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Oct-17-2010 13:48
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Most 'Veterans 'In the Dark' About Environmental Issues
Robert O'Dowd Salem-News.comImportant information for Marines who served at Camp Lejeune. Veterans Service Organizations like American Legion shun alerting veterans.
 Jim Fontella |
(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) have not notified veterans of their possible exposure to environmental hazards at 130 military installations on the EPA National Priority List (Superfund sites).
There’s a critical need for the VSOs to exercise leadership by identifying the 130 military bases on the NPL, including the EPA internet link to Contaminants of Concern for each base.
There is no legal requirement or interest by the Defense Department or any government agency to notify veterans that they may have been exposed to toxic chemicals, radiation or other environmental hazards.
It’s unlikely that the government will step into this role without specific legislation. Under intense pressure from Congress, the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune established a website registry for veterans who may have been affected by TCE contaminated drinking water at the base.
A number of Congressional hearings were held, bills introduced into Congress to provide medical care to veterans and their dependents, but as of this date, the Marine Corps has not accepted responsibility for illnesses and deaths linked to the contaminated well water.
With 130 military bases on the EPA National Priority List (EPA Superfund), veterans are at risk of exposure to environmental hazards.
The mission of VSOs is to serve veterans and support their needs. Nothing can be more important than your health. There’s no magic pill for exposure to an environmental hazard. Medical care providers need to know when a patient has been exposed to particular environmental hazards to provide appropriate medical care. Failure to provide this critical information is inexcusable.
Not everyone who was stationed on an EPA Superfund base was exposed to an environmental hazard, but an indeterminate number were and the health effects are serious.
Emails to the national headquarters of the American Legion, VFW, the Marine Corps League and other VSOs asking them to alert their membership of possible exposure to toxic chemicals were left unanswered.
This is not rocket science. The information on environmental hazards is resident on the EPA Superfund database. The link to the websites is contained in this article. This is literally a ‘no brainer.’ Any VSO with a website only has to cut and paste the list of military bases.
MCAS El Toro Example. Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California, has been an EPA Superfund site since 1990. In 1985, the Orange County Water District found trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in shallow irrigation wells down gradient of the base.
Before knowledge of the adverse health effects on humans from exposure to these TCE and PCE were known, they were commonly used as degreasers for aircraft and vehicles.
In 1990, MCAS El Toro was placed on EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL) primarily because of a plume of toxic waste of TCE and PCE spreading off base several miles which threatened the local water supply. In 1993, MCAS El Toro was placed on the DoD BRAC list and officially closed in 1999.
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no nieces.
No rifles, no planes, or artillery pieces.
And nobody gives a damn.
We’re the sick and dead who lived and worked on contaminated land.”
At El Toro, the Navy identified 25 contaminated areas on base, including landfills containing both hazardous and solid waste; buried drums of explosives and low-level radioactive waste; and areas where PCBs, battery acids, leaded fuels, and other hazardous substances were dumped or spilled. The Navy spent millions of dollars in cleaning up the former base.
At a September 2010 Irvine City Council meeting, the Navy estimated that it would take 40 years to complete the environmental clean-up at El Toro.
Assuming a Marine veteran “connects the dots of military services to a current medical condition,” their only remedy is to file a claim with the Veterans Administration, assuming they are aware of what happened to them and unless they lived in Orange County, California that’s unlikely.
EPA’s Contaminants of Concern
For military bases that are EPA Superfunds, EPA defines environmental hazards as Contaminants of Concern (COC’s).
According to EPA, “COC’s are the chemical substances found at the site that the EPA has determined pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. These are the substances that are addressed by cleanup actions at the site.”
“ Identifying COC’s is a process where the EPA identifies people and ecological resources that could be exposed to contamination found at the site, determines the amount and type of contaminants present, and identifies the possible negative human health or ecological effects that could result from contact with the contaminants.”
A link to the list of COC’s is shown on the first page of each EPA Superfund website under the caption, “view contaminants of concern at this site.” The health effects from exposure to a particular COC at MCAS El Toro can be obtained by clinking on the ATSDR Profile as shown below.
