Is Fukushima a cover up for the use of depleted uranium in weapons in mideast and in Hawaii (where I live due to army maneuvers), and because of open pit uranium mines abandoned, or working around Northern Canada, South Dakota (3000 deserted and uncovered mines), Colorado, New Mexico, and those are the ones I know of ::: in the dust flying around the world......???
Radioactive Iodide is the one to worry about...
Next time it rains get some corn starch cook it up to dissolve in water- cool the semi paste mixture. ..add the rain water...if it turns blue or purple...then worry.
Iodine is actually a wonderful thing for the body...
Been studying it lately. The body really likes it. But, the radioactive one can give you thyroid cancer. Which messes up the entire system of the body, because the thyroid has so many actions.
That my opinion...For what it's worth...
The Facts about Depleted Uranium (DU) in
Radioactive Iodide is the one to worry about...
Next time it rains get some corn starch cook it up to dissolve in water- cool the semi paste mixture. ..add the rain water...if it turns blue or purple...then worry.
Iodine is actually a wonderful thing for the body...
Been studying it lately. The body really likes it. But, the radioactive one can give you thyroid cancer. Which messes up the entire system of the body, because the thyroid has so many actions.
That my opinion...For what it's worth...
"America's Secret Chernobyl"
Fact Sheet
Uranium Mining and Nuclear Pollution
in the Upper Midwestern United States
1. World War II ended with the nuclear bomb and introduced the use of nuclear energy for the production of electricity which caused the price of uranium to rise. Uranium mining in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota began in the middle of the 1960s. As the economy of the Northern Great Plains states depends primarily on agriculture, when uranium was discovered in the region, many get-rich-quick schemes were adopted. Not only were large mining companies pushing off the tops of bluffs and buttes, but small individual ranchers were also digging in their pastures for the radioactive metal. Mining occurred on both public and private land, although the Great Sioux Nation still maintains a claim to the area through the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868, the March 3rd Act of 1871, Article VI of the US Constitution, and the 1980 Supreme Court decision on the Black Hills. The Great Sioux Nation was never consulted on any of this.
2. In northwestern South Dakota, the Cave Hills area is managed by the US Forest Service. The area currently contains 104 abandoned open-pit uranium mines. Studies by the USFS show that one mine alone has 1,400 milliRhems per hour (mR/hr) of exposed radiation, a level of radiation that is 120,000 times higher than normal background of 100 milliRhems per year (mR/yr)! A private abandoned, open-pit uranium mine about 200 meters from an elementary school in Ludlow, SD, emits 1170 microRems per hour, more than 4 times as much as being emitted from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. This is only one abandoned, open-pit uranium mine in the middle of the United States.
3. Through research by an independent researcher, more than 3,000 open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in the four state region. A map from the US Forest Service shows the mines and prospects but not how many. The water runoff from the creeks and rivers near these abandoned uranium mines eventually empty into the Missouri River which empties into the Mississippi River. Research shows uranium is being carried down the Missouri River to the southern, South Dakota border. The costs for research outside of this Region has prohibited going outside the Region.
4. The following agencies are aware of these abandoned uranium mines and prospects: US Forest Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Bureau of Land Management, SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the US Indian Health Service. Only after public concern about these mines was raised a few years ago did the USFS and the EPA pay for a study in 2006 of the off site effects from only one mine, but not from the combined effects of all the mines. An effort to clean up that one mine was stopped when the mining company declared bankruptcy. Runoff and dust continue to pour from that mine.
5. More than 4,000 exploratory holes, some large enough for a man to fall into, are found in the southwestern Black Hills with an additional 3,000 holes just 10 miles west of the town of Belle Fourche, SD. These holes go to depths of 600 feet. This exploratory process itself has already contaminated the Regions aquifers with radioactive pollutants. Hundreds of more exploratory holes for uranium are being bored in Wyoming and South Dakota with those states' approval.
6. The US Air Force also used small nuclear power plants in some of their hundreds of remote radar stations and missile silos. No data is available on the current status or disposal of these small nuclear power sources or of their wastes. As the US Air Force is responsible for monitoring these sites, although there is no stopping the radioactive pollution that could contaminate aquifers, this responsibility assists in continuing the funding for Ellsworth Air Force Base, a political convenience.
