[CPEO-MEF] MUNITIONS, HEALTH: Vieques (PR) court ruling

[Lenny Siegel <LSiegel@cpeo.org>]

[The residents of Vieques would have had a tough hill to climb to  
prove in court that emissions from military training on their island  
caused illnesses and disease, but this account of the Appeals Court  
ruling says they won't even have an opportunity to make their case. -  
LS]


U.S. court dismisses Puerto Ricans' suit over arms testing


By Terry Baynes
Reuters
February 14, 2012

Puerto Rican residents lost a bid on Tuesday to force the U.S.  
government to recognize the health effects on the local population of  
testing of weapons and experimenting with chemicals on the island of  
Vieques for decades.

A U.S. appeals court in Boston ruled that the federal government has  
immunity from any lawsuit over its actions.

For about six decades after World War II, the U.S. Navy used a  
portion of Vieques as a weapons-testing ground and firing range,  
detonating bombs and experimenting with chemicals from napalm to  
Agent Orange and depleted uranium. The military abandoned the base in  
2003 under political pressure.

Juanita Sanchez, a resident of the island, sued on behalf of her  
daughter and some 7,000 others in 2007. The suit accused the U.S.  
military of causing illnesses among inhabitants, including a 30  
percent higher cancer rate compared to Puerto Rico's main island.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/15/us-puertorico-lawsuit- 
vieques-idUSTRE81E07Y20120215

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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