| CAS # | Contaminant Name | Contaminated Media | Area of Site Found (OU) | More Information | ||||
| 71-55-6 | 1,1,1-TCA | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 71-55-6 | 1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 71-55-6 | 1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-34-5 | 1,1,2,2-PCA | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-00-5 | 1,1,2-TCA | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-00-5 | 1,1,2-TRICHLOROETHANE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-34-3 | 1,1-DCA | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-35-4 | 1,1-DCE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-35-4 | 1,1-DICHLOROETHENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 107-06-2 | 1,2-DCA | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 540-59-0 | 1,2-DCE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | |||||
| 107-06-2 | 1,2-DICHLOROETHANE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 540-59-0 | 1,2-DICHLOROETHENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | |||||
| 540-59-0 | 1,2-DICHLOROETHENE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | |||||
| 78-87-5 | 1,2-DICHLOROPROPANE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 78-93-3 | 2-BUTANONE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 78-93-3 | 2-BUTANONE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 78-93-3 | 2-BUTANONE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 591-78-6 | 2-HEXANONE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 50-29-3 | 4,4-DDT | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 72-54-8 | 4,4-DICHLORODIPHENYLDICHLOROETHANE | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 108-10-1 | 4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | |||||
| 108-10-1 | 4-METHYL-2-PENTANONE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | |||||
| 67-64-1 | ACETONE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 67-64-1 | ACETONE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 67-64-1 | ACETONE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 7429-90-5 | ALUMINUM (FUME OR DUST) | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 7429-90-5 | ALUMINUM (METAL) | Soil | NFA: SITES 7 & 14 (07) | |||||
| 11097-69-1 | AROCLOR-1254 | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | |||||
| 11096-82-5 | AROCLOR-1260 | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | |||||
| 7440-38-2 | ARSENIC | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 7440-38-2 | ARSENIC | Soil | NFA: SITES 7 & 14 (07) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 7440-38-2 | ARSENIC | Soil | BURN PITS: SITE 16 (09) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 71-43-2 | BENZENE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 71-43-2 | BENZENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 71-43-2 | BENZENE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 205-99-2 | BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | |||||
| 205-99-2 | BENZO(B)FLUORANTHENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 207-08-9 | BENZO(K)FLUORANTHENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 56-55-3 | BENZO[A]ANTHRACENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 50-32-8 | BENZO[A]PYRENE | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | |||||
| 50-32-8 | BENZO[A]PYRENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 50-32-8 | BENZO[A]PYRENE | Soil | NFA: SITES 7 & 14 (07) | |||||
| 7440-41-7 | BERYLLIUM | Soil | BURN PITS: SITE 16 (09) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-27-4 | BROMODICHLOROMETHANE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-27-4 | BROMODICHLOROMETHANE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-25-2 | BROMOFORM | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-15-0 | CARBON DISULFIDE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-15-0 | CARBON DISULFIDE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-15-0 | CARBON DISULFIDE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 56-23-5 | CARBON TETRACHLORIDE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 56-23-5 | CARBON TETRACHLORIDE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 56-23-5 | CARBON TETRACHLORIDE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 108-90-7 | CHLOROBENZENE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 67-66-3 | CHLOROFORM | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 67-66-3 | CHLOROFORM | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 74-87-3 | CHLOROMETHANE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 74-87-3 | CHLOROMETHANE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 218-01-9 | CHRYSENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 53-70-3 | DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | |||||
| 53-70-3 | DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 53-70-3 | DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE | Soil | NFA: SITES 7 & 14 (07) | |||||
| 53-70-3 | DIBENZO(A,H)ANTHRACENE | Soil | BURN PITS: SITE 16 (09) | |||||
| 124-48-1 | DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 124-48-1 | DIBROMOCHLOROMETHANE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 60-57-1 | DIELDRIN | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 100-41-4 | ETHYLBENZENE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 100-41-4 | ETHYLBENZENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 100-41-4 | ETHYLBENZENE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 193-39-5 | INDENO(1,2,3-CD)PYRENE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | |||||
