|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|
|
|
|
Scorched Earth: Military Actions Lead to Environmental Destruction
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
by Lynne Gildensoph, W A M M
|
Environmental devastation has historically been associated with military actions and war. The long-practiced military strategy of scorched earth destroyed an enemy’s lands—either by burning everything, or by actions such as salting the soil, inhibiting the growth of the next year’s crops.
This ensured that individuals who survived an armed onslaught would not be able to survive starvation, and would not be able to easily inhabit their lands again.
Environmental problems also typically follow in the wake of modern military actions. A good example includes the use of the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T in Vietnam (these chemicals are known as Agent Orange). Millions of gallons of herbicide were sprayed over regions of Vietnam where enemy combatants were thought to be hiding. The result was that forest cover was destroyed, as the plants dropped their leaves in response to the action of the herbicides, since exposed plants grow too fast to feed themselves. Although this action directly destroyed forests, which was horrible enough, an indirect effect also took place, because aerial spraying of Agent Orange exposed people (and other animals) to highly toxic chemicals known as dioxins, which were produced as byproducts of herbicide manufacture.
Dioxins are extremely toxic in very low doses. They are mutagens (disrupt DNA structure) and have been linked to skin and liver diseases, extreme rashes, and soft tissue cancers in humans. Dioxins are also included in a class of compounds known as endocrine disruptors (aka xenoestrogens or environmental estrogens). As such, they are linked to a variety of other disorders, such as decreased sperm counts and breast cancer.
Gulf War Syndrome (neurological problems, persistent headaches, chronic pain, and fatigue) is one striking example of the direct environmental effects to humans caused by exposure to war toxins. It is due to exposure to unidentified neurotoxins and byproducts from burning oil wells, and the effects of exposure to depleted uranium (DU) dust, which results from the use of missiles/bombs fortified with depleted uranium. DU is a heavy metal which allows these munitions to deeply penetrate their targets, even if armored. Exposure to DU dust has been linked to increased risk of lung cancer and the potential for kidney damage. Those most in danger from inhalation and ingestion of DU dust include soldiers who are caught in “friendly fire” incidents as well as civilians who might come into direct contact with burning DU munitions and children who play in contaminated soil.
But it is not just the direct acts of war that lead to environmental/human damage. The very act of getting ready for war can also negatively impact the environment. For example, the manufacture of weapons frequently results in environmental havoc. The biggest superfund site in this country is located in the state of Washington at the U.S. military’s Hanford Nuclear Site. Plutonium used for nuclear weapons was produced at Hanford’s reactors for more than four decades, starting in 1944 (as part of the Manhattan Project) and ending in 1990. Today, the nine reactors, five chemical separation plants, and the surrounding area, including storage tanks holding millions of gallons of radioactive waste, have become an environmental disaster. According to the State of Oregon’s website, 149 of the 177 storage tanks were constructed with just a single steel wall, and then encased in concrete. Over time, breakdown due to contact with radioactive materials has occurred, and about 50 percent of those tanks are leaking into the ground and, ultimately, the groundwater, nearly 200 miles of which has already been contaminated
Although most of the liquid held in these leaking tanks has since been pumped out to safer storage (double-shelled tanks), radioactive sludge has been left behind in the original tanks. None of the tanks was built for long-term storage: The double-hulled tanks will ultimately also leak, and the radioactive materials will continue to leach into the Columbia River (controversy exists as to how impacted the ecosystem is), affecting plant and animal populations that rely on this ecosystem. Plans are to separate the highly radioactive materials out from the lower level materials, and vitrify them (encase them in solid glass so that they are immobile). Both forms of waste will then be buried on-site. Problems at the vitrification plant have caused costs to soar, further complicating cleanup.
In California, the production of solid rocket and missile fuel by Department of Defense contractors has led to groundwater contamination by the chemical known as perchlorate. Both the Environmental Working Group (EWA) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture found that cow’s milk produced in contaminated areas has levels of perchlorate that are higher than what is deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Those at highest risk are children, since their body masses are smaller, so that a dose of toxin has a much more devastating effect on their physiology than it would on an adult, although adults can also be impacted.
According to an EWA report published in the early 2000s, “half of all children 1 to 5 would exceed EPA’s safe dose just by drinking milk, and more than one-third of children 6 to 11 would get a larger dose than EPA says is safe, with one-fifth consuming twice as much.” Exposure to perchlorate causes thyroid problems, interfering with iodine metabolism, and potentially increasing risks to developing fetuses (whose mothers consume contaminated products) and children who drink milk, for neurological problems. Perchlorate contamination is consumed in foods other than milk, such as fruits and vegetables, increasing the potential dose. In addition, perchlorate may act synergistically with the water pollutant nitrate, which is also a thyroid disruptor. Seventeen other states are also known to be impacted, based on testing, especially where groundwater contamination spreads to adjacent states and in places where perchlorate, which is used to make products other than missile fuels (such as fireworks and car air bags), may have been released into the environment.
While the military has started paying attention to identifying and cleaning up hazardous waste sites, the underlying cause still exists—preparing for and waging war are dirty enterprises. What can we do about these concerns? Keeping informed, and making sure that others are, too, will help. However, it is also important to take action—and to keep pressure on the perpetrators of these environmental crimes.
Sources:
U.S. Veteran Dispatch Staff Report. November 1990. “The Story of Agent Orange”
Rachel’s Democracy and Health News. April 1, 2004. “Depleted Uranium Weapons of War”
World Health Organization. January 2003. “Depleted uranium”
Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Disease. Nov. 15, 2004.
Environmental Working Group. June 22, 2004. “Rocket Fuel Contamination in California Milk”
Environmental Working Group. March 2003. “Rocket Fuel in Drinking Water: Perchlorate Pollution Spreading Nationwide”
State of Oregon website. “The Columbia River at Risk: Why Hanford Cleanup is Vital to Oregon.” |
|
|
W A M M Action!
Just say NO to Warrantless Wiretapping
Opposition to President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping is building. Key Republicans, including Rep. Heather Wilson, NM, are calling for an independent investigation. Wilson chairs the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence and said she has “serious concerns” about the program. Sen. Arlen Specter, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, which questioned Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about the wiretapping program, told Gonzalez “You think you’re right, but there are a lot of people who think you’re wrong.” He also said he was “not persuaded” by the administration’s case. The administration maintains that the wiretapping is legal and necessary to combat terrorism.
Some of the others who oppose the wiretaps include former Vice President Al Gore, former Georgia congressman Bob Barr (considered a champion of conservative causes), who formed Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances; David Keene, chair of the American Conservative Union; Paul Weyrich, head of the Free Congress Foundation; and Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed suit in January to end the wiretaps. (Star Tribune, Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, 2006)
A majority—56 percent—of Americans polled in January believe the president should get warrants before wiretapping phone calls or e-mails of U.S. citizens to suspected terrorists. (Star Tribune, Jan. 8, 2006)
|
|
|
|
|
© 2006 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
|
 |
|
Complete March 2006 Index - click here
|
|
 |
|
|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
