HERBICIDAL WARFARE
Page 10 of 11
Agent
Orange Pages
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
Page 1 OPERATION RANCH HAND HERBICIDES SOUTHEAST ASIA--AMOUNTS USED 1961-1971"
Page 2 DISEASES LINKED TO AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE
Page 3 Agent Orange Korea 68-69 Page 4 Agent Orange Use Outside Of Vietnam
Page 5 The Forgotten Story of Agent Orange
Page 6 Monsanto Corporation Criminal Investigation Cover-up of Dioxin Contamination
Page 7 Leukemia, Agent Orange Link Found
Page 8 AO claim at Ft McClellan approved for Diabetes, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy
Page 9 Agent Orange, The Daughter Of A Veteran
Page 10 THE HERBICIDAL WARFARE PROGRAM IN VIETNAM, 1961 - 1971
Page 11 Agent Orange Video
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
THE HERBICIDAL WARFARE PROGRAM IN VIETNAM, 1961 -
1971
Operations Trail Dust/Ranch Hand
H. Lindsey Arison III
Notes:
The military use of herbicides in Vietnam began in 1961, was expanded
during 1965 and 1966, and reached a peak from 1967 to 1969. Herbicides were
used extensively in Vietnam by the U.S. Air Force's Operation RANCH HAND to
defoliate inland hardwood forests, coastal mangrove forests, and cultivated
land, by aerial spraying from C-123 cargo/transport aircraft and
helicopters. Soldiers also sprayed herbicides on the ground to defoliate the
perimeters of base camps and fire bases; this spraying was executed from the
rear of trucks and from spray units mounted on the backs of soldiers on
foot. Navy riverboats also sprayed herbicides along riverbanks. The purpose
of spraying herbicides was to improve the ability to detect enemy base camps
and enemy forces along lines of communication and infiltration routes.
Spraying was also used to destroy the crops of the Viet Cong and North
Vietnamese.
The code name for the overall herbicide program was TRAIL DUST. The
code name RANCH HAND specifically referred to the C-123 herbicide-spraying
project.
The different types of herbicide used by U.S. forces in Vietnam were
identified by a code name referring to the color of the 4-inch band painted
around the 55-gallon drum that contained the chemical. These included Agents
Orange, White, Purple, Blue, Pink, and Green. e.g. A 55-gallon drum with an
orange band contained 50% n-butyl ester of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic
acid) and 50% n-butyl or isooctyl ester of 2,4,5-T
(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid).
Agent Orange accounted for over 60% of the total herbicides
disseminated over Vietnam (11.7 million gallons of a total 19.4 million
gallons).
Orange contained relatively high levels of an exceedingly poisonous
contaminant known as "dioxin" or "TCDD"
(2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin)
Chronology:
1961. Robert S. McNamara was appointed Secretary of Defense by President
Kennedy and served until 1968.
1961. Dr. Alain Charles Enthoven (Ph.D., MIT, 1956), while an economist
for RAND Corporation 1956-60, was hired by the Office of the Secretary of
Defense to be the Director of the newly established Weapon Systems Analysis
Directorate.
1961. The situation in Indochina deteriorates. (Cecil, p. 22)
April 12, 1961. Walt W. Rostow, a foreign affairs advisor to President
Kennedy, forwarded a memo on Vietnam to the President recommending nine
specific courses of action, setting into motion a series of events which led
to the decision to send Air Force C-123s to South Vietnam to spray
herbicides. The fifth action on the memo recommended a military hardware
research and development team go to Vietnam to work with the Chief of the
U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG), Army Lieutenant General
Lionel C. McGarr, to explore the usefulness of various "techniques and
gadgets" then available or under development. Aerial defoliation became one
of these unspecified "techniques". (Buckingham pp. 9-10)
Early May 1961. President Kennedy sent Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson
to Saigon to consult with Vietnamese President Diem about future American
assistance. One result of this consultation was the establishment of a joint
U.S./Vietnamese Combat Development and Test Center (CDTC) in Vietnam, under
the direction of the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA). The CDTC was formed to develop new counterinsurgency methods and
weapons, and one of its first tasks was to evaluate the use of herbicides to
destroy concealing tropical vegetation and enemy food supplies. (Cecil, pp.