7. In Wyoming, hundreds of abandoned open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in or near the coal in the Powder River Basin. Both Wyoming and North Dakota coal is laced with uranium and its decay products. The coal is shipped to power plants in the Eastern and Western parts of the United States. Radioactive dust and particles are released into the air at the coal fired power plants on the East and West Coasts and often set off the warning systems at nuclear power plants. The same radioactive dust and particles are released into the air that travels across South Dakota and to the South and East in the coal strip mining process by itself.
8. The people in the Northern Great Plains Region have the highest rate of lung cancer in the country according to studies by the Indian Health Service. Although the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization were requested to come study the cancer rates in this Region, both agencies have never completed any studies. The CDC said there were not enough people in SD to warrant a study, since SD has less than 1 million people. South Dakota also contains the last majority of people of the Great Sioux Nation.
Conclusion
This Fact Sheet regarding past and planned uranium and coal mining in the Northern Great Plains region should give cause for alarm to all thinking people in the United States. This is the area that has been called "the Bread Basket of the World." For more than forty years, the people of Northern Great Plains and beyond have been subjected to radioactive pollution in the air and water from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps.
There needs to be a concerted effort to determine the extent of the radioactive pollution in the environment, and the health damage that has been and is currently being inflicted upon the people of the United States and the world.
It is imperative that a federal bill be passed in Congress appropriating enough funds for the cleanup of ALL the abandoned uranium mines in this four State region. This harmful situation must not be placed on the end of the Superfund list of hazardous sites to be addressed in twenty years. Those responsible for this disaster must be held responsible for the consequences, but the cleanup and health concerns need to be addressed first.
The cleanup of all of these abandoned, open-pit mines must begin NOW!
********* What you can do ***********
1. Contact the President of the United States, Congressional Representatives and Senators by phone (202) 224-3121, through the mail, and email. Ask that they pass a bill for the cleanup of all the abandoned uranium mines and prospects, and underground nuclear sites in the Northern Great Plains Region of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming as these abandoned mines are affecting the water, air, and food for the entire world.
2. Encourage the use of alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar. Nuclear energy is not the answer and only creates very long term problems for the whole world.
Thank you!
Compiled by Defenders of the Black Hills, PO Box 2003, Rapid City, SD 57709,
A 501(c)3. non-profit corporation.
For more information check out www.defendblackhills.org
Fact Sheet
Uranium Mining and Nuclear Pollution
in the Upper Midwestern United States
1. World War II ended with the nuclear bomb and introduced the use of nuclear energy for the production of electricity which caused the price of uranium to rise. Uranium mining in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota began in the middle of the 1960s. As the economy of the Northern Great Plains states depends primarily on agriculture, when uranium was discovered in the region, many get-rich-quick schemes were adopted. Not only were large mining companies pushing off the tops of bluffs and buttes, but small individual ranchers were also digging in their pastures for the radioactive metal. Mining occurred on both public and private land, although the Great Sioux Nation still maintains a claim to the area through the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1868, the March 3rd Act of 1871, Article VI of the US Constitution, and the 1980 Supreme Court decision on the Black Hills. The Great Sioux Nation was never consulted on any of this.
2. In northwestern South Dakota, the Cave Hills area is managed by the US Forest Service. The area currently contains 104 abandoned open-pit uranium mines. Studies by the USFS show that one mine alone has 1,400 milliRhems per hour (mR/hr) of exposed radiation, a level of radiation that is 120,000 times higher than normal background of 100 milliRhems per year (mR/yr)! A private abandoned, open-pit uranium mine about 200 meters from an elementary school in Ludlow, SD, emits 1170 microRems per hour, more than 4 times as much as being emitted from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. This is only one abandoned, open-pit uranium mine in the middle of the United States.
3. Through research by an independent researcher, more than 3,000 open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in the four state region. A map from the US Forest Service shows the mines and prospects but not how many. The water runoff from the creeks and rivers near these abandoned uranium mines eventually empty into the Missouri River which empties into the Mississippi River. Research shows uranium is being carried down the Missouri River to the southern, South Dakota border. The costs for research outside of this Region has prohibited going outside the Region.
