El Toro and Lejeune: It's all about "the Green"

The Navy and Marine Corps have denied any connection between Camp Lejeune’s contaminated wells and the cancer and other serious illnesses reported by Lejeune veterans and their dependents.

CNN reported that Camp Lejeune dependents filed $35 billion in tort claims for injuries associated with the toxic well water. The Navy suspended any action on the tort claims, pending the results of water studies by the Federal government.

The widespread use of trichloroethylene (TCE) and other chemicals by the military may have exposed thousands of veterans and their dependents to toxic chemicals

In fact, the Air Force in 2003 reported that 1,400 military sites were contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). While veterans (Feres doctrine) cannot sue the government for injuries sustained on active duty, their dependents can file tort suits. As evidenced by the Lejeune tort claims, the potential liability from dependents could easily run into the billions of dollars.

Like Camp Lejeune, former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, California, is just one of the military sites contaminated with toxic chemicals.

Once the Marine Corps’ premier air station, El Toro now sits deserted, parts of the former base leased to Cal State Fullerton for classes, buildings demolished and with most of the runways, taxiways and aprons still in tack.

As a young Marine, I was stationed at El Toro in the 1960s. In an August 2009 visit, I saw heavy earth moving equipment tearing-up trees, shrubbery and the grass median strips in the most industrialized portion of the base. Mounds of top soil were on hand to backfill the excavated area.

The southwest quadrant, the area formerly occupied by the Marine Wing Service Groups 37, was the most industrialized portion of the base, the location of the base wells and the origin of the trichloroethylene (TCE) plume, spreading miles into Orange County.

A trichloroethylene (TCE) toxic plume was discovered in 1985 during a routine inspection of irrigation wells near El Toro. The TCE plume was traced to El Toro where this chemical had been used as a degreaser for aircraft parts for decades.

As a direct result of the TCE plume, El Toro was placed on the EPA Superfund list in 1990, closed in July 1999, and most of the land sold at a public auction in 2005.

A joint venture headed up by Lennar Corporation of Miami, Florida, paid the Navy $650 million for most of the land occupied by the former base. Lennar paid another $200 million in developmental fees to the City of Irvine. The economic recession and the depressed Southern California real estate market squashed further development.

The Navy has spent several hundred million in remediation work at El Toro but nothing in health care monitoring for El Toro veterans and dependents.

The TCE plume cut a path right through the Navy wells. Both the Navy and EPA insist the principal aquifer under the base is not contaminated and the water from the base wells, now abandoned, was safe to drink. All of the Navy wells were sealed by 2006. However, the dates the wells were abandoned are unknown.

The Navy cites the purchase of municipal water as proof the base wells was abandoned as early as 1951. However, calculations show the supply of municipal water was not enough to meet the base water supply demands and El Toro engineering drawings show base wells as part of the water distribution systems years after this early purchase.

Why did the Navy purchase municipal water for El Toro? There’s evidence to support the purchase of municipal water was done to supplement the well water. The base wells were less than 10 years old in 1951. The shallow aquifer under the base had high levels of total dissolved solids (“salts”). Well screen intervals in the shallow aquifer would have allowed hardened water into the water distribution system. Harden water can cause service disruptions to well pumps, water heaters and the entire water supply system.

One thing is for sure. There was no shortage of water in the aquifer under the base and water in Southern California is a scarce and expensive commodity.

As is the case with the other 130 military bases on the EPA Superfund list, no veteran, dependent or civilian employee has been notified of their possible exposure to contaminants of concern and their health effects.

The Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry (ATSDR)—a Federal government agency responsible for public health assessments of EPA Superfund sites— reported health problems in people of all ages from drinking water contaminated with organic solvents like TCE. These include aplastic anemia, bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, Hodgkin’s disease (TCE), and other serious diseases.

Over the past two years, Salem-News (Salem, OR) received an increasing number of reports of cancer and serious illness from former El Toro Marines and their dependents. These illnesses parallel those reported by Lejeune veterans and dependents.

Petitioners asked the Navy and ATSDR to evaluate the risks of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals at El Toro. Both agencies passed the buck. Like Lejeune, it’s all about “the green.”

El Toro and Lejeune: A Tale of Two Bases

It’s no secret that Marines are a band of brothers. It doesn’t matter if you were in the Corps yesterday or 40 years ago. Once a Marine; always a Marine.

