sampling. However, at this time, there is no reason to suspect that consuming seafood caught near Webster Field is unsafe.”
The Navy implied our science was not sound, while tossing out the precautionary principle. I enlisted the support of Tim Whitehouse, former EPA attorney and Executive Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, (PEER). Tim came down from DC and we employed stringent scientific protocols while we tested water, crab, oyster, and rockfish using Eurofins Regulatory Science Services, one of the companies used by the Navy. Eurofins reported 15,000 ppt of PFOS in rockfish.
No EPA guidelines have been set for aquatic life. The DOD exerts influence on environmental policy in these matters. The Europeans are many years ahead of us in taking steps to regulate these chemicals in crabs and fish. In Europe, corporate and military influencers play a diminished role in the regulatory process.
“Would you eat crabs or oysters caught near Webster Field?
At this time, there is no reason to suspect that consuming seafood caught near Webster Field is not safe.”
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More on the firefighting foam
On May 16, 2021 an aircraft hangar at the Pax River experienced an accident involving the aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) fire suppression system, causing a release of 2,500 gallons of AFFF foam. The carcinogenic foam was sent down the sanitary sewer drain to the Marlay-Taylor Water Reclamation Facility.
See the story in the Tester, “NAS Pax River works with community partner to mitigate AFFF release.”
Here’s the lead paragraph: (Navy statements in bold.)
“Naval Air Station Patuxent River, with community partner St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (METCOM), mitigated the release of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) after a system reset caused a discharge within an installation aircraft hangar May 16.”
“Mitigate” means to reduce the severity or harmful consequences. They have not done so. After the accident, MetCom’s George Erichsen explained to me that Marlay Taylor does not remove PFAS from sewer sludge or liquid effluent. He said the facility sends liquid waste two miles out into the bay.
“The material released on May 16 was the new AFFF (Ansulite 3MS) that does not contain detectable levels of PFOS or PFOA. The swift action by emergency personnel enabled the release of foam to be contained within the local wastewater treatment plant.
The Navy has apparently switched to other kinds of toxic PFAS, like PFHxS, PFNA, 6:2 FTS, FHxSA, and PFPeA. Take a second look at the table showing the PFAS compounds in the foam on my beach. As time goes by, we’re seeing greater amounts of non-PFOS and PFOA chemicals in the environmental releases since these compounds have been banned. They’re playing whack-a-mole with these toxins while public health suffers.
“The AFFF discharged after maintenance to the fire suppression system, but METCOM was quick to let us know when it hit a holding tank, and we were able to respond and de-foam it efficiently,” said Capt. John Brabazon, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer.”
They may have “de-foamed” the substances, saving potentially catastrophic damage to Marlay-Taylor Water Reclamation Facility, but they didn’t remove the threat to public health.
“Brabazon emphasized community cooperation as key to dealing with the issue. ‘Ease of communications with them and regulatory partners in the state of Maryland helped us to respond and address the issue with minimal impact,’ said Brabazon.”
Nonsense. Director George Erichsen explained to me four years ago that they don’t test or treat for PFAS. (The state has just begun to test treatment plants for PFAS). At least 7 hangars and buildings on the base have experienced accidents involving foam systems. An accident at Hangar 110 caused a 2,200-gallon tank of AFFF concentrate to empty in 2015.
2,200 gallons of 3% AFFF concentrate can be mixed with water to produce approximately 73,333 gallons of foam solution. This solution is then aerated during application to generate expanded foam. Depending on the equipment and conditions, AFFF typically produces low-expansion foam with a ratio around 10:1, meaning the final volume of expanded foam can reach up to 733,000 gallons.
If 733,000 gallons of expanded AFFF foam were spread evenly over one acre, it would create a layer approximately 2.25 feet deep.
As of October 1, 2024, the Navy stopped using AFFF for training purposes at all land-based facilities. The Navy still uses AFFF containing PFAS in emergency situations on land while Navy ships are loaded with AFFF. This is unfortunate considering all of the accidents associated with the suppression systems. European militaries have switched to fluorine-free foams that do not pose a threat to the environment or human health. This is driven by greater awareness and stronger environmental and health regulations in the European Union.
Firefighting foams aren’t the only source of contamination on the base.
Consumables like these products containing PFAS used by the military are said to be indispensable for national security reasons.
Congress directed the DOD to prepare a report outlining the uses of PFAS that are deemed to be critical to the national security of the United States. In response, the DOD published a report on Critical Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl substance uses in August, 2023.
The DOD recognized that individual U.S. states were increasingly passing laws restricting the use of PFAS. In response, the military carved out all of its uses of the toxins and deemed them to be necessary for national security.
