For PFOA, the advisory warns of concentrations greater than 0.004 parts per trillion. Samples from Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River showed PFOA contamination over 25,000 parts per trillion.

During WWII, only 5 percent of all military members were Black. Camp Lejeune was segregated from its founding. Black marines and sailors were stationed and received basic training at Montford Point, a segregated military base that is now part of Camp Lejeune. Living conditions there were unhygienic as the military facility was in a swampy area full of bugs. Black service members were only allowed to enter Camp Lejeune with a white marine, and once there, they regularly experienced racism.

ABC One-Hour Cleaners was responsible for improperly disposing of industrial solvents such as perchloroethylene, which inevitably led to severe water contamination at the military base. The military would also use chemicals to clean weapons and equipment, thereby increasing the extent of toxic contamination.