This story is about Marine veterans and their dependents that were exposed to toxic chemicals at former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro (MCAS), California, and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

These are men and women who served their country honorably, were unknowingly exposed to toxic chemicals and years later developed cancer and other serious diseases. A skeptic might think: “Sorry to hear about your cancer, but many people get cancer. So what makes you think your cancer was caused by something in the military?”

In fact, that is the very attitude our government has taken to deny any service connection to disease at Camp Lejeune and El Toro.

A few individuals have won VA disability and compensation claims but only after lengthy delays and sometimes only after the payment for expensive independent medical evaluations. The VA requires a medical nexus opinion to link a current disability to military service. Doctors not familiar with the VA regulations are hesitant to write these opinions. At Lejeune, millions were spent by the Marine Corps to study the link between disease and contaminated water; nothing was spent for health care monitoring and follow-up care for anyone.

Both bases are on the EPA National Priority List (EPA Superfund). Both bases are contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and other toxic chemicals. They are not alone. At last count, 130 military bases were on EPA Superfund. The government has not notified any veteran of their possible exposure to toxic chemicals and their health effects.

Camp Lejeune is an active Marine Corps base; former MCAS El Toro is not. The Navy spent several hundred millions in remediation at El Toro and sold the base at a public auction over 10 years ago to a real estate joint venture. The Navy made $650 million from the sale.

The evidence of contaminated drinking water at El Toro is muddled at best. Like Lejeune and many other military bases, El Toro’s drinking water originally came from base wells. The water under the base was free.

For some unknown reason, the Navy purchased municipal water and the dates the base wells were abandoned are unknown. What is known is that a major TCE plume cut a path through the base wells several miles into Orange county, extensive corrosion was found in the wells before they were sealed and all of the water supply lines to at least one dependent housing complex were corroded and had to be replaced.

The Navy identified 25 contaminated sites at El Toro. Much of the contamination was confined to the 200 acres occupied by the Marine Wing Service Group 37. I spent two years in the 1960s in one of the maintenance hangars of MWSG-37, "ground zero" for the TCE plume spreading into Orange County.

Children have died from leukemia at Camp Lejeune and El Toro. TCE is an organic solvent, primarily used as a degreaser by the military. Leukemia has been linked to organic solvents in drinking water. Other veterans and dependents have died from various cancers while Marines who served at both Lejeune and El Toro are literally walking dead men with stage 4 breast cancers, a very rare form of cancer for men.

The Navy and Marine Corps have not provided any medical monitoring, even though the Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry (ATSDR), responsible for public health assessment of EPA Superfunds, recommended annual physicals and medical monitoring for health changes for those stationed at Camp Lejeune.

El Toro veterans asked ATSDR to evaluate the risk of occupational exposure to TCE, PCE and other chemicals. ATSDR declined, referring the issue to the Navy. The Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center said they had no authority to conduct an occupational evaluation at El Toro.

Organic solvents like TCE were used by industry and the military for decades. TCE is an excellent degreaser and at El Toro it was common practice in Marine Wing Service Group 37 to dump 55 gallon drums of the chemical into a vat with an overhead crane, and then dip a basket of aircraft parts into the heated vat—a quick and efficient way to clean parts.

PCE is used in dry cleaning. At El Toro, the base dry laundry used PCE and was located in the same area as the base wells. At Lejeune, a PCE plume spread from an off-base dry cleaner contaminating drinking water wells.

El Toro's hangars were used to maintain Marine transport aircraft over a fifty year period. No usage records were kept, but it’s reasonable to conclude from the extent of the TCE plume that hundreds and maybe thousands of 55 gallon drums were used over 56 years of operations.

The environmental and human exposure risks of TCE and PCE are documented in medical literature. TCE/PCE has been linked by the Federal government to serious disease, often occurring decades after exposure. These diseases include:

•bladder cancer (PCE)
•breast cancer (PCE)
•cervical cancer (TCE, PCE)
•esophageal cancer (PCE)
•generalized skin disorders (TCE)
•Hodgkin’s disease (TCE)
•infertility (PCE, TCE, solvents)
•kidney cancers (TCE)
•kidney diseases (TCE, PCE)
•leukemias (TCE, PCE)
•liver cancer and liver disease (TCE)
•lung cancer (PCE)
•Lupus (TCE)
•multiple myeloma (TCE)
•pancreatic cancer (PCE)
•Parkinson’s disease (TCE)
•scleroderma (TCE, PCE)
•spontaneous abortion (PCE)

Exposure to organic solvents can occur through ingestion (drinking water), inhalation, or dermal contact. Marines working with organic solvents would normally be more at risk for disease, especially if protective clothing and masks were not used. If these chemicals contaminate the drinking water, then ingestion and inhalation (through hot showers) would expose everyone on the base, including dependents and civilian workers.