4. The following agencies are aware of these abandoned uranium mines and prospects: US Forest Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, US Bureau of Land Management, SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the US Indian Health Service. Only after public concern about these mines was raised a few years ago did the USFS and the EPA pay for a study in 2006 of the off site effects from only one mine, but not from the combined effects of all the mines. An effort to clean up that one mine was stopped when the mining company declared bankruptcy. Runoff and dust continue to pour from that mine.
5. More than 4,000 exploratory holes, some large enough for a man to fall into, are found in the southwestern Black Hills with an additional 3,000 holes just 10 miles west of the town of Belle Fourche, SD. These holes go to depths of 600 feet. This exploratory process itself has already contaminated the Regions aquifers with radioactive pollutants. Hundreds of more exploratory holes for uranium are being bored in Wyoming and South Dakota with those states' approval.
6. The US Air Force also used small nuclear power plants in some of their hundreds of remote radar stations and missile silos. No data is available on the current status or disposal of these small nuclear power sources or of their wastes. As the US Air Force is responsible for monitoring these sites, although there is no stopping the radioactive pollution that could contaminate aquifers, this responsibility assists in continuing the funding for Ellsworth Air Force Base, a political convenience.
7. In Wyoming, hundreds of abandoned open-pit uranium mines and prospects can be found in or near the coal in the Powder River Basin. Both Wyoming and North Dakota coal is laced with uranium and its decay products. The coal is shipped to power plants in the Eastern and Western parts of the United States. Radioactive dust and particles are released into the air at the coal fired power plants on the East and West Coasts and often set off the warning systems at nuclear power plants. The same radioactive dust and particles are released into the air that travels across South Dakota and to the South and East in the coal strip mining process by itself.
8. The people in the Northern Great Plains Region have the highest rate of lung cancer in the country according to studies by the Indian Health Service. Although the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization were requested to come study the cancer rates in this Region, both agencies have never completed any studies. The CDC said there were not enough people in SD to warrant a study, since SD has less than 1 million people. South Dakota also contains the last majority of people of the Great Sioux Nation.
Conclusion
This Fact Sheet regarding past and planned uranium and coal mining in the Northern Great Plains region should give cause for alarm to all thinking people in the United States. This is the area that has been called "the Bread Basket of the World." For more than forty years, the people of Northern Great Plains and beyond have been subjected to radioactive pollution in the air and water from the hundreds of abandoned open pit uranium mines, processing sites, underground nuclear power stations, and waste dumps.
There needs to be a concerted effort to determine the extent of the radioactive pollution in the environment, and the health damage that has been and is currently being inflicted upon the people of the United States and the world.
It is imperative that a federal bill be passed in Congress appropriating enough funds for the cleanup of ALL the abandoned uranium mines in this four State region. This harmful situation must not be placed on the end of the Superfund list of hazardous sites to be addressed in twenty years. Those responsible for this disaster must be held responsible for the consequences, but the cleanup and health concerns need to be addressed first.
The cleanup of all of these abandoned, open-pit mines must begin NOW!
********* What you can do ***********
1. Contact the President of the United States, Congressional Representatives and Senators by phone (202) 224-3121, through the mail, and email. Ask that they pass a bill for the cleanup of all the abandoned uranium mines and prospects, and underground nuclear sites in the Northern Great Plains Region of South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming as these abandoned mines are affecting the water, air, and food for the entire world.
2. Encourage the use of alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar. Nuclear energy is not the answer and only creates very long term problems for the whole world.
Thank you!
Compiled by Defenders of the Black Hills, PO Box 2003, Rapid City, SD 57709,
A 501(c)3. non-profit corporation.
For more information check out www.defendblackhills.org
Uranium mining on the Great Plains is explained by Charmaine White Face, a member of the Oglala band of the Great Sioux Nation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-aEheBZ-JI#t=18
The State of Hawaii is in negotiations with the US Army for a new lease for Pohakuloa Training Area, according to a staff memo obtained by The Hawaii Independent.
PTA is the major Army training facility for the Pacific region, consisting of a massive 108,863 acre parcel in the saddle of Hawaii Island. About one quarter of PTA – 24,048 – was leased from the State of Hawaii in 1964 for a 65-year period. That’s the area that is being re-negotiated right now.
One question is why the renegotiation is taking place 14 years prior to the end of the lease. According to the staff memo, the Army sent a letter in October of 2012, requesting that the 1964 lease be terminated.