22-23)
May 11, 1961. National Security Council meeting, after which the focus of
action on border control and the exploitation of technology in
counterinsurgency shifted from the White House to subordinate levels of the
Administration. (Buckingham, p. 11)
1961. 23-year-old John M. Deutch, upon graduation from MIT with a
Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering (B.Ch.E.), was hired by Dr.
Enthoven (OSD Director for Weapon Systems Analysis) most likely to provide
the OSD staff with expertise concerning chemical defoliation and to
coordinate chemical defoliation studies with RAND Corporation.
(This is likely how John Deutch linked up with Dr. James R. Schlesinger
who was a senior staff member at RAND from 1963-67. Dr. Schlesinger later
served as Assistant Director, OMB; Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission;
Director, CIA; Secretary of Defense; and in 1977 as the first Secretary of
Energy. Dr. Schlesinger appointed Dr. Deutch to be Director, Office of
Energy Research in 1977 and then Under Secretary of Energy in 1979.)
June 1961. The joint U.S./Vietnamese Combat Development and Test Center
(CDTC) was formed in Saigon. (Cecil, p. 23)
August 10, 1961. The first defoliation test mission along a road north of
Kontum flown by a South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) H-34 helicopter equipped
with a Helicopter Insecticide Dispersal Apparatus, Liquid (HIDAL) spray
system dispersing Dinoxol. (Buckingham, p. 11)
August 24, 1961. The first fixed-wing spray mission flown by a VNAF C-47
dispersing Dinoxol over a four-kilometer stretch of Route 13 about 80 km
north of Saigon near the village of Chon Thanh, a target personally selected
by South Vietnamese President Diem. (Buckingham, p. 11)
September 23, 1961. A joint State-Defense message stated that emergency
actions were needed to support the Diem government and suggested that
defoliants for an operational program be included in a list of items to be
delivered without delay. (Buckingham, p. 14)
September 29, 1961. President Diem and his advisors met with an American
delegation proposing immediate efforts be made to destroy crops before they
could be harvested. (Buckingham, p. 13)
November 3, 1961. Memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the
Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, recommending implementation of a
three-phased defoliation plan. (Buckingham, p. 16)
November 7, 1961. Memorandum from Defense Secretary McNamara to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force
directing the Air Force "to provide, on a priority basis, the required
aircraft, personnel, and chemicals" to attack fast-maturing Viet Cong crops.
(Buckingham, p. 16)
December 4, 1961. The Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, met with
the Joint Chiefs of Staff and set December 15th as the target date for
beginning defoliation operations. (Buckingham, p. 29)
December 1961. 20,000 gallons of pink and green herbicides and 15,000
pounds of cacodylic acid were already in Saigon. They had been sent for use
in a crop destruction operation, which waited for President Kennedy's
approval and which could not then be conducted because that year's rice crop
had already matured in the target areas. DoD was procuring additional
chemicals for use in the defoliation of Viet Cong base areas, border
regions, and transportation routes on an expedited basis. (Buckingham, p.
29)
December 15, 1961. The first shipment of chemicals left the docks at
Oakland, CA on the S.S. Sooner State - 111,000 gallons of purple and 49,000
gallons of pink. A second shipment later in the month contained an
additional 17,000 gallons of purple and 31,000 gallons of pink. (Buckingham,
pp. 29-30)
December 16, 1961. Secretary of Defense McNamara held a conference in
Hawaii with Pacific area military commanders to examine Operation RANCH HAND
preparations and make further decisions affecting the operations.
(Buckingham, p. 30)
January 7, 1962. At 9 am, six Ranch Hand C-123s departed Clark Air Force
Base in the Philippines and arrived at Tan Son Nhut airport outside Saigon
at 4:30 pm. The crews parked the RANCH HAND planes in a secure fenced area
on the field, sharing the space normally occupied by President Diem's
personal aircraft. (Buckingham, p. 31)
January 8, 1962. The first shipment of chemicals arrived in Saigon at
night. Off-loading of the drums began on the 9th.