For Camp Lejeune, MCAS El Toro and the many military bases on the EPA Superfund list, these are not just examples of one or two drums leaching into the groundwater.

Camp Lejeune
There’s no question about the contamination of the well water at Lejeune.

Lejeune’s Tarawa Terrace, Hadnot Point, and Holcomb Blvd. water distribution systems were found to be contaminated with TCE, PCE and other contaminants of concern. For example, maximum concentration of TCE were reported for Hatnot Point (1,400 ug/L) and Holcomb Bvd. (1,148 ug/L) while PCE maximum concentration were reported for Tarawa Terrace (215 ug/L).

ATSDR reported the sources of the leaks “were leaks from off-base and on-base underground tanks, some of which were installed in the 1940s.”

ATSDR reported that the source of the PCE in the Tarawa Terrace wells was an off-base dry cleaner. An estimated 75,000 Tarawa Terrace residents from 1957 until 1987 were exposed to PCE contaminated drinking water. PCE is a known carcinogen. ATSDR recommended that former residents get routine physicals and monitor their health for changes.

In June 2009, the Navy funded a study by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academies of Science, who reported that “strong scientific evidence is not available to determine whether health problems among those exposed are due to the contaminants.”

The NRC concluded there was no need for additional studies and the Navy and Marine Corps “should take the appropriate action in light of the available sparse information that indicate exposure to toxic contaminants occurred and may have affected the health of the exposed population.”

The NRC report did not go down easily with ATSDR. The St. Petersburg Times quoted part of a letter from Dr. Thomas Sinks, ATSDR’s Deputy Director, to the Marine Corps:

"The direct funding of peer review by the agency responsible for contaminating the Camp Lejeune drinking water [the Marine Corps] creates a perceived conflict of interest unacceptable to the community of veterans and their families exposed."

Mike Partain, a Tallahassee resident who was born at Camp Lejeune in 1968 and later diagnosed with male breast cancer, expressed the feelings of many veterans: “The NRC report smelled rotten.” (See: tampabay.com: Critics Say Marine Corps Contract on Camp Lejeune is Conflict of Interest)

As one former Camp Lejeune dependent and cancer survivor told me, “It’s all about the greenbacks.” She may be right. The NRC report gives the Navy and Marine Corps “the scientific cover” to dismiss billions of dollars in toxic tort claims filed by Lejeune dependents.
In July 2009, Senator Richard Burr (D, NC) introduced S. 1518: Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2009. This bill provides hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to veterans and family members who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, while the water there was contaminated by volatile organic compounds, including known human carcinogens and probable human carcinogens. As of this date, the bill has 13 co-sponsors. A companion bill is expected to be introduced into the House shortly.

To prevent the Lejeune tort suits from being summarily dismissed by the Navy, Senators Richard Burr (R, NC) and Kay Hagan (D, NC) amended the Defense Appropriations Bill to prohibit the Navy from disposing of water contamination claims before critical scientific studies can be completed.

For now, the Camp Lejeune “poisoned patriots” battle for health care and compensation continues. In the words of the Lejeune dependent: “It all goes back to the greenback.”

MCAS El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro was the premier Marine Corps jet fighter base and home of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing until a toxic plume of trichloroethylene (TCE) spread off the base into Orange County.

The TCE and other contaminants at El Toro led to its inclusion on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund), eventual closure in 1999 and public auction sale to a joint venture headed up by Lennar Corp. in 2005, the nation's number two new home builder.

About a thousand acres at the former base were transferred to the FAA and the FBI, not included in the sale and not included in the Navy’s expensive remediation work.

A brief visit to the former base in August of this year showed it to be almost unrecognizable from its former pristine state. The runways are mostly intact. Many buildings abandoned over the past ten years are deteriorated, some almost beyond recognition. About the only activity visible was huge earth moving equipment tearing up what little grass and shrubbery remained from the 200 acres of the industrialized portion of the base, the source of the TCE plume, the location of 11 contaminated sites and my former work assignment..

