From the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques (CPRDV)
The U.S. Navy continues bombing Vieques. In order to minimize costs and maximize profits, the Navy and contractors in charge of the “environmental clean up” of Vieques, have detonated tons of explosives here over the past two years. In this process, they release enormous quantities of military toxics into the air, in an environment already overcharged with heavy metals and other dangerous chemical substances produced during half century of bombing and other military practices on Vieques.
On Cape Cod, Massachusetts’ wealthy, white community, the state courts ordered the military to use specialized “detonation chambers” to avoid air contamination during clean up of explosives at the Mass Military Reserve. In recent years we have demanded the use of these special chambers in Vieques to limit the contamination in the process of destroying the tens of thousands of bombs and other explosive artifacts left on Vieques soil and waters by the US military.
However, as one can see from FAA message we include, today the US Navy detonated more explosives on the east end of Vieques. The trade winds of our region move particles of contaminants from ex bombing zone on the east end, toward the population area, approximately eight miles down wind. According to the Puerto Rico Health Department and the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Public Health, Vieques is among the communities with the highest cancer incidence in the whole archipelago.
This past Thursday, in a meeting here with high officials of the presidential campaign for Senator Barak Obama, we brought up our concerns about the open detonations and other negative aspects of the decontamination process on Vieques. In coming days, we will send a message to the Hillary Clinton campaign about this topic. Both candidates have made public statements recently, calling for an appropriate clean up in Vieques. Interestingly, the candidates in the up coming Puerto Rican elections have not even mentioned Vieques.
Stop the detonations!
For more information, please contact the Committee for the Development and Rescue of Vieques.