[CPEO-MEF] Atoll still harbors toxic dangers

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Hawai'i
THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER
Atoll still harbors toxic dangers
By Jan TenBruggencate
Posted on: Sunday, November 23, 2003

The nerve gas incinerator complex on Johnston Atoll has been dismantled
and buried, but pollution threats persist on the remote island, and it
may be a long time before it reverts to being a full-time wildlife
refuge.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it won't take full control of
the atoll until the toxic threats are removed and the military makes a
commitment to return to resolve any future toxicity issues that arise.

Johnston is a remote atoll 800 miles southwest of Honolulu, where the
military during World War II dredged up coral to create a runway, harbor
and base, transforming a former sand bar into a small, rectangular
industrial complex.

Over the years, the island has been used for nuclear testing, chemical
munitions storage, military herbicide storage and eventually for a
prototype facility for the destruction of chemical munitions such as
Sarin and VX nerve gas and the blistering agent called mustard.

The chemical weapons and the plant that destroyed them are gone, as are
most of the uses for which the military might want the island. But more
cleanup is needed. Johnston has an impressive list of toxic
contaminants, including dioxin, PCBs and radioactive plutonium.

This article can be viewed at:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Nov/23/ln/ln12a.html

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