To me, what was distinctly recognizable was Hangar 296 where I worked and slept on duty watch as a young Marine. In addition to being one of the principal sources of the TCE plume, this hangar was the location of a Radium 226 paint room. Roy F. Weston, Inc., a Navy contractor, reported portions of the north mezzanine contaminated with radiation.

For the Navy and Marine Corps, El Toro is a success story. The public auction sale paid the Navy $650 million, more than enough to pay for remediation work at the base with millions left to fund other Navy base realignment activities (BRAC) and leave smiles on a few Admirals’ faces.

As it turned out, the recession and the Southern California real estate bust has effectively squashed efforts to build homes on the Superfund site.

To say that “drinking water or inhalation of these chemicals or dermal contact can be dangerous to your health” is an understatement. In simple terms, these chemicals can kill you, and death will come - but not in a peaceful or pleasant way.

TCE was used by both industry and the military as a degreaser for many years. In fact, many of the 130 military bases on the EPA Superfund list are contaminated with TCE and other organic solvents.

The initial response of the Marine Corps was to deny any responsibility for the TCE contaminants found in irrigation wells off the base in the 1980s. Marines by nature and training are aggressive so this might explain the “not me, Coach” attitude of El Toro to concerns raised by the Orange County Water District and others.

The contaminated irrigation wells were located down gradient of two huge maintenance hangars where TCE had been used for many years. Legal action forced the Marine Corps to accept responsibility for the off-site TCE plume.

The Navy purchased municipal water for El Toro and the nearby Santa Ana Air Facility from two municipal water districts. Water is a scarce and expensive commodity in arid Southern California. The Navy contract files would contain the technical justification for the purchases; both files are missing and presumed destroyed.

The only thing that is definite about El Toro’s water is that something had to be seriously wrong with El Toro’s well water, especially when there were no indications of shortages in the free aquifer water under the base.

El Toro’s wells went deep into the principal aquifer; some as deep as 500 and 600 feet below the ground surface (bgs). However, the location of the well screens and not the depth of the well are critical since water and contaminants enter the well through its well screen.

When questioned about the location of the well screens, EPA San Francisco didn’t know the answer, deferring to the Naval Facility Engineering Command Southwest in San Diego, the agency responsible for sealing the wells and other base closing activities.

NAVFAC records showed that inspection of one well found 50 feet of the well screen interval in the shallow contaminated aquifer. After this well was sealed, the Navy stopped looking for other well screen intervals. This is not good news for El Toro veterans and others who drank, bathed and showered in well water.

NAVFAC’s position on the base wells is that they were abandoned in 1951 and subsequent municipal water purchases prevented any contamination from entering the drinking water. To accept this you have to believe that the wells were abandoned when they were less than 10 years old and there was no shortage of water in the aquifer. When asked about the dates the base wells were abandoned, NAVFAC didn’t know.

Could the Marine Corps have kept the base wells operating after the purchase of municipal water? Economically, it would make sense to continue to use water from the aquifer unless it was contaminated and didn’t meet water quality standards.

There’s no question that El Toro’s Public Works Department kept records on the base wells. The dates wells were taken out of service and/or abandoned would have been recorded. Were these records destroyed or lost during the base closing activities? Good questions; no clear answers.

Both the Navy and EPA dismiss any contamination of El Toro’s well water, even though the TCE plume cut a path through the base wells and the 200 acres where the wells were located had 11 contaminated sites, containing dioxins, VOCs, SVOCs, pesticides, PCBs, TPH, TRPH, herbicides, and metals.

I don’t believe in ghosts. The stories of police responding to 911 calls of lights in the El Toro control tower when the power was cut off years ago and Marines in utilities walking guard duty when the last Marines left in July 1999 may be just someone’s wild imagination or just the type of crazy stories linked to ghost towns in the West. At night, the former base could easily look like a ghost town. However, if ghosts do exist, they couldn’t have picked a better place.

El Toro Marines Question TCE Usage

EPA reported that Trichloroethylene (TCE) was discontinued at MCAS El Toro in the mid-1970s. Marine veterans dispute this story. Reports from Marines on the base in the 1980s and 1990s indicate usage of TCE, even though the “official” word is that it was not used.

Who’s telling the truth about TCE usage at former MCAS El Toro? The practice of using TCE at former MCAS El Toro was reported to be discontinued by the Environmental Protection Agency in the mid-1970s. Emails from Marine veterans who were stationed at El Toro in the 1980s and 1990s question the veracity of the EPA report.