January 9, 1962. Air Force personnel loaded four drums of Agent Purple
(about 220 gallons) on one of the RANCH HAND C-123s. (Buckingham, p. 33)
January 10, 1962. The first RANCH HAND defoliation mission. Less than the
full 220 gallons of Agent Purple were sprayed on a target north of Route 15,
adjacent to a swath, which a VNAF C-47 had sprayed with pink on December 29,
1961. The effect of the spray was rated as poor, probably because the spray
deposit was sub lethal. (Buckingham, p. 33)
Note: More than a decade earlier, the French Foreign Legion had
laboriously cleared roadside vegetation by hand, in an unsuccessful attempt
to halt ambushes of their military convoys. Now another foreign military
power sought the same goal, but with a new military weapon - chemical
herbicides. (Cecil, p. 30) The results of the French cutting and burning
back of vegetation for 50 yards on either side of the road were still
evident along Route 13 in the mid-1960s. (Cecil, p. 190)
See attached statistical summaries by year and chemical agent.
1965. John M. Deutch left OSD and returned to MIT to complete his Ph.D.
in Physical Chemistry. 1966 Dissertation title: "Selected Problems in
Statistical Mechanics".
October 1967. RAND Corporation issued two reports concluding the crop
destruction program:
- had an insignificant effect on Viet Cong consumption of rice,
- had not resulted in any significant food shortages among Viet Cong
units,
- had harmed residents in the vicinity of crop destruction targets,
- had alienated the rural South Vietnamese population from the
government,
- had aroused much hostility toward the U.S. and its South Vietnamese
allies,
- was not considered necessary or useful by the rural population, and
- might well be counterproductive. (Buckingham, p. 133-134)
November 1967. After reviewing RAND's results, Dr. Alain C. Enthoven, the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis, and his staff published
their conclusions, which agreed that the existing wholesale crop destruction
program was counterproductive because it alienated the affected population
without denying food to the Viet Cong. (Buckingham, p. 135)
November 21, 1967. Secretary of Defense McNamara (obviously not pleased
with these findings) directed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review RAND's
work. (Buckingham, p. 135)
December 29, 1967. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, in contradiction with
RAND's findings and Dr. Enthoven's validation, asserted the published
objectives of the crop destruction program as part of the overall economic
warfare program were being met; that crop destruction was an important and
effective part of the overall effort in South Vietnam; and that no changes
in the program were needed. (Buckingham, p. 135)
As if to force "success", over 76% of the total gallons of herbicides
sprayed over Vietnam occurred between 1967 and 1969 and repeated sprayings
of the same area(s) occurred frequently.
1968. Robert S. McNamara left the Department of Defense.
1969. Slightly over one year after Dr. Enthoven agreed publicly with
RAND's conclusions, he left public service permanently. DoD awarded him the
Medal for Distinguished Public Service and he returned to RAND as a
consultant while serving as vice-president for economic planning for Litton
Industries.
October 7, 1970. Mandated by the U.S. Congress, an extensive and
"independent" study of the effects of herbicides in South Vietnam was signed
into law (Public Law 91-441) by President Nixon. (Buckingham, p. 189)
December 8, 1970. The Department of Defense signed a contract with the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to provide funds and other support for
the "independent" study. Seventeen scientists and thirty consultants
comprised the committee. (Buckingham, p. 189)
January 7, 1971. RANCH HAND flew its last three C-123 sorties spraying a
crop target in Ninh Thuan province.
October 31, 1971. The last U.S. helicopter herbicide operation was flown.
"Bottom Line":
Between 1961 and 1971, the U.S. sprayed enough herbicides to cover
30,305 square miles or 23.8% of the total area of Vietnam with one spraying.
19,395,369 total gallons sprayed by the U.S. between August 10, 1961
and October 31, 1971 equates to an average of 5,193 gallons per day for
3,735 days.
