Unmasked
The lowdown on depleted uranium in Hawai'i

by Keith Bettinger

"Damage control" has taken on a new meaning over the past year as military officials grapple with episode after episode of discarded and forgotten munitions. In addition to tons of chemical weapons dumped offshore and conventional weapons of unknown origin resting on the sea floor at Wai'anae's aptly named Ordnance Reef, the U.S. Army is now confronted with the remnants of depleted uranium at the site of at least one of its installations.
Adding fuel to the fire is a recent visit by globetrotting depleted uranium activist Leuren Moret and a subsequent television news story about elevated radiation readings on Hawai'i Island.
Military officials say the recent findings pose no danger, but many residents are demanding independent verification. According to some, the recent findings are just more evidence that the Army is irresponsibly polluting the islands.
What is DU?
Depleted uranium (DU) is a byproduct of the enriching process that creates fuel for nuclear reactors; it is also used in some ammunition because it can penetrate armor. DU has also been used in tank armor, as a counterweight in aircraft and in helicopter blade assemblies. According to the World Health Organization, depleted uranium emits about 60 percent of the radiation of natural uranium. In its natural state it is not especially dangerous; it is described as weakly radioactive, comparable to some naturally occurring materials. However, when DU is heated to 170 degrees Celsius, it burns and aerosolizes, forming microscopic particles easily dispersed by the wind. When inhaled, these particles enter the bloodstream and cause health problems.
Some researchers believe that DU exposure is responsible for Gulf War Syndrome, which has afflicted thousands of combat veterans since the first Gulf War, but there is no conclusive evidence.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says that elevated doses of DU can lead to cancer and that aerosolized DU from training ranges can make its way into the food chain. Although there seems to be no smoking-gun evidence as to the health effects of DU, health experts advise caution since no one really understands the potential for harm.
Cold War relic
The most concrete finding is the recent discovery of spotting rounds for "Davy Crockett" tactical nuclear weapons at Schofield Barracks. Davy Crocketts, field artillery pieces that fired nuclear warheads, were
used between 1961 and 1968. The spotting rounds contained depleted uranium because its weight was similar to that of the actual 76-pound nuclear weapons (which were never fired in Hawai'i) and were used to estimate trajectories.
Several tail assemblies were unearthed at Schofield by contractors working on projects related to the Stryker brigade, halting construction until safety procedures were put in place. There is some suspicion that these munitions were also used at Makua Military Reservation on O'ahu and at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island. As of yet there has been no evidence to support this, but perhaps more importantly there has been no testing.
Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general and highest homeland security official, says that DU munitions have never been used in training where armor piercing is required in Hawai'i and that there is no reason to be concerned about DU contamination.
"It's only used to blow up enemy tanks and armor. Once that is done, DU munitions are not used. None of my troops that were called up even handled DU," he says, referring to National Guard troops deployed to Iraq.
DU is currently used in tank ammunition, in rounds for the A-10 and Harrier aircraft, in Bradley Fighting Vehicle rounds, and ammunition for the Navy's Phalanx CIWS defense system. In 1994 two rounds containing DU were accidentally fired into the Ko'olau Mountains on O'ahu. Though no damage or injuries were reported, the rounds were never recovered.
The Army says that depleted uranium munitions are not and have never been used on the Hawaiian Islands. Though the recent discovery of the tail assemblies would seem to contradict the official statement, the Army maintains that the Davy Crockett spotting rounds are a different class of munitions. It is a subtle, but significant, semantic separation. It suggests that while things are clear now, there is no way to know what is buried beneath the ground. Currently a special license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is required to fire and store DU munitions in the United States. There are no such permits for any of the military facilities on the Hawaiian Islands except for the Naval storage magazine at Lualualei. However, it is unclear whether there was any permit for the Davy Crockett spotting rounds.
Kamoa Quiteis, the field director of the cultural monitors who supervised clearance for Stryker Brigade construction and transformation at Schofield Barracks, was there when the first of the tail assemblies were discovered.
"They initially found 15 tail assemblies, but recently they have found more," he says.
Quiteis explains that while widely circulated rumors of open burning of the tail assembles are not true, there is regular open burning on the ranges at Schofield to maintain a clear line of sight. These fires often cause unexploded ordnance on the range to detonate.
"Our concern is, are the fires aerosolizing these fin assemblies?" Quiteis says. "And how much DU gets kicked into the air when they do live-fire exercises?"
A foul wind
Concern has been increasing recently among residents of the Big Island over possible DU contamination. These concerns stem from some elevated radiation readings obtained on a hand-held Geiger counter by Kona resident Doug Fox.
"We had a strange windy day with winds coming from the direction of Pohakaloa," Fox says. "I turned the counter on and it started out at 30, and soon was up to 40, then 50. Over a two-hour period the high was 93."
Normal readings for Kona, according to Fox, are between 2 and 15 counts per minute. "We were quite shocked."
Fox and visiting activist Leuren Moret conducted an informal survey from Cape Kumukahi up through the Saddle Road and the Mauna Loa access, measuring soil and collecting samples. Fox indicated that the elevated readings were obtained during live-fire exercises at Pohakaloa. A local television news station broadcast the findings, but official comment has treated these findings as an unreliable artifact.
"Something is being released and is impacting a number of people," said Fox. "We do know that the military said they didn't use DU here, but we know that they did."
A citizens' monitoring movement is now taking shape on the Big Island.
"I've been running a Geiger counter all the time for the past two and half weeks. I download all the data," ays Kona resident Gunther Monkowski. "We are trying to put information out because there is a lot of bogus stuff. I don't want to put out false information… So far I think [my readings] are still in the natural radiation scope."
Fox also says that he has not been able to replicate the elevated reading. "It is an anomaly, but when you have an anomaly, you have to investigate it," he says.