The reason for the request is to relocate the base camp at the east end of Bradshaw Airfield to safeguard personnel and facilities, which will require significant capital improvements. The General Accounting Office advised Applicant that it would need to secure a long-term interest in the premises to justify the investment in such improvements.
That statement doesn’t correspond with our interview with a key Bradshaw Airfield staffer, who said that he wasn’t aware of plans to relocate the base camp, which is primarily kwansit huts and a few conventional structures built in the 1950s.
Changes from the previous lease
The new lease makes some additional changes to the previous 1964 agreement.
Endangered species habitat. 1,065 acres taken out for palila habitat on the Mauna Kea side of the new Saddle Road alignment.
Unexploded ordnance. State land department officials are also recommending that the U.S. Army be held responsible for the cleanup of unexploded ordnance on the leased land. The old lease stated that the government will “remove weapons and shells used in connection with its training activities to the extent that technical and economic capability exists and provided that expenditures for removal of shells will not exceed the fair market value of the land.”
DLNR staff, according to the memo received, are arguing that “those requirements should survive the cancellation of the lease and be incorporated into the new lease.”
Decision-making on new lease
DLNR Chair William Aila said Friday that the lease will not come to the land board for a vote within the next three or four months. But one thing is certain: it won’t be subject to a new EIS, because it qualifies for Exemption Class No.1, “involving negligible or no expansion or change of use beyond that previously existing.”
PTA is the major Army training facility for the Pacific region, consisting of a massive 108,863 acre parcel in the saddle of Hawaii Island. About one quarter of PTA – 24,048 – was leased from the State of Hawaii in 1964 for a 65-year period. That’s the area that is being re-negotiated right now.
One question is why the renegotiation is taking place 14 years prior to the end of the lease. According to the staff memo, the Army sent a letter in October of 2012, requesting that the 1964 lease be terminated.
The reason for the request is to relocate the base camp at the east end of Bradshaw Airfield to safeguard personnel and facilities, which will require significant capital improvements. The General Accounting Office advised Applicant that it would need to secure a long-term interest in the premises to justify the investment in such improvements.
That statement doesn’t correspond with our interview with a key Bradshaw Airfield staffer, who said that he wasn’t aware of plans to relocate the base camp, which is primarily kwansit huts and a few conventional structures built in the 1950s.
Changes from the previous lease
The new lease makes some additional changes to the previous 1964 agreement.
Endangered species habitat. 1,065 acres taken out for palila habitat on the Mauna Kea side of the new Saddle Road alignment.
Unexploded ordnance. State land department officials are also recommending that the U.S. Army be held responsible for the cleanup of unexploded ordnance on the leased land. The old lease stated that the government will “remove weapons and shells used in connection with its training activities to the extent that technical and economic capability exists and provided that expenditures for removal of shells will not exceed the fair market value of the land.”
DLNR staff, according to the memo received, are arguing that “those requirements should survive the cancellation of the lease and be incorporated into the new lease.”
Decision-making on new lease
DLNR Chair William Aila said Friday that the lease will not come to the land board for a vote within the next three or four months. But one thing is certain: it won’t be subject to a new EIS, because it qualifies for Exemption Class No.1, “involving negligible or no expansion or change of use beyond that previously existing.”
The Facts about Depleted Uranium (DU) in
Hawaii
The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) draft brochure “The Facts about Depleted Uranium in Hawaii” has come undercriticism, with some constructive suggestions from community and technical resource people. (The DOH draft brochure is attached to this email.) Below is a summary of a community commentary. The full length commentaries from people have been sent directly to the DOH.
Retired Ph.D. Geologist, Michael Reimer, of Kona said “When the length of the commentary exceeds the length of the original document for review, something is wrong.” Doctor Reimer, offered some suggestions to correct some inaccuracies and misleading statements. For example: DOH statement “Depleted uranium has 40% less radioactivity than natural uranium.” Dr. Reimer: “This is misleading. It has 40 percent less radioactivity at the time it is separated but daughters continue to grow and radioactivity increases. In 50 years, the time since the use of DU at PTA, radiation has increased another 20 percent.”
Another example — DOH: “Is the public exposed to DU? It is unlikely that the general public is inhaling small particles of DU.”
