Letterkenny Army Depot

Letterkenny Army Depot is a United States Army installation covering roughly 19,243 acres about five miles north of Chambersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Established in 1942 as the Letterkenny Ordnance Depot, the facility originally served as an ammunition storage site during World War II. Beginning in 1947 its mission expanded to include vehicle maintenance and overhaul shops, with guided missile rebuild work added in the 1950s, along with the storage and handling of solvents, industrial chemicals and petroleum products. Today the depot is the Army's Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for air defense and tactical missile systems, providing overhaul, repair and modification of missile systems, power generation equipment and military vehicles.

There are concerns about potential carcinogenic health hazards at Letterkenny Army Depot due to past exposure to various environmental contaminants. Volatile organic compounds were detected in groundwater at the installation in 1983, and at least six major areas of solvent and metals contamination were confirmed by 1984, traced to lagoons, landfills, disposal trenches and burn pits used during decades of industrial operations:

1. Trichloroethylene (TCE): TCE is a chlorinated solvent that was commonly used to degrease metal parts during vehicle and equipment maintenance at the depot. Contaminated groundwater migrated several miles beyond the installation boundary, and sampling documented volatile organic compounds, including TCE, in off post residential wells and springs that draw on the underlying karst aquifer. TCE exposure has been associated with a range of health concerns, including potential links to kidney cancer and other illnesses.
2. Other solvents and volatile organic compounds: Depot operations such as vehicle overhaul, ordnance maintenance and painting involved a variety of solvents, paints, cleaning agents and petroleum products. Releases and disposal of these materials contaminated soil and groundwater, and long term exposure to certain VOCs has been associated with potential health effects, including some cancers.
3. Heavy metals: Metals associated with sandblasting media, paints and industrial maintenance activities were identified in soil, sediment and groundwater at the depot. Mercury detections in Rocky Spring Lake prompted a dedicated investigation, which concluded that levels were low and comparable to other Pennsylvania lakes. Chronic exposure to certain heavy metals may potentially be linked to neurological effects and an elevated risk of some cancers.
4. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): PCBs were detected in soil and sediment in the Property Disposal Office Area, and the Army removed roughly 10,660 tons of PCB contaminated soil in 1999. PCBs persist in the environment and have been classified as probable human carcinogens.

Letterkenny Army Depot hosts two separate Superfund sites on the EPA National Priorities List. The Southeastern (SE) Area was listed in July 1987 and the Property Disposal Office (PDO) Area was listed in March 1989, and a 1989 Federal Facilities Agreement among the Army, EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection set the framework for investigation and cleanup. The response spans 35 operable units at the SE Area alone, and in 2010 EPA approved partial deletions of cleaned up parcels from both sites, effective that September. Cleanup and groundwater monitoring continue under Army lead with EPA oversight, and five year reviews, most recently completed in 2022, continue to evaluate the protectiveness of the remedies.

It's worth emphasizing that while concerns exist about potential exposure to these contaminants among those who served or worked at Letterkenny Army Depot, establishing definitive links between specific exposures and individual health conditions can be complex. Veterans and former depot workers who believe they may have been exposed are encouraged to stay informed, document their service history, and consult the Department of Veterans Affairs about registries, screenings and potential benefits.