Fort Benning

Base Background

Fort Benning was established in 1918 as a U.S. Army training post in Chattahoochee and Muscogee counties, extending across the Chattahoochee River into Russell County, Alabama. Originally a basic training site for World War I, it has since become a key military facility focusing heavily on drone operations and reconnaissance. Today the installation serves as the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, home to the Infantry School, Armor School, Airborne School, and Ranger training, and remains an active training post.

Toxic Exposure at Fort Benning

Over more than a century of continuous training operations, Fort Benning has a documented record of environmental contamination, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in groundwater and the shared regional water supply, lead contamination in on-post family housing, and legacy radiological material from historic training munitions. Service members, family members, and civilian workers who lived, worked, or trained at the installation over the decades may have been exposed to one or more of these substances and be eligible for compensation. Get a free case evaluation here.

PFAS Contamination

Fort Benning is one of hundreds of Army installations under Department of Defense review for PFAS contamination, the legacy of firefighting foam concentrate sprayed for decades during fire and crash-rescue training exercises on base. Following a March 2022 preliminary assessment and site inspection, the Army Environmental Command’s August 2025 review places the installation’s PFAS investigation in the Remedial Investigation phase.

The contamination is not confined to the base itself: the water treatment plant serving both Fort Benning and Columbus, Georgia draws its raw water from the Chattahoochee River, and PFOA/PFOS concentrations in that raw water have exceeded EPA limits.

Depleted Uranium and Radiological Contamination

Fort Benning is named among the U.S. Army installations covered by a Nuclear Regulatory Commission source materials license for legacy depleted uranium from Davy Crockett M101 spotting rounds, fired in training during the 1960s. The rounds left low-level radiological contamination at the ranges where they were used, and the Army continues to manage the material on base under its NRC license today. Find out more about VA disability for radiation exposure.

Lead Contamination in Base Housing

A 2018 investigative report found that at least 31 children living in on-post housing at Fort Benning had tested with elevated blood-lead levels, part of a broader pattern the investigation identified across privatized military housing nationwide. The finding prompted an Army-wide review of tens of thousands of housing units for lead-based paint hazards. Families who lived in older on-post housing at Fort Benning may have been exposed to lead through deteriorating paint or contaminated household dust.

Getting Compensation

Service members and family members who spent time at Fort Benning may be entitled to compensation if they later developed a health condition linked to toxic exposure there. Many disabilities don’t surface until years after the exposure itself.

Check the chart below to see which medical issues are associated with the toxins documented at the base. Hill & Ponton’s VA-accredited lawyers represent veterans and their survivors alike, and take every case on a contingency basis, with no upfront fees. Get a free case evaluation to see where you stand.