Dr. Reimer: “This section might be better titled “How is the public exposed to DU?… How DU is aerosolized becomes the relevant question. At PTA, there are several mechanisms. The most likely is that spotting rounds have become pulverized when explosives strike on or near a spotting round. The aerosol can form mechanically (the shock and friction), physically, (heat and pressure generation), or chemically (conversion to an oxide that is easily friable). DU has been found over 25 miles from its source in a study in New York State. Aerosols move in the wind and once deposited can be resuspended and move again. Very little energy is needed to resuspend the aerosol. Buried DU fragments, more likely to be oxidized, can be aerosolized when struck with an explosive device such as a mortar, howitzer or rocket shell or even vehicular traffic.
Dr. Reimer stated in an earlier section:
“Regarding radiation, one should not ignore the US EPA holding that all unnecessary radiation should be avoided. They base this in the theory that radiation risk is linear related to dose and has no threshold.”
Dr. Reimer said, “As a concluding statement, I do not understand why the Army in cooperation with the Hawai`i Department of Health does not design and conduct a study to resolve the DU issue. There is no need to speculate if DU aerosols are or are not present. Establish adequate measurement protocols and make the measurements. It is clear that the previous measurements of aerosols requested by the Army were insufficient to resolve whether the uranium detected was DU or natural U.
“Engage the active community in this study. Develop a program that will address the transport fate and the distribution, if any, of depleted uranium from PTA. This makes it a win-win-win situation. The Army, the State, and the residents of the Big Island. It is so simple to configure, the costs are moderate, and you will have resolved this issue. Remove this issue from speculation and into reality.”
Others offering comment:
Retired Army MD and MPH Dr. Lorrin W. Pang said: “To bring in new agencies now, like CDC without the publics chance to raise issues with them is not fair…”
In a newly released video entitle “Pohakuloa: Now that you know. Do you care?” which can be viewed at Vimeo.com/163867248 Dr. Pang states: “DU explodes on impact at 3000 degrees, half settles to the ground, half goes into the air –aerosolized uranium. DU in and of itself is not that dangerous. But alpha particle emitters within your body is the most deadly form of radiation of all. It is stopped by your skin,but in your body it will mutate your DNA, more than any other type of radiation.”
…”A lot of people, except the U.S. and UK which have a conflict of interest, consider DU a weapon of mass destruction. Why would you have a guy (the Army) with a conflict of interest, doing his own quality assurance?”
Cory Harden, a member of the Sierra Club said “If DU is so safe, how come the Army doesn’t use it any more (in training)?” An Army spokesperson said it was banned from being used in training since 1996.
Kona resident, Doug Fox said : “Don’t look, don’t find, don’t tell. Uranium is not primarily a gamma emitter (it’s alpha) so that to test a range by helicopter for gamma emission is inadequate methodology. Only one per cent of the site was ever tested by them using the wrong methodology.”
“The DOH statement that “The health effects of uranium are due to its chemical toxicity, rather than radiation” is not true. “Inhaled DU alpha particles are one of the most powerful mutagens known to science.”
DOH said: “It is not known whether uranium is harmful to an unborn child” Fox retorts: “This is willful ignorance. Birth defects have been vividly portrayed in Life magazine showing armless children of US vets exposed to DU munitions smoke.” An “Epidemiological study by Dr. Chris Busby of the UK showed the impact of DU munitions on Fallujah, Iraq was higher than radiation exposures at Hiroshima.”
DOH: “It is unlikely that the general public is inhaling small particles of DU”. Fox: “This is another smokescreen. The truth is it is very likely that travelers through the Mauna Kea State Park area have been exposed in the past. I personally witnessed a big spike in radiation detection from a dust devil coming off the old Range 11 in May 2007. Range 11 is where anti tank penetrator munitions have been tested.”