February 22, 1974. Three years and five months after contracting with DoD
to perform an "independent" study, the National Academy of Sciences finally
published its report, "The Effects of Herbicides in South Vietnam".
The NAS Committee found:
- no clear evidence of direct damage to human health from herbicides,
- "no conclusive evidence" linking the defoliants with human birth
defects, and
- no proof of permanent soil damage. The Committee determined soils
were capable of sustaining growth as soon as six weeks after spraying
and that a year after spraying the effects on plant growth were
"undetectable".
February 24, 1974. Dr. George Kistiakowsky, then a vice-president of the
National Academy of Sciences and former science advisor to President
Eisenhower, was the only NAS official with integrity enough to publicly
criticize and challenge the commission's report. In the Washington Post
article "Viet Defoliation Damage Held Serious", Dr. Kistiakowsky claimed the
report "seriously underestimated the damage and is too casual about the
possible ill effects on humans".
April 1995. Twenty-three and a half years after the last herbicidal
mission was flown, former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, who
directed and energized Operation TRAIL DUST from its inception in 1961
through a peak year in 1968, publicly admits that:
- "We were wrong, terribly wrong",
- The American bombings never seriously threatened Hanoi's capacity to
wage war,
- American ground operations never established any real, lasting
security in the South Vietnamese country-side, and
- The pacification program failed to win many "hearts and minds".
April 17, 1995. Researchers have found that during the spraying of Agent
Orange in southern Vietnam, dioxin levels in human tissue were as high as
900 times greater in Vietnamese living in southern Vietnam than those living
in northern Vietnam where Agent Orange was not used. Even now, although
dioxin levels are at their lowest since the war ended, the study found that
dioxin levels are as high as 50 times higher in Vietnamese living in
southern Vietnam than those living in northern Vietnam. These findings
suggest that citizens in southern Vietnam may be at a greater risk of
cancers, adverse reproductive and developmental effects, immune deficiency,
and other adverse health effects due to their exposure to Agent Orange.
(From Agent Orange and the Vietnamese: The Persistence of Elevated Dioxin
Levels in Human Tissue, Dr. Arnold Schecter, State University of NY Health
Science Center) How is it that the National Academy of Sciences can conclude
there was no clear evidence of direct damage to human health from
herbicides?
In retrospect, RAND's October 1967 reports were precisely correct and
Doctors Enthoven and Kistiakowsky deserve the highest reverence for their
courage to challenge "the system" in the name of truth.
Epilogue:
In March 1995, President Clinton called for an "independent" study of
"Gulf War Syndrome", the health tragedy that has resulted from coalition
forces' exposure to chemical warfare agents during the Gulf War. Until May
1995, Dr. John M. Deutch, who was a chemical engineering expert for former
Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's staff for the first four years of
Operation TRAIL DUST (1961-65), was DoD's key proponent in asserting "there
is no clear evidence of any exposure of American soldiers to chemical or
biological agents at any time during the Gulf War".
On 11 May 1995, President Clinton elevated Dr. Deutch to Director of
Central Intelligence with special Cabinet-level status.
This is irrefutable proof that history does repeat itself.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Buckingham Jr., William A. Operation RANCH HAND - The Air Force and
Herbicides in Southeast Asia, 1961-1971. Office of the Air Force Historian,
Washington, D.C., 1981.
Cecil, Paul Frederick. Herbicidal Warfare - The RANCH HAND Project in
Vietnam. New York, 1986.
National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine. Veterans and Agent
Orange - Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam. National Academy
Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Ecological
Consequences of the Second Indochina War. Stockholm, Sweden, 1976.
STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF HERBICIDAL WARFARE
IN VIETNAM
Operation Trail Dust: 10 August 1961 - 31 October 1971
(3,735 days)
SUMMARY BY YEAR
YEAR |
TOTAL GALLONS USED
|
TOTAL
ACRES EFFECTED
|
TOTAL SQ. MILES EFFECTED
|
1962 |
17,171 |
5,724 |
27 |
1963 |
74,760 |
24,920 |
117 |
1964 |
281,607 |
93,869 |
440 |
1965 |
664,657 |
221,552 |
1,039 |
1966 |
2,535,788 |
845,263 |
3,962 |
1967 |
5,123,353 |
1,707,784 |
8,005 |
1968 |
5,089,010 |
1,696,337 |
7,952 |
1969 |
4,558,817 |
1,519,606 |
7,123 |
1970 |
758,966 |
252,989 |
1,186 |
1971 |
10,039 |
3,346 |
16 |
Year Unknown |
281,201 |
93,734 |
439 |
TOTAL: |
19,395,369 |
6,465,123 |
30,305 |
Assumptions and Conversion Factors:
3 gallons of herbicide disseminated per acre
640 acres per square mile
1,920 gallons disseminated per square mile
SUMMARY BY CHEMICAL AGENT
(Herbicide drums were identified by a 4-inch-wide circular band of paint
colored in correspondence with these color codes.)
CHEMICAL
AGENT |
TOTAL GALLONS PROCURED BY DOD
|
TOTAL
GALLONS USED
|
PERCENT OF TOTAL USED
|
TOTAL
GALLONS REMAINING
|
Green |
8,208 |
8,208 |
0.04%
|
0 |
Pink |
122,792 |
122,792 |
0.6%
|
0 |
Purple |
145,000 |
145,000 |
0.7%
|
0 |
Blue |
2,166,656 |
2,166,656 |
11.2%
|
0 |
White |
5,600,000 |
5,239,853 |
27.0%
|
360,147 |
|
13,927,985 |
11,712,860 |
60.4%
|
2,215,125 |
TOTAL: |
21,970,641 |
19,395,369 |
|
2,575,272 |
The 15,480 drums of Agent Orange stockpiled at the Naval Construction
Battalion Center (NCBC) in Gulfport, Mississippi were transferred to the
Dutch-owned ship the Vulcanus and destroyed between 15-24 July 1977.
The 24,795 drums of Agent Orange stored on Johnston Island were
subsequently incinerated on the Vulcanus in two loads.
The last of the herbicide orange once destined for the jungles of Vietnam
burned on September 3, 1977.
Data Sources: SIPRI, 1976 and Cecil, 1986.
The following 59 U.S. military bases were suffering from significant water
or soil contamination a year ago, according to the Department of Defense's
interpretation of its latest hazardous waste survey. DoD officials say not
every base suffering such contamination is on the list, because information
was not available for all bases. The list is based on the latest status report
for DoD's Installation Restoration Program.
The IRP report contains no explanation of the problems at each base, so we
asked each service to provide details. The Army did so. The Navy Chief of
Information refused to help us gather the information. Air Force Public
Affairs could not provide the information by our deadline, but we will publish
it as soon as it becomes available. We gathered information on some of these
missing bases from EPA and a DoD report to Congress on "Superfund" sites. LIFE
IN THE TIMES cannot vouch for the accuracy or completeness of the information
that was provided.
Army
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
Essentially every land portion of the Edgewood, MD, area (on which a portion
of the base is located) is contaminated or potentially contaminated.
Monitoring in 1977-78 indicated contamination of surface and ground water.
Four standby wells were shut down in 1983 due to detected organic compounds.
The base's active drinking water supplies come from two off-post sources. Deer
Creek and Winters Run, unaffected by contamination on base.
Fort A.P. Hill, VA
There are three problems. A herbicide contaminated the soil near an old
pesticide storage building. The soil has been placed in sealed drums. Second,
herbicide and dioxin Contaminated soil and debris are stored at a base
warehouse in 33-gallon drums inside sealed 55-gallon drums. A study will be
done to recommend an environmentally sound method of permanent disposal.
Third, the base plans to remove some 70 tons of soil contaminated by DDT. The
base water comes from a deep aquifer and is not contaminated, the Army says.