TCE is a carcinogen and was widely used by the military and industry for decades without regard for sound environmental practices. A TCE plume now spreads from El Toro into Orange County for miles. El Toro was placed on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund) and officially closed in July 1999. Reports from Marines on the base in the 1980s and 1990s indicate use of TCE, even though the “official” word is that it was not used.

An email from a Senior Staff NCO challenged the EPA offical story: "You say that these chemicals were only used until the mid 1970's but I know for a fact that they were used up until the early 1990's. How do I know because we used them OFTEN.” “As you said they were a degreaser and an outstanding one at that. They were also used for hydraulic contamination testing and keeping hydraulic components and equipment clean. When I was with VMA(AW)-121 and MALS-11, we would use the stuff daily (1-5 gallons).” “I think the hangers that you are referring to are the KC-130 hangers on the west end of the base. I do know of a Marine that spent most of his career in that hanger and died of cancer soon after retiring (months), the VA/USMC claimed not military related.”

“We took up a big collection in the squadron/KC-130 community to help his family pay for medical bills.”

TCE was used to degrease motor vehicles on base in the 1980s. An El Toro Marine reported that: “I was stationed at El Toro from 1987-1989 with MWSS-373 support squadron. We Marines used a lot of degreaser to clean the military vehicles. I lived on the base, need to get on the list to find out the symptoms of TCE exposure. MWSS-37 was located very close to were I worked. My wife was there from 86-90 has had numerous health issues including unexplained headaches and sleep disorder as well as neurological including MS.”

Although officially banned on base, TCE was "kept out of sight" and used as a degreaser: “I was an enlisted ordnance man with VMA - 214 Black Sheep Squadron from 1985-88. I loaded heavy munitions on the A4-M Sky Hawk and when these aircraft would return after dropping the bombs, we were required to break down and clean either the "MER" or "TER" ejection racks. Part of this cleaning process consisted of "secretly" soaking certain parts in a solvent that came in 5 gallon green cans with yellow lettering stating that it was TCE. I was told that we were not to get caught using this solvent because it was not an authorized cleaning agent, only soap and water was to be used. The 5 gallon cans were always kept out of sight until I poured them into a 55 gallon drum that was cut in half, length ways and mounted in a welded frame. The parts would stay in the solvent for 24 hours then I had to remove them by hand and place them into 5 gallon buckets filled with soap and water, take them into the hangar and scrub them. I cannot count the times that I did that process but I spent many hours with my arms, elbow deep in that solvent. I remember being amazed at how quickly the solvent would evaporate off my arms when I brought them out of the soaking drum.”

Form another El Toro Marine, “I am suffering from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and was stationed at El Toro from 1981 to 1984. I worked with in Hanger 2, H&MS-13. We used the chemicals in question on a regular basis to clean the parts of the aircraft weaponry and other aircraft parts. There were no warning signs that the chemicals used were dangerous nor were there PPE to protect us at that time. The doctors are still trying to determine the extent of the disease. I hope that I will be able to live another five years.”

EPA conducted on-site reviews with active and retired personnel in July 1994. Among the subject discussed were the the types of chemicals used in operations.”

EPA reported that: “The VOCs at Site 24 may have come from solvents containing TCE and PCE that were used at Site 24 until approximately 1975 [emphasis added].”

EPA Site 24 was the primary source for the TCE plume spreading off base into Orange County. Marine transport aircraft--heavy users for organic solvents--were position in this area for decades.

How can you explain the significant differences in dates in TCE usage? EPA relied on interviews of military and civilian workers on the base. El Toro kept no documentation of TCE usage or other records to rely on. An interview of military and civilian personnel makes sense, provided the right questions are asked. Memory is tricky, especially with the passage of time. However, it’s hard to believe that the “collective memories” of professionals were off by a magnitude of twenty years.

One obvious question not asked by EPA was “if El Toro stopped using TCE in the mid-1970s, then what was the substitute solvent?” Soap and water or SOS pads are not going to get the job done.

There’s no information in the “EPA Final Record of Decision - OU-2A Site 24, Former MCAS El Toro,” dated April 2006, that anyone asked this question. Was there a substitute for TCE?