Many of these products eventually wind up in landfills where they contaminate soil, groundwater, and surface water. The chemicals just don’t break down.
Common household waste also contains PFAS. This means the St. Andrews Landfill is likely contaminated with these chemicals forever. Drinking water wells may be poisoned miles from this site. Waters draining from the landfill are just a few thousand feet from streams leading to the St. Mary’s River. The water ought to be tested and measures should be taken to lessen the flow of PFAS from the landfill.
Since 2024, all of the county’s municipal solid waste has been sent to the Covanta waste-to-energy incineration facility in Lorton, VA. To effectively break down PFAS during incineration, the furnace must reach much higher temperatures for a longer period of time, far beyond Covanta’s capacity at Lorton. This means PFAS from St. Mary’s sprinkles a silent death downwind of Lorton that start the forever chemical process all over again. PFAS doesn’t go away.
The sewer sludge produced by the Marlay Taylor Water Reclamation Facility has the highest levels of PFOS and PFOA of any of the 46 wastewater treatment plants tested in the state. PFOS totals 34,000 ppt while PFOA has 14,000 ppt. As expected, the second highest in Maryland was the Piscataway Wastewater Treatment Plant which collects sewage from Joint Base Andrews.
PFAS is used in chrome plating, and it is used for degreasing engine parts and other applications. After a day’s work it may go down the drain. The liquid and solid wastes are sent to the wastewater treatment plant. Maryland is slowly awakening to the crisis.
In 2023, MDE stopped the issuance of new biosolids land application permits and out-of-state biosolids marketing permits. The MDE reports that 13 farms in St. Mary’s County continue to allow sludge to be spread. We don’t know exactly where the sludge comes from until we receive additional results from a Maryland Public Information Act request. See the request here.
We know the poisonous sludge from Marlay-Taylor is spread on farm fields in Virginia where they don’t care so much about these things, although this is changing rapidly. It is a matter of telling people over and over for years.
The agricultural products grown in these fields are likely harmful to human health. Livestock, milk, and eggs may be toxic, while groundwater and surface waters may cause cancer forever. the PFAS toxins drain into creeks, rivers, and the bay. They just don’t go away. (More on the sludge in report 2 of 2).
Neighborhood Mosquito spraying programs are another source of PFAS
Maryland’s neighborhood mosquito-spraying program is managed by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, using truck-mounted applications of Bayer’s Permanone 30‑30 insecticide. Annually, about 2,100 communities across 16 counties participate in the spraying program, with routine residential area spraying, typically from May through October.
56 communities in St. Mary’s participate in the program.
Two non-profit organizations I work with, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, (PEER), and the Maryland Pesticides Education Network, (MPEN), notified the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the MDE that a sample of the pesticide Permanone 30-30, used by MDA, contained 3,500 ppt of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The sample also contained approximately 630 ppt of another PFAS, known as GenX. The PFAS in the mosquito spray form a kind of chemical blanket that keeps the pesticide from running off or evaporating quickly.
SB 345 was introduced in the General Assembly in 2025 to ban the use of PFAS in pesticides. See my testimony. Several powerful agricultural and pesticide industry groups opposed SB 345, raising concerns that a ban on PFAS-containing pesticides would disrupt existing practices and harm business. The measure did not advance beyond the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee.
Septic Systems
PFAS chemicals are widely used in everyday products like stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging, waterproof gear, nonstick cookware, personal care products, laundry detergent, pesticides, and cleaning agents. When these products are washed, flushed, or rinsed down the drain, the PFAS don't break down. Homes with private septic systems create a direct contamination pathway where the carcinogens seep into groundwater and surface water.
Thank you.
In part two, I’ll examine where sludge is spread in the county and throughout the state, and the damage it causes.
I’m working with several dozen veterans, scientists, and activists to address the deadly contamination at Fort Ord, California. We are raising money to pay for environmental testing. The Army says the old base, where new development is rampant, is completely safe, but we don’t think so. We hope to test for volatile organic compounds, dioxin, depleted uranium, PFAS, and other contaminants in air, water, and soil. Please help us! See the Fort Ord Contamination website to learn more about us. Go all the way to the bottom of the home page to donate.
Army veteran Julie Akey was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, many years after she lived on the base in the 1990’s. She wondered if her cancer was caused by the Army. Julie started a Facebook group and began collecting data on the cancers and illnesses people who went through the base were suffering. She found 138 with multiple myeloma in her extended neighborhood. Julie has a database of 1,800 people who lived at Fort Ord and who have been sickened or have died as a result of their cancers and diseases.
We’ve raised $8,500 so far. Our goal is $12,000 and we like to perform the testing in the fall.