Radioactive DU Discovered in Hawai'i

The U.S. Army Stryker Brigade Combat Team must not be based here in Hawaii because these war vehicles are capable of firing uranium products. The military recently admits to depleted uranium contamination on two live-fire training ranges in Hawai’i...

The Stryker Brigade Combat Team must not be based here in Hawaii because these war vehicles are capable of firing uranium products. The military recently admits to depleted uranium contamination on two live-fire training ranges in Hawai’i.

Our islands have already endured too much military toxic pollution. O’ahu has at least 7 superfund sites caused by military pollution. See www.dmzhawaii.org And now the military wants to build up in Hawaii and contaminate our islands with more radiation products and other military toxins.

The Army is in violation of their own regulations, specifically AR 700-48

The Stryker Brigade Combat Team SEIS published July 2007 See  http://www.sbct-seis.org/ Chapter 3 page 7 states: “Forty-five separate locations showed Gamma levels higher than background”. This military admission proves Schofield Barracks is contaminated with uranium products. I seriously doubt that these 45 contaminated areas were caused by DU spotting rounds used back in the 1960’s. Many residents here suspect that the military is using uranium products in live-fire training in Hawaii.

One uranium product fired as a weapon becomes trillions of tiny ballistic uranium particles and emits alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Gamma radiation can penetrate anything outside the body. Alpha radiation outside the body does not pose much of a public health risk. However alpha radiation inside the body has devastating health effects and the military knows it.

Every tiny alpha particle gives off over 4 million electron volts of energy. All uranium muntions gives off a little bit of gamma radiation. Schofield Barracks has 45 different sites of elevated gamma radiation contamination. The U.S. Army admitted in August 2007 that Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawai’i Island is also contaminated with radioactive Depleted Uranium. See  http://www.bigislandweekly.com/articles/2007/08/29/read/comment/comment05.txt

The military wants to continue this contamination by locating the Stryker Brigade Combat Team here and increase live-fire training from 16 million rounds to 20 million fired rounds a year. Depleted uranium is the most persistent of all military toxins with a half-life of billions of years! Disrupting the depleted uranium contaminated artillery ranges is a crime against Hawaiian people.

Military actions prove the military is in violation of their own regulations. All elevated radioactivity above background radiation on the artillery ranges is because the military put the radioactive material there!

A “prescribed burn” was used to discover these 45 different elevated gamma radiation sites. The U.S. military violates Army Regulation 700-48. In section 2-4, point 2 and 3 requires that: “Procedures to minimize the spread of radioactivity will be implemented as soon as possible and radioactive material and waste will not be locally disposed of through burial, submersion, incineration, destruction in place, or abandonment"

Relocate the Stryker Brigade away from Hawaii; close all military live-fire training ranges they are radioactive: and begin comprehensive clean-up and remediate our sacred islands. I charge U.S. military officers in Hawai’i with “dereliction of duty”! The military took a sworn oath to protect us! Who is going to protect us from our own military?

We are that’s who; people who love Hawai’i. Please help us Protect Hawaii and stop this horrific, persistent military toxic pollution to our precious islands. Please write to the Army at  PublicComments@aec.apgea.army.mil. before October 30, 2007. No Stryker Brigade Combat team in Hawai’i.

e-mail:: tenfingers10toes@protecthawaii.ws homepage:: http://www.protecthawaii.ws

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