The group is working on compiling the results into a database and making them available to the public. Results should be available soon at www.world-peace-society.org.
Monkowski says that his meter had the highest possible accuracy and was used frequently by professionals. Fox told HIJ that a number of people have ordered counters, and so they should soon have 5-12 monitoring stations up and running around Pohakaloa.
Silent treatment
A perceived failure to address the issue does not help the Army's credibility. Despite a promised interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Tad Davis, the Army refused to comment for this story.
Davis recently made several appearances in Hawai'i to discuss discarded munitions at Wai'anae and World War II-era chemical weapons dumps and expressed a willingness to discuss DU. However, bureaucratic incompetence and/or intentional foot-dragging conspired against us. The difficulty in obtaining information from the military is not an isolated phenomenon; local NGOs frequently complain of obscurantism and obstructionism.
Kyle Kajihiro, program director of the American Friends Service Committee, says the military in Hawai'i has a history of not quite telling the whole truth.
"The problem of something like DU, for example, comes from the fact that the military is so pervasive and no one has held them accountable," he says. "They have too much power and they tend to abuse it."
Citizens concerned about their health report similar difficulties.
"We were trying to get information about the hazards from the Army, but we never really got the information," says Quiteis.
The local angle
The Army is mum, but state officials and local representatives are taking notice. State Rep. Josh Green (Dist. 6, Kailua-Kona) introduced a bill (HB 1452) during the recently ended legislative session calling for testing around military reservations in response to the findings at Schofield.
"We felt very strongly that we ought to know if there is depleted uranium in the state," Green says.
The bill was subsequently scaled down in committee but was passed by both the House and Senate before stalling in conference committee due to a lack of funding.
"I encountered no one that was against the bill in principle," Green adds. "My understanding is that we just ran out of funds."
Green, a medical doctor and legislator known for environment-friendly bills, says that he would try to get the bill passed next year.
Before HB 1452 stalled out, it ran into opposition from the military and the state. "The bill wanted to have a state incursion onto federal property, which we can't do," says Lee, who testified against the bill. "Our intention was not to kill the bill, but to have the state [Department of Health] work with the army."
Department of Health (DOH) Program Manager for Noise, Radiation and Indoor Air Quality Branch Russell Takata explained that the DOH's opposition was procedural and that he did not have a problem with the spirit of the law. "It's a legal obstacle for DOH to test on federal property. Hawai'i is a non-agreement state, and so we do not have the authority to license or inspect." Takata says, adding that an increasing number of states are becoming "agreement states," which means they are sanctioned by the NRC to regulate nuclear activities. But since Hawai'i is a non-agreement state, the NRC must carry out these functions.
Takata says that it would be nice to have an agreement with the NRC, but it would take years and cost a great deal of money to meet the requirements. However, having agreement-state status would not matter in this instance because the site is on federal property.
"It's really a shame that the Legislature let it die," says Kajihiro, who testified in support of the bill. "It was a minimal step...but it has helped to raise the public awareness and stimulate discussion on the issue."
The Health Department has also looked into alleged elevated readings on the Big Island. Takata says that his department took readings but found nothing out of the ordinary. "We did go down there and we will do this periodically," he says.
The DOH program director says he welcomes the monitoring efforts of citizens, but urges them to be aware that their reading my be inaccurate. "It's good in that when there is some type of emergency there is always an insufficient number of meters," he said. "However, for precise background measurements they should buy better equipment."
According to Takata, experts do not consider many hand-held Geiger counters to be accurate in the lower ranges because they cannot precisely pick up the energies of hundreds of different naturally occurring radioisotopes. He added that meters should be calibrated annually.
Takata also says that his department has been providing training for emergency workers and first responders since 2005. Training includes six hours of classroom instruction and hands-on training for specific meters. Training can be tailored to the equipment participants have. "There is no charge, and so any interested group should call us for training." Takata says his department would be willing to work with Big Island residents to better utilize their equipment.
"There have been a lot of claims lately, and a lot is unscientific." Lee indicated that more testing was required before any action was taken.
In response to the readings on the Big Island, the 93rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team was deployed to take readings and check the air filters of Humvees. "I'm in charge of homeland security, and so it's of enormous concern to me," says Lee. "They have the best equipment on the islands and could find nothing above background radiation."
Local groups want the military to be more forthcoming and to cooperate in testing. They say at the very least the state should be involved.
"A suitable solution would be for the state to participate in every level and to be a partner at every step of the way," says Marti Townsend of KAHEA, The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, a coalition of environmental and native Hawaiian advocates throughout the islands.
"We're having to take health protection efforts into our own hands," says Townsend of the Geiger counter movement.
"The state is more responsive to the wishes of the people, whereas the military is impervious to public opinion." Kajihiro says that "we should always err on the side of public safety…but the agencies responsible for public health are not doing their job on checking things out."
However, for many citizens, nothing short of completely independent testing and monitoring will suffice. Lorrin Pang, a consultant with the World Health Organization, is suspicious of official statements.
"You really have to pin [the Army] down," Pang says. "What are they really saying? It's always vague."
Pang, Maui County's district health officer, stresses that his involvement in this issue is as a private citizen. He echoes the sentiment of many on the Big Island, calling for independent, unannounced testing.
"There must be transparency," he says. "Give us references; don't tell us what you think."
Pang served for 24 years in the Army Medical Corps and says he is familiar with the bureaucracy. He says, "I've seen how this system works. I don't love it and I don't hate it, I just know how it can be."

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