Attn: Part 1 - Veterans Exposed to Deadly Chemicals

[Guest guest]

The government is not required to notify veterans and their

dependents of exposure to toxic chemicals. Most veterans have no way

to " connect the dots " of their illnesses to military service.

Congress passed legislation recently to require the Navy to notify

Camp Lejeune veterans, dependents, and civilan workers of

contamination of base wells.

There is no legal requirement for the Department of Defense to notify

veterans and their dependents of the risk of exposure to toxic

chemicals and the health effects.

The Air Force reported in 2003 that the Defense Department had over

1,400 military sites contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE).

**See Part 2: The Millitary Air Force Base # 16 in Downey California,

AKA The Downey NASA/Boeing Industrial Site, has the Dept. of Labor

Reporting 260 Chemicals used on this Property for 70 YEARS** 1929-

1999

http://downey.kaiserpapers.info

Former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, once the premier

Marine Corps air base, is one of the sites contaminated with TCE. In

June 2007, The Marine Corps Times reported 22 bases with TCE water

contaminations, including Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow,

Barstow, CA, March Air Force Base, Riverside, CA and Mather Air Force

Base, Mather, CA. El Toro was not included on this list, primarily

because the base well were not a current source of drinking water as

reported by the Agency for Toxic Substances Abuse Registry (ATSDR) in

their 1993 MCAS El Toro Public Health Assessment Report.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/06/marine_water_list_070625/

El Toro veterans and their dependents are at risk for exposure to

TCE, tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and other contaminants found in the

soil and groundwater of the former base. http://www.salem-

news.com/articles/august082008/tce_interview_7-8-08.php

A number of El Toro veterans and dependents report illnesses linked

to TCE exposure. Exposure to TCE can occur from ingestion (drinking

contaminated water), dermal contact, and inhalation.

Thousands of El Toro veterans and their dependents have no idea of

their risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. Most do not live in nearby

Orange County or in California.

TCE contamination of the drinking water at Camp Lejeune, another

Marine Corps base, required special legislation for the Navy and

Marine Corps to notify Camp Lejeune veterans, dependents, and

civilian workers.

The defense authorization bill for 2008 included a provision

supported by Senator Dole of North Carolina to " require the

Secretary of the Navy to directly notify Marines, dependents and

civilian employees who were assigned at Camp Lejeune between 1958 and

1987 that they were exposed to harmful chemicals in the

installation's water system. The last contaminated wells were closed

in 1987, but the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease

Registry (ATSDR) has found that babies exposed in utero to the

drinking water developed leukemia and other cancers, as well as birth

defects, such as spina bifida and cleft palate. "

http://dole.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?

FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail & PressRelease_id=66232911-2557-41a8-

a0b3-c0838a0eed14 & Month=12 & Year=2007

There shouldn't be a need for special legislation for the government

to do the right thing.

Earlier this month, a few El Toro veterans started to collect

signatures for a petition to President Elect Obama to require the

Defense Department to notify Marine and Navy veterans and their

dependents of the risk of exposure and health effects to toxic

chemicals from the base--an EPA Superfund site in the 1990s and

closed in 1999.

As one of these veterans, I believe that government has a moral

obligation to notify veterans and dependents of their possible

exposure to toxic chemicals. Congress shouldn't have to pass

legislation to notify veterans and dependents. It's just the right

thing to do.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/671058942

The Agency for Toxic Disease and Substances (ATSDR), responsible for

public health assessments of EPA Superfund sites, reported that TCE

and PCE are highly toxic and if not handled and disposed of properly

can cause nervous system effects, kidney, liver and lung damage,

abnormal heartbeat, coma, and possibly death. Occupational exposure

to TCE also has been associated with adult cancers such as kidney

cancer, liver and biliary cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. TCE in

drinking water has been linked to childhood leukemia.

http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-oi-hrg.061207.Sinks-

Testimony.pdf

Waits & Luxemburg, P.C., a national law firm, advertises on the

internet for civilians affected by El Toro's toxic pollution. The

Feres doctrine—resulting from a 1950 Supreme Court decision—prevents

veterans from filing tort suits against the government for service

connected injuries.

http://www.weitzlux.com/environmentallawsuit/california/eltoromarineco

rpsa_145454.html

The reality is that unless the veterans or the dependents know of the

contaminants and the health effects of exposure, it's very unlikely

that they will ever " connect the dots of their illnesses " to military

service. Unlike the auto executives who flew into Washington last

week asking for money to bail out their companies, most veterans and

dependents are not interested in getting on the government's dole.

But, it sure would be helpful to them and their doctors to know that

the cause of their illness was from chemical exposure.