 U.S. ARMY DUMPED 8,000 TONS OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS INTO THE OCEAN AROUND O‘AHU!
In late 2005, the public learned of a little-known report published by the U.S. Army in 2001, which reveal the Army had dumped at least 8,000 tons of chemical weapons into the ocean along the Wai‘anae Coast in 1944 and 1945. The chemical weapons include mustard gas and hydrogen cyanide. No effort has been made to clean-up the chemical weapon dump sites. The Army claims it has not yet located the dump sites. Instead of escalating the clean-up effort, the U.S. Army contends that the chemical weapons breakdown to non-hazardous materials when exposed to ocean water, thus alleviating any threat to the public and any need to clean up the dump sites.
Area residents are not convinced. They have long known about places like "Ordnance Reef" in Wai‘anae and they are seriously concerned about the escalating number of unexplained cancer cases in their neighborhoods. The community demands that these weapons be cleaned up immediately.
Learn More:
KAHEA's fact sheet and community talking points (160k PDF) March 2006.
The U.S. Army's Reports:
Report issued by the Army and NOAA on Munitions Dumped at Ordnance Reef in Pokai Bay. April 2007.
Military Sea Disposal Operations Near Hawai‘i (124k PDF) January 31, 2006.
Off-Shore Disposal of Chemical Agents and Weapons Conducted by the United States (192k PDF) March 29, 2001.
Quotes from the Military:
In a highly edited interview with Hawai‘i Army Report (aired on military-only TV), Addison Davis, who is the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for environmental, safety and occupational health, said:
Q: HAR: … Can you tell me how this specifically affects our Hawaiian audience?
A: Davis: "What our research is telling us is that the disposal of these munitions should not affect our Soldiers and civilians or the local communities and residents here on the islands. … Our research shows us that in many cases when the munitions were disposed of, if they burst open and came into contact with saltwater, they would dissipate over a period of time and become nontoxic."
Q: HAR: Sir, can you tell me a little bit about the pamphlets that you’ve brought here with you today?
A: Davis: "We’ve developed two handouts that we think will help increase awareness, health and safety with individuals that are working in and around ocean areas.
[This pamphlet] really looks at the effects that [people] may encounter with munitions that have been disposed of at sea or in the ocean. A separate guide focuses on the Hawaiian Islands. …
There are still quantities of military munitions present, so we seek to enhance the awareness of military members and their families, as well as local communities, so they’re aware of what some of the dangers might be, and even more importantly, what steps to take when coming into contact with these objects.
We want you to follow the three R’s, which are explained in the pamphlet: The first ‘R’ is to recognize the object, second is to report it, and the third is to retreat.
We don’t want people trying to touch or recover what might be an exploded or unexploded piece of ordnance."
 Because of the Army's careless disposal of WMDs, our children now must learn 3 new R's: Recognize, Retreat, and Report. Here are the Army's informational pamphlets designed to defend us from the toxic chemical bombs they left lurking in our land and ocean.
Federal Legislative Activity:
House Resolution 4778, Senate Bill 2295, Summary of the bills.
To follow the status of these bills, please visit the federal legislation status website.
State Legislative Activity:
Senate Concurrent Resolution 63 (72k PDF) Introduced in March 2006, this resolution from both houses of the local legislature asks the Congressional Delegation to support federal legislation requiring the military to locate and remove all chemical and conventional weapons disposed of in our oceans.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 233 (84k PDF) Introduced in March 2006, this resolution from both houses of the local legislature requests that the military monitor and map all of the chemical and conventional weapons disposed of in our oceans.
Senate Resolution 40 (72k PDF) Introduced in March 2006, this resolution is only from the state Senate asking the Congressional Delegation to support federal legislation requiring the military to locate and remove all chemical and conventional weapons disposed of in our oceans.
To follow the status of these resolutions, visit the document status page at the State Legislature website.
On local TV:
KHON Channel 2 provides multi-day coverage on the dumping of chemical weapons in the ocean around O‘ahu, as well as news on other chemical weapons contamination sites.
National TV News:
Underwater Ticking Time (external link) ABC News July 30, 2007.
In the newspapers:
- Calls renewed for munitions cleanup (216K PDF) Honolulu Advertiser March 18, 2007.
- Hawai‘i still at risk from old munitions (244k PDF) Honolulu Advertiser August 13, 2006.
- Army Sees No Threat in Sea Dump (112k PDF) Honolulu Advertiser March 18, 2006.
- Report Details Weapons Dump Off Hawaii (76k PDF) New York Times Feb. 05, 2006.
- Hawai‘i Needs Report on Dumped Weapons (92k PDF) Star-Bulletin Op-Ed Feb. 3, 2006.
- Weapons in Ocean Still a Mystery (132k PF) Honolulu Advertiser Feb. 2, 2006.
- Little Light Shed On Weapons Dumping (92k PDF) Honolulu Advertiser Dec. 16, 2005.
- Toxins in Sea Worry Officials (104k PDF) Honolulu Advertiser Nov. 09, 2005.
- Rep. Abercrombie Wants Details On Army's Ocean Dumps (80k PDF) Honolulu Advertiser Nov. 09, 2005.
- Dumped Toxic Weapons Still Lurk in Sea Off Oahu (184k PDF) Honolulu Advertiser Nov. 3, 2005.
About the Law:
In 1972, concern about the deteriorating health of the world's oceans prompted the U.S. Congress to pass the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (also known as the Ocean Dumping Ban), which prohibited the purposeful release of any human-made materials into U.S. waters without a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1988, amendments to the Act banned nearly all forms of ocean dumping.
|