| 7439-96-5 | MANGANESE | Soil | NFA SITES (06) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 7439-96-5 | MANGANESE | Soil | NFA: SITES 7 & 14 (07) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 7439-96-5 | MANGANESE | Soil | BURN PITS: SITE 16 (09) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 93-65-2 | MCPP | Soil | SOIL SITES: 8, 11, 12 (03) | |||||
| 75-09-2 | METHYLENE CHLORIDE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-09-2 | METHYLENE CHLORIDE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-09-2 | METHYLENE CHLORIDE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 127-18-4 | PCE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 127-18-4 | PCE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 127-18-4 | PCE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 100-42-5 | STYRENE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 100-42-5 | STYRENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| TBD-00000010 | TCA | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | |||||
| 79-01-6 | TCE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-01-6 | TCE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-01-6 | TCE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 127-18-4 | TETRACHLOROETHENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 127-18-4 | TETRACHLOROETHENE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 108-88-3 | TOLUENE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 108-88-3 | TOLUENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 108-88-3 | TOLUENE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-01-6 | TRICHLOROETHENE | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-01-6 | TRICHLOROETHENE | Ground Water | BURN PITS: SITE 16 (09) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-01-6 | TRICHLOROETHENE | Soil | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 79-01-6 | TRICHLOROETHYLENE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 75-69-4 | TRICHLOROFLUOROMETHANE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | |||||
| 75-01-4 | VINYL CHLORIDE | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 1330-20-7 | XYLENES | Ground Water | BASEWIDE GROUNDWATER (01) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 1330-20-7 | XYLENES | Ground Water | SOIL VOC SOURCE AREA: SITE 24 (02) | ATSDR Profile | ||||
| 1330-20-7 | XYLENES | Soil | SOIL VOC |
MILITARY BASES ON THE NPL (EPA SUPERUNDS)
US Air Force
Air Force Plant #4 (General Dynamics)
Fort Worth TX
Columbus OH
Littleton CO
American Lake Gardens/McChord AFB
Tacoma WA
Yigo GU
Andrews Air Force Base MD
Arnold Engineering Development Center (USAF)
Tullahoma/Manchester TN
Brandywine MD
Castle Air Force Base (6 Areas)
Merced CA
Rantoul IL
Dover DE
Edwards AFB CA
Fairbanks AK
Ellsworth AFB SD
Anchorage AK
Cheyenne WY
Fairchild Air Force Base (4 Waste Areas)
Spokane WA
Victorville
CA
Griffiss Air Force Base (11 Areas)
Rome NY
Hanscom Field/Hanscom Air Force Base
Bedford MA
Hill AFB UT
Homestead Air Force Base FL
Limestone ME
Glendale AZ
Riverside CA
Mather Air Force Base (AC&W Disposal Site)
Mather CA
McChord Air Force Base (Wash Rack/Treatment Area)
Tacoma WA
McClellan Air Force Base (Ground Water Contamination)
McClellan AFB CA
Wrightstown NJ
Mountain Home ID
Norton Air Force Base (Lndfll #2)
San Bernardino CA
Portsmouth/Newington NH
Plattsburgh NY
Rickenbacker Air National Guard (USAF)
Lockbourne OH
Robins Air Force Base (Landfill #4/Sludge Lagoon)
Houston County GA
Tinker Air Force Base (Soldier Creek/Building 3001)
Oklahoma City OK
Travis AFB CA
Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base (Small Arms Range Landfill)
Minneapolis MN
Panama City FL
Chandler AZ
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Dayton OH
Oscoda MI
US Army
Aberdeen Proving Ground (Edgewood Area)
Edgewood MD
Aberdeen Proving Ground (Michaelsville Landfill)
Aberdeen MD
Childersburg AL
Anniston Army Depot (Southeast Industrial Area)
Anniston AL
Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant
Hall County NE
Fort Devens MA
Fort Devens-Sudbury Training Annex
Sudbury MA
Pemberton Township NJ
Newport News VA
Odenton MD
Tacoma WA
Tillicum WA
Marina CA
Anchorage AK
Junction City KS
Fort Wainwright AK
Middletown IA
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (Load-Assembly-Packing Area)
Joliet IL
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (Manufacturing Area)
Joliet IL
Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (Northwest Lagoon)
Independence MO
Letterkenny Army Depot (PDO Area)
Franklin County PA
Letterkenny Army Depot (SE Area)
Chambersburg PA
Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant
Texarkana TX
Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant
Karnack TX
Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant
Doyline LA
Materials Technology Laboratory (USARMY)
Watertown
MA
Milan TN
Natick Laboratory Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center
Natick MA
New Brighton/Arden Hills/TCAAP (USARMY)
New Brighton MN
Rockaway Township NJ
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant
Riverbank CA
Rocky Mountain Arsenal (USARMY)
Adams County CO
Sacramento CA
Savanna IL
Schofield HI
Romulus NY
Lathrop CA
Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant
Desoto KS
Tobyhanna PA
Tooele Army Depot (North Area)
Tooele UT
Tracy CA
Hermiston OR
Huntsville AL
Weldon Spring Former Army Ordnance Works
St. Charles County MO
West Virginia Ordnance (USARMY)
Point Pleasant WV
US Coast Guard
Baltimore MD
US Navy
Adak AK
Alameda CA
Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (USNAVY)
Mineral County WV
Silverdale WA
Bangor Ordnance Disposal (USNAVY)