Doug Rokke Ph.D.; Major, retired/disabled; U.S. Army former Director, U.S. Army Depleted Uranium Project had this to say about the DOH DU draft brochure:
“As the former director of the United States Army Depleted Uranium Project, former 3rd U.S. Army DU team health physicist and team medic during Operation Desert Storm, and confirmed DU casualty I AM UPSET AND HORRIFIED at the amount of misinformation – down-right wrong information contained in your DU fact paper that negates- ignores actual health and environmental effects. .. false information… is required by direct written DOD- Army orders per the 1991 Los Alamos memo ( seehttp://www.traprockpeace.org/twomemos.html ) in order to sustain the use of uranium weapons while avoiding all liability for the known serious adverse health and environmental effects as were specified in the March 1991 Defense Nuclear agency memo and thousands of pages of other reports.As to radiological measurements-any effective measurement: that is detection and quantification requires very specialized equipment (AN PDR 77 with RPO kit) and techniques that I and my team developed and validated for the US Army during the DU project burn and impact tests. .. once du is released into the environment… it will never be safe at all no matter what is done. THE REGION AND EQUIPMENT- STRUCTURES-TERRAIN- FOOD- WATER – VEGETATION WITHIN THE DANGER ZONE EXTENDING OUT DOZENS OF MILES ACTUALLY HUNDREDS OF MILESREMAIN A HAZARD FOR ETERNITY.”
According to Dr. Rokke, “DOD documents confirm that potential health effects, including: lung cancer, respiratory, eye, skin, and genetic abnormalities. The VA reports DU causing: sleep problems, mood swings, upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms, neuropsychological symptoms (including memory loss), chronic fatigue and immune system dysfunction, skin rashes and unusual hair loss, aching joints, headaches, abdominal pain, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, menstrual disorders, gastrointestinal symptoms, nervous disorders (such as numbness of a limb), multiple chemical sensitivity, birth defects in children whose parents were exposed.”
Points raised by Hawaii peace activist Jim Albertini
1. A New York State DU factory study showed DU dispersed more than 25 miles away.
2. My understanding is the Army was only prohibited from using DU in training in 1996. It was first used at PTA in 1961 according to the Army. What does that tell you? It tells me that if it was not prohibited in training, it was likely used in training. What about other military branches and foreign countries that have trained at PTA?
3. No mention of other possible DU use than Davy Crockett. Cluster bombs and a wide range of other weapons have been used at PTA, many of which may have involved DU.
4. What does the DOH “ambient background surveys” consist — monitor on for 5 minutes once a month?
5. Offer 24 hour urine tests for PTA and DLNR long term workers in or around PTA, Mauna Kea Park, etc.
6 My understanding is The Waiki’i sample did not rule out the presence of DU
7. Less than 1% of PTA has been tested for DU
8. My radiation monitor Digilert-50, picked up 2 spikes of over 30CPM at Mauna Kea park on Sunday 4/28/13 when background readings were between 5-20 for 3 hours. The wind was coming from the south where DU had been confirmed fired approximately 1 mile from Mauna Kea Park.
9. No mention that spotting rounds bombed for 50 years with high explosives likely would burn the DU. If not where are all the large fragments –unaccounted for, missing?
10. No mention of the horrendous health problems of Fallujah Iraq which was heavily bombed with DU by the U.S. Birth defects, cancers, etc.
11. No mention is made of the Saddle Rd as a possible avenue of exposure to DU. For 50 years the old Saddle Rd came within ½ mile of ranges where DU was used. Signs along the old Saddle Rd read “Live Fire Overhead.” The New Saddle Rd. has resulted in increased traffic which risks exposing more people to DU and transporting DU around the island in the same way little fire ants, cocqui frogs, and weed seeds are transported by vehicles.
12. Uranium in urine: I know of 3 Hilo MDs and a naturopathic doctor who have patients with elevated uranium in their urine found by 24 hour urine tests for heavy metals. Recently I asked the PTA commander as an act of good faith to the community to offer 24 hour urine tests to long-term PTA employees to see if any have elevated uranium readings as well. The commander refused. I’ve asked the DOH to offer similar test to state workers at Mauna Kea park and others who work in the area or travel the Saddel Rd regularly. I am still waiting for a response.
13. Has DU been used at Makua military reservation? Kaho’olawe island and other present or former military ranges in Hawaii? What other ranges are being investigated for possible exposure to DU and what is the status of the investigations?