Fort Belvoir, VA
Several contaminants - benzene, trichloroethylene, chloroform, toluene,
ethylbenzene, and 1-2-dichloroethane - have seeped from the Building 324 tank
farm into an unnamed creek. None of these contaminants was detected in surface
water at the installation boundary, and no health hazard is apparent, the
Army, says. Post drinking water comes from the Fairfax County Water Authority.
Fort Devens, MA
A sanitary landfill that is a potential source of contamination is being
closed. It was used as an open burning site, then for incineration of waste
and burial of residues. Water quality meets state standards.
Fort Dix, NJ
Nine potentially contaminated sites are known. One, the sanitary landfill,
was placed on the National Priority (Superfund) List due to the presence of
organic solvents. However, the Army says no significant health hazards have
been identified. To avoid any risk, the landfill may be capped with clean soil
and vegetated with grass. The other eight sites were identified only recently.
Organic solvents and/or petroleum products were located at an old magazine
area, a tank farm, a fire station, the golf course, a motor pool, a firing
range, a pesticide storage building, and a National Guard facility.
Investigation is under way to determine any problems. The sites to not
endanger the base water supply according to the Army.
Fort Lewis, WA
There are two problems: One, is Landfill No. 5. Plans call for a landfill
liner and leachate collection to preclude ground water contamination. There
are also plans for a refuse-fired incinerator to reduce reliance in the
landfill. Also trichloroethylene (TCE) has been found in the ground water
beneath the Logistics Center. Post drinking water comes from a spring
unrelated to that aquifer.
Fort McClellan, AL
Ten old training areas and three former disposal sites have a slight chance
of subsurface contamination from mustard agent and its breakdown products and
possible byproducts of chemical agent decontamination. Only very small
quantities of agent were used and all sites have been closed, decontaminated
and fenced. No evidence of any surface or surface water contamination has been
found in the past, the Army says. The post receives its water from the city of
Anniston.
Redstone Arsenal, AL
A $30 million cleanup was recently completed by Olin Corp, which made DDT in
a leased factory that was closed in 1970 for environmental reasons.
Manufacturing waste was contaminating soils and streams. DDT was found in the
wildlife food chain but not in potable water supplies inside or outside the
base. In addition, the presence of PCBs. heavy metals, while phosphorous and
other organic compounds is known or suspected. An investigation is under way
to determine if they contaminated the active sanitary landfill, a DDT waste
landfill, open burning and detonation grounds, and 22 old disposal sites.
Also, a $5 million program is in progress to remove all asbestos from post
buildings.
Navy
Brunswick NAS, ME
A study is under way to determine contaminants and their migration habits.
Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Center, NJ
Soil and shallow ground water at the tetraethyl lead disposal site are
contaminated, perhaps from aviation fuel. The ground water in some areas is
covered with a 6-inch layer of JP-Fuel. Elsewhere, the carcinogen nitronomine
may be present. Waste oils, battery acid, and solvents are suspected of having
been discharged into some dry wells. The soil stabilization field test
received 362 gallons of aniline and 161 of furfural (toxic by ingestion,
inhalation, or skin absorption), and ferric choride solution; personnel and
animals that come in contact with the soil may be endangered. A landfill
received thousands of gallons of hydraulic fluids, five tons of asbestos, and
also cutting oils, solvents, sludge, and heavy metals. A site for PCB testing
and storage is near the environmentally sensitive Ridgeway Branch. The western
portion of the base may be contaminated by ordnance: shells, gas-loaded
projectiles, phosgene, phosphorus, mustard agent, explosives, flares, and
depth bombs. The shallow aquifer in this area may also be contaminated.
Moffett Field NAS, CA
The major contaminants in the ground water are volatile organic compounds.
Whidbey Island NAS, WA
The ground water could be contaminated. Waste oil, solvents, fuel, and
caustic rinse water containing heavy metals have been discharged through the
storm sewer system and into Dugella Bay. Waterfowl and fish that feed or live
in drainage's may be affected. Subsurface migration at the seaplane base may
have affected fish or shellfish in Oak and Crescent Harbors. A backup well at
Ault Field is threatened by potential migration of contaminants.
