Water Test Taken from St. Inigoes Creek, directly across from the Webster Field Annex
of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, shows PFAS levels at 1,894.3 ppt.
of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, shows PFAS levels at 1,894.3 ppt.
The beach where the sample was collected, just across from Webster Field.
I collected the water sample in February, 2020 using a test kit provided by Freshwater Future, a firm located in Petoskey, Michigan. Freshwater Future’s PFAS testing program operates out of the University of Michigan Biological Station. The water sample was analyzed following the EPA method 537 Revision 1.1 for 14 perfluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS).
The sample was taken from my beach and drawn from water that was less than a foot deep. The 1,894.3 parts per trillion (ppt.) of PFAS included 1,544.4 ppt of the highly toxic PFOS. These levels are believed to threaten the health of people who consume fish, oysters, crabs, and all seafood taken from contaminated waters.
In 2002, just 3,000 feet from the runway at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station - at Hog Point, Maryland, one oyster sample was determined to contain 1,100,000 ppt. An oyster platter containing a dozen oysters might contain more than 12 million ppt of the deadly substances while the nation's leading public health professionals are warning us not to consume more than one ppt of the substance per day. - Pat Elder