In fact, the answer is “yes.” EPA’s list of contaminants of concern (CoC) for El Toro showed that 1,1,1-Trichloroethane or TCA was listed as a CoC. CoCs are chemical substances found at the site that the EPA has determined pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

A chemical consultant advised that TCA was widely used as a substitute for TCE in the 80s since it was not banned by EPA and had a “lower toxic profile” than TCE.

As it turned out TCA was later banned by the 1987 Montreal Protocol because it was found to deplete the ozone layer.

TCA was reported by EPA to be in the groundwater throughout the base and in the soil and groundwater under Site 24, the source area for the TCE plume spreading into Orange County and the area were Marine C-130s transports (4 engine turbo prop aircraft) were maintained.
So evidence indicates that both TCE and TCA were used on the base.

I can’t explain why TCE would continue to be used when TCA, a “less toxic” substitute, was available. TCE had a reputation for being an excellent cleaning solvent. It's possible for some situations, it was a better solvent than TCE.

The Marines who worked on the base in the 80s and 90s were intimately familiar with operations. A 1993 El Toro photo shows C-130s parked on the MWSG-37 tarmac. These aircraft had to be maintained, which meant that parts had to be degreased. TCE or TCA may just be a case of pick your poison. As a Marine veteran, I put my money on the Marines who worked on aircraft at El Toro in 80s and 90s. Others may have a different opinion.

Are Marine veterans confusing TCE with TCA? I seriously doubt that. The drums were clearly marked. It was OK to use TCA at one point, but not TCE. When TCE was used, it had to be hidden from sight. You don’t forget those kinds of things.

The really sad part of this is that Marines now seriously ill from cancer and other medical conditions linked to TCE exposure at El Toro now have to wage battle with the VA to obtain disability compensation. Unfortunately, this is not a level playing field and many will lose the fight.

El Toro Marine veterans with first hand knowledge of TCE usage on the base are encouraged to email me at: consults03@comcast.net.

Marines Exposed to Radiation

Marines who worked in a radiation contaminated portion of a hangar at former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro were exposed to Radium 226. No action was taken to notify any Marine veteran who worked in the hangar.

(Irvine, CA) – Marines were exposed to radiation in a huge maintenance hangar at former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro, California. The number of Marines who worked in the portion of the hangar contaminated with Radium 226 (Ra 226) is unknown. The hangar was constructed in 1944 and continued to support operations until the base closed in 1999.

Radiation contaminant from a Ra 226 paint room was found during a radiological survey of the hangar by a Navy contractor. Even a low dosage of Ra 226 can cause cancer after several years delay. The Navy has not responded to requests to assess the risk of occupational exposure to Ra 226.

A Navy report from July 2002 indicated that areas of the upper and lower north mezzanine in the Hangar 296 were classified as having or had the potential for radioactive contamination based on site history or known contamination above established release limits. Remediation action was taken by the Navy.

The Naval Facility Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest, San Diego, provided the July 2009 report to the State of California Department of Environmental Protection requesting the release of Hangar 296 and 297 for unrestricted radiological use. Information obtained by FOIA showed that the state released Hangar 297 but not Hangar 296.

Why the delay by the state in releasing Hangar 296? Where Marines in danger of exposure to radiation from the Ra 226 contamination in this hangar? Good questions; no clear answers from the state.

EPA Superfund
The former Marine Corps base, an EPA Superfund, was closed in July 1999. Two huge maintenance hangars in the most industrialized portion of the base were identified as the primary source of contamination in the groundwater. A trichloroethylene (TCE) plume originated from these hangars spread into the Orange County’s principal aquifer. TCE was used on the base for decades as a degreaser for aircraft parts. As a result of the TCE contamination, MCAS El Toro was placed on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund list) in 1990.

Millions have been spent by the Navy in the on-going clean-up at El Toro. Much of the former base was sold by the Navy for $650 million at a public auction in 2005 to a joint venture headed-up by Lennar Corporation, one of the nation’s leading real estate developers. The Navy touts the sale and cleanup as a major success story. So far it looks like it’s been a positive cash flow for the Navy.

North Mezzanine Contaminated
Based on our review of Navy records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Marines who worked in the north mezzanine of Hangar 296 in the Marine Wing Support Group 37 were exposed to Ra 226.

Ra 226 when mixed with zinc sulfide creates radioluminescent paint. The invention goes back to 1902 and was used early on to laminate watches and clock dials. By 1920, over 4,000,000 watches and clocks had been painted with radioluminescent paint. For the military, the obvious use of this paint for gun sights and later aircraft instruments and dials was readily apparent.