Other Navy bases:
China Lake, CA
Indian Head NOS, MD
Jacksonville NAS, FL
Miramar NAS, CA
Pabmont River NAS, MD
Roosevelt Roads NS, Puerto Rico
Air Force
Castle AFB, CA
On-base drinking water supply has been contaminated with trichloroethylene
(TCE). Work is under way to install a new well drawing from a deeper,
uncontaminated aquifer.
Dover AFB, DE
Ground is contaminated with arsenic and other metals, and a stream on base
is contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). The base well, however, is free
of these contaminants. Remedial action has been under way since 1985.
Griffiss AFB, NY
Phenols, ethyl benzene, and benzene have been detected in ground water on
base, and toluene in surface water on base.
Hill AFB, UT
Seepage water near two disposal areas contains toxic organic chemicals, such
as trichloroethylene (TCE), 1-2 dichloroethane, and 1,1,1 trichlorethane. None
of the affected water is used for human consumption. Remedial action to date
includes construction of a slurry wall and landfill covers as well as pumping
and treating contaminated ground water.
Mather AFB, CA
Water in 36 homes was affected by trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination of a
well on base. A new permanent water supply is to be provided to these homes.
McChord AFB, WA
Various chemicals -- methylene chloride, chloroform, benzene, arsenic,
chromium, and mercury -- have been detected in test wells and in surface
drainage leaving the base. One site is a liquid waste spill next to the wash
rack and industrial waste treatment system. Contracted work for the American
Lake Gardens Water Supply Project began in 1985; a contractor installed
shallow wells and one deep well.
McClellan AFB, CA
An estimated 160 sites have been identified. Contaminants include organic
compounds, such as trichloroethylene (TCE), methylene chloride, and 1-1
dichloreythlene. Wells both on and off base that had contaminants exceeding
government standards have been shut down. McClellan is considered a leader in
cleanup efforts. Completed projects include alternate water supply for off
base residents and a ground water containment system and treatment plant.
Norton AFB, CA
Trichloroethylene (TCE) was detected in concentrations exceeding state
drinking water standards. All base wells were contaminated to various degrees
with silver and tetrachlorethylene (PCE). Closure of a lagoon and sludge
removal was begun several years ago.
Robins AFB, GA
Contaminants include halogenated solvents, heavy metals, pesticides (DDT,
chordane, etc.), cyanide, and oil products. The toxic organic compounds
trichloroethylene (TCE), and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) have been detected in
ground water on base. Ground water is not used as drinking water, but the
contaminants could eventually appear in surface water.
Tinker AFB, OK
Some base wells were closed due to contamination from chlorinated solvents.
Chlorinated solvents were also detected in the aquifer that is the primary
water source in the region. Organic compounds have been detected at all sites,
though migration is limited. Remedial action begun in 1984 includes capping
landfill No. 6, and stopping leaks from underground storage tanks at the fuel
farm.
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
Fourteen organic compounds, including trichloroethylene (TCE) and
tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in relatively high quantities has been found in
wells serving the base. Nearly half the 17 wells have been shut down due to
contamination or age. An air stripper has been put on two wells to remove the
organics, and installation of two other strippers is planned.
Other Air Force bases:
Beale AFB, CA
Chanute AFB, IL
Charleston AFB, SC
Columbus AFB, MS
Edwards AFB, CA
England AFB, LA
F.E. Warren AFB, WY
George AFB, CA
Hanscorn AFB, MA
Hickam AFB, HI
Kelly AFB, TX
Lowery AFB, CO
Luke AFB, AZ
Kirtland AFB, NM
Langley AFB, VA
MacDill AFB, FL
McGuire AFB, NJ
Moody AFB, GA
Mountain Home AFB, ID
Otis AG Base, MA
Pope AFB, NC
Pease AFB, NH
Plattsburgh AFB, NY
Reese AFB, TX
Seymour Johnson AFB, NC
Shemya, AL
Travis AFB, CA
Vandenburg AFB, CA
Wurtsmith AFB, MI
Home

|