Protest Hawaii Dept. of Health
Inaction
over Military Depleted Uranium
(DU) Contamination
Time: 3-4:30PM
Date: Wednesday Dec. 5, 2012
Place: DOH Environmental Health Office
1582 Kamehameha Ave. Hilo (between Restaurant Cocqi and the Volvo dealer)
DOH needs to speak out for public health & safety!
The DOH has been asleep on the DU issue for years. The DOH should be standing up advocating for public health and safety measures at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Dec. 12th meeting over military licensing to possess DU in Hawaii. The DOH and the NRC should be supporting the Hawaii County Council’s July 2, 2008 Resolution 639-08 which passed by a vote of 8-1 that called for 8 actions including stopping all live-fire at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) until there is clean up of the DU present at PTA. The DOH and the NRC should be calling for comprehensive testing and monitoring to determine the full extent of radiation contamination at PTA. To date, the military has only found a few fragments of hundreds, possibly thousands, of the Davy Crockett DU spotting rounds fired at PTA. Where is the rest of the DU after more than 40 years of being bombed? Is it Blowing in the wind? If the military can’t account for the DU, then it has been “disposed of” in Hawaii and that’s a violation of the Hawaii State Constitution under ARTICLE XI on NUCLEAR ENERGY Section 8 which states: No nuclear fission power plant shall be constructed or radioactive material disposed of in the State without the prior approval by a two-thirds vote in each house of the legislature.” What is the DOH and the NRC, doing to bring this to the attention of the U.S. and State Attorney General’s office, DLNR, Governor, Congress, etc. Should the military’s lease at PTA on tens of thousands of acres of State (Crown) lands be canceled?
What about the possible use of nearly 20 other DU weapons in the US arsenal? Have they been used at PTA, Schofield, Makua, Kaho’olawe, etc.? The Army says DU rounds were not prohibited from being used in training until 1996. What does that tell you? And how about the Navy, Marines, and Air Force? When, if ever, did they prohibit DU in training?
Uranium Showing Up In Residents Urine!
Recently, several Big island residents – patients of 3 Medical Doctors and a Naturopathic doctor – have tested high for uranium in their urine, including levels exceeding three times the upper expected limit. Email Gary.Gill@doh.hawaii.govto investigate to determine the source of this uranium.The DOH and the NRC should be offering free urine tests to people who work at PTA, travel the Saddle Rd. etc. as well as investigating other possible causes of high uranium in residents’ urine.
We are looking forward to the “New Day” of Dept. of Health and NRC action standing up to the military for the health and safety of the people. Mahalo.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622. Emailja@malu-aina.org http://www.malu-aina.org
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