Aberdeen Proving Ground

Base Background

Aberdeen Proving Ground, established in 1917 in Harford County, Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay, has served as an Army facility for weapons research, development, and testing since 1918. It has a long history of exposure to hazardous materials.

Aberdeen Proving Ground Toxic Exposure

PFAS

Aberdeen Proving Ground faces significant PFAS contamination from decades of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) use at firefighting training areas, emergency response locations, and fire stations across the installation. Testing found these “forever chemicals” in groundwater, soil, and surface waters, potentially affecting the surrounding communities. If you have a condition related to PFAS contamination, you can get a free case evaluation here.

Agent Orange

Aberdeen Proving Ground was one of the storage sites for Agent Orange inside the U.S. Unfortunately, veterans stationed at the base still have to prove they were exposed to Agent Orange and service connect their conditions to receive disability benefits. If you were denied by the VA, we may be able to help.

Asbestos

In 2024, a safety manager whistleblower reported that Aberdeen Proving Ground failed to comply with critical asbestos safety requirements for years. Asbestos mitigation procedures during multiple large-scale demolitions were neglected, potentially exposing employees, contractors, and the public to hazardous materials that can cause asbestosis, mesothelioma or COPD.

Other Toxins

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Michaelsville Landfill within Aberdeen Proving Ground as a National Priorities List site in 1989. The 20-acre unlined Michaelsville Landfill operated from 1970 to approximately 1980, receiving diverse waste including domestic trash, industrial waste, solvents, waste oils, PCB transformer oils, wastewater treatment sludge, arsenic and pesticides containing heavy metals such as thallium, selenium, and antimony.

Aberdeen Proving Ground and its surrounding area encompass dozens of other contaminated sites including the Aberdeen Fire Training Area (where firefighting exercises were conducted from 1960-1989), the Phillips Army Airfield Landfill, and aircraft storage areas. In 1991, trichloroethene (TCE) contamination was discovered in Harford County’s Perryman well field.

If you lived or worked in the Aberdeen Proving Ground area and experienced the following adverse health effects, you may be eligible for compensation.