Bremerton WA
Barstow Marine Corps Logistics Base
Barstow CA
Brunswick ME
Camp Lejeune Military Res. (USNAVY)
Onslow County NC
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base
Camp Pendleton CA
Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station
Havelock NC
Concord CA
Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center
North Kingstown RI
El Toro Marine Corps Air Station
El Toro CA
Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center
Indian Head MD
Jackson Park Housing Complex (USNAVY)
Kitsap County WA
Jacksonville Naval Air Station
Jacksonville FL
Marine Corps Combat Development Command
Quantico VA
Albany GA
Moffett Field CA
Naval Air Development Center (8 Waste Areas)
Warminster Township PA
Lakehurst NJ
Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island (Ault Field)
Whidbey Island WA
Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island (Seaplane Base)
Whidbey Island WA
Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek
Virginia Beach VA
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Eastern Pacific
Wahiawa HI
Naval Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant
Fridley MN
Sabana Seca PR
Naval Surface Warfare Center – Dahlgren
Dahlgren VA
Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station (4 Waste Areas)
Keyport WA
Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant
Bedford MA
Naval Weapons Station – Yorktown
Yorktown VA
Naval Weapons Station Earle (Site A)
Colts Neck NJ
Navy Ships Parts Control Center
Mechanicsburg PA
New London CT
Newport Naval Education & Training Center
Newport RI
Norfolk Naval Base (Sewells Point Naval Complex)
Norfolk VA
Portsmouth VA
Yorktown VA
Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot
Parris Island
SC
Patuxent River Naval Air Station
Patuxent River MD
Pearl Harbor
HI
Pensacola FL
Port Hadlock Detachment (USNAVY)
Indian Island WA
Kittery ME
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Complex
Bremerton WA
South Weymouth Naval Air Station
Weymouth MA
St. Juliens Creek Annex (U.S. Navy)
Chesapeake VA
Treasure Island Naval Station-Hunters Point Annex
San Francisco CA
Jacksonville FL
Washington DC
Whiting Field Naval Air Station
Milton FL
Willow Grove Naval Air and Air Reserve Station
Horsham PA
Yuma AZ
>
Bob O’Dowd is a former U.S. Marine with thirty years of experience on the east coast as an auditor, accountant, and financial manager with the Federal government. Originally from Pennsylvania, he enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 19, served in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Marine Aircraft Wings in 52 months of active duty in the 1960s. This subject is where Bob intersected with Salem-News.com. Bob served in the exact same Marine Aviation Squadron that Salem-News founder Tim King served in, twenty years earlier. With their combined on-site knowledge and research ability, Bob and Tim and a handful of other ex-Marines, have put the contamination of MCAS El Toro on the map. El Toro, a Superfund site, was closed in ’99, and most of the former base sold by the Navy at a public auction in ’05. The base is highly contaminated with organic solvents like trichloroethelyne (TCE) and other chemicals of concern. No veteran, dependent or civilian employee was informed of their possible exposure to toxic chemicals and their health effects. You can email Bob O’Dowd, Salem-News.com Environmental and Military Reporter, at this address: mwsg37.com.
You can email Bob O’Dowd, Salem-News.com Environmental and Military Reporter, at this address: consults03@comcast.net
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October 22, 2010 8:29 pm (Pacific time)
Dr. Paul, Thank you for your insightful comments. Now, if we can just get the VSO's to notify their membership, maybe we can save a few lives.
Bob O'Dowd October 22, 2010 4:03 pm (Pacific time)
Joe Davis, I personally sent letters or emails to the chief executive officer of the major VSO's as listed in the VA's website at http://www1.va.gov/vso/index.cfm?template=view. The VFW letter was sent to Commander in Chief, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 406 West 34th Street (Broadway at 34th Street) Kansas City, MO 64111. The only VSO that responded was the Catholic War Vets who advised that they would notify their membership. While I'm not a member of the VFW, I'm a member of the American Legion and the Marine Corps League. My membership didn't count. Neither of these VSO's responded either. Veterans pay dues for their VSO to represent them. Sad to say but except for the Catholic War Vets, the rest were just plan AWOL. Bob O'Dowd
Luke Easter October 19, 2010 6:22 pm (Pacific time)
Sad when Vet's are in the dark and their own government controls the light switch. America!
Joe Davis October 18, 2010 10:55 am (Pacific time)
Please tell me who did you attempt to contact at the VFW? Joe Davis Public Affairs Director VFW Washington Office
M Dennis Paul, Ph.D. October 17, 2010 5:10 pm (Pacific time)
Articles such as this are so important. Illness and disability are rampant in our Vets and for far too long I have heard Vets being told any and every possible story to point them in the wrong direction for care. The failure to inform anyone of the destructive exposures to which they may have been subjected is beyond reprehensible. The chemical manufacturers, long having had the information regarding the potential, and very real, harms their products produce bear as much responsibility as the government that uses them and, along with the VA, those who misdirect victims in need of serious help.
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