14. In July 2008, the Hawaii County Council, by a vote of 8-1 passed resolution 639-08. That resolution called for the military to take 8 actions to address the potential hazard of DU, including “a complete halt to B-2 bombing missions and to all live-firing exercises and other activities at the Pohakuloa Training Area that create dust until there is an assessment and clean up of the depleted uranium already present.” The seven other actions called for establishing a permanent high tech monitoring system to ensure air quality control; citizen monitoring system to work with the military to assure transparency and community confidence; host quarterly meetings to update and inform the public; ensure permanent funds are available for the monitoring programs; provide a liaison to the County of Hawaii to facilitate communication; provide semiannual reports to the County summarizing DU monitoring , detection, and mitigation efforts; the military shall conduct a search of all records for firing DU at PTA and other Hawaii state military sites and release the information to the public.
To date, it does not appear that any of the actions requested of the military by the Hawaii County Council in July 2008 have been taken by the military. Why?
Additional comments by Hawaii Public Health Doctor/researcher, Carol Murry, DrPH: “the information in the draft brochure concerning the discovery of the use of DU in Hawai’i ignored the fact that the military denied its use for several years. Despite statements that the Department of Health has no responsibility concerning DU, the DOH is responsible for the health of its citizens and, thus, does have a duty to be involved. The areas surrounding the military sites where DU was used are vulnerable to exposure and some of the landhas been leased to the military by the state. It appears that the DOH has shared its monitoring methods and results with the NRC and Army, but not its citizens, leading to mistrust. The section on health effects of DU appears to ignore known health issues and to misstate that the only effect is due to chemical toxicity rather than radiation. The section on studies done in Hawai’i doesn’t address the issues of those working at Pohakuloa, those traveling the saddle Rd, or downwind vs. the general population of the Big Island. The section on exposure discusses dust, soil and sediment testing, but not monitoring radiation in the air. Many will not believe or trust the DOH until it works in partnership with concerned citizens, rather than solely in partnership with the military and the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry).”
DOH brochure statement: “Given the nature of the spotting rounds, the environmental data indicating a low potential for DU to become airborne, and the distance to populated areas, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry(ATSDR), a federal health agency, concluded that the general population around PTA is not exposed to DU. The Hawaii Department of Health concurs with ATSDR’s conclusion.”
Conclusion of Malu Aina:
ATSDR and the DOH have not presented credible evidence and good science to support the above statement. More research and testing are needed to determine the amount of DU used at Pohakuloa, its dispersal, and possible health impacts to troops, residents, and visitors alike.
Show the community good faith, transparency, credible evidence, good science, respect, and partnership. To date all are lacking.
Mahalo.
Jim Albertini Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Ola’a (Kurtistown) Hawai’i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.orgwww.malu-aina.org
vimeo.com
Editor’s Note: This series of articles, “The Yellowcake Trail,” tracks all aspects of uranium in Canada from the mining and milling, to processing and use, throughout its eighty-year history. The series begins with the history of uranium in Canada, from its initial discovery to the rapid development of mines that placed Canada as the prominent world leader in uranium production. Each mine has a story and each story has a common thread and legacy. They originally ran in the June/July 2009 issue of Western Canadian environmental magazine Watershed Sentinel, researched and written by Anna Tilman:
Yellowcake is the bright yellow uranium powder produced when raw uranium ore is crushed and purified. It is actually a mixture of uranium oxides, mostly U3O8 (urania), and ranges in colour from yellow to orange to dark green. It is this yellowcake that is packaged in steel drums, traded and sent across the world to be further processed, converted to different forms, enriched and used in the manufacture of nuclear fuel or bombs.
The yellowcake trail is lined with environmental devastation, sickness and death. The nuclear industry has always been a law unto itself, sheltered by governments promoting the industry as a safe and clean means of satisfying the insatiable demand for energy. Yet no insurance company in the world will sell liability insurance to a nuclear power plant. Nuclear scientists and engineers strongly endorse nuclear power, caught up in their fascination with the unique properties of uranium and the power it unleashes.
Nuclear (radioactive) waste is deadly to human beings in amounts as small as a millionth of a gram, and we have produced it in hundreds of thousands of tonnes. It is already leaking out of totally inadequate containment, not only from mine sites, refineries and nuclear power plants, but also from nuclear weapons programs. There is no way to get rid of it and it remains lethal for millions of years.
- See more at: http://www.ourbigearth.com/2010/01/11/shift-news-the-yellowcake-trail-uranium-mining-in-canada-part-1/#sthash.KbndB4uQ.dpuf
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