One of the Navy’s contractors with expertise in radiological surveys and remediation is Roy F. Weston, Inc. (Weston). Weston reported in May 2000 that “aircraft containing radioactive equipment and safety devices had been stationed and worked on at MCAS El Toro.” Based on interviews, review of records, site inspections and informal surveys, Weston concluded there was a “low potential for radiologically contaminated areas” at El Toro. Weston recommended 13 sites for additional investigation, including radiological surveys and, if required, sampling and/or remediation. Hangar 296 was one of these sites.

Weston reported in July 2002 that Ra 226 was the principal radionuclide used in a radium room on the base. Weston noted that “instruments and equipment containing radium luminous paint were cleaned and repaired in this area.” The exact date the Ra 226 paint room discontinued its operations is unknown. The space previously occupied by the paint room and supporting rooms was used for office space and workshops until the base closed in July 1999.

The Navy took appropriate steps to dispose of contaminated ventilation and plumbing off-base in a designated site for radioactive material. Hangar 296 is over 200,000 sq. feet in area. The area contaminated with Ra 226 was confined to portions of Hangar 296’s north mezzanine. Ra 226 was also found in the groundwater near several landfills on the base and near the hangar.
Ra 226 has a half life of 1,620 years. So even after 16 centuries half of the contaminant will still be active. Obviously, this is not something you want in your backyard.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is responsible for monitoring facilities under Federal jurisdiction. Since El Toro was designated for closure in 1999 and reversion to state control, the California Department of Health Services in May 1998 requested the Navy undertake a Historical Radiological Assessment for all base property.

In July 2002, the Navy requested that the California Department of Toxic Substance Control release two hangars at the former base for “unrestricted radiological use.” The Navy’s review of historical records showed storage and repair of radioactive material in Hangar 296 and equipment containing radioactive material stored in Hangars 296 and 297.

For Hangar 296, Roy F. Weston, Inc. reported Ra 226 present in and above the radium room in the:

• Internal floor area in the common wall between the radium room and the adjacent standard paint room;
• Ventilation system ducting above the radium room; and
• Plumbing system piping below the mezzanine.

It’s now seven years later and Hangar 296 has yet to be released by the state for unrestricted radiological use. No information was available from the state for the delay other than concerns about the Navy’s radiological survey of Hangar 296. No other details were available from the state.

Navy Petition
On June 30, 2009, a petition from 108 families was sent to Captain Bruce Cohen, USN, Commander, NMCPHC. Among other actions, the petition requested the Navy to address the risks of occupational exposure to radionuclides at MCAS El Toro. One way to do that would be to do a chromosome blood test for Marines who worked in the north mezzanine of Hangar 296. The Navy has not replied to this letter.

The Agency for Toxic Disease Registry (ATSDR), a Federal government agency with responsibility for public health assessments of EPA Superfund sites, reported that: “Exposure to ionizing radiation may increase your chance of getting cancer. As with other health effects, how likely you are to get cancer depends on how much ionizing radiation you received, your age when exposed, and the type of cancer.” (See: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts149.html)

Why the delay by the state in releasing Hangar 296? Were Marines in danger of exposure to radiation from the Ra 226 contamination in this hangar? Good questions; no clear answers, yet.

Navy Can Provide Blood Test
Confirmation from the California Department of Public Health is that the Navy has not submitted a revised final status survey for Hangar 296 nor is there a date from the Navy when this revised survey will be completed. Pending submission and approval of the survey by the state, the hangar will continue to remain in a radiologically restricted status.

According to a CDPH official, “[the department’s] primary function is to ensure that the property is safe for FUTURE public use.” This official also noted that, “CDPH has no historic records on exposure in this area.” For these reason, the CDPH recommended that these questions be addressed by the Navy. So far, the Navy has not addressed the issue of exposure of Marines who worked and sometimes slept on duty watch in the contaminated space.

No veteran can sue the Federal government for any injuries sustained on active duty. A 1950 Supreme Court ruling known as the Feres doctrine prevents any such lawsuits. So there’s no lawsuit threat to the government from Marines who were exposed to ionizing radiation in the hangar. At most, the government may be liable for the payment of a VA Compensation and Pension benefit to an El Toro veteran who has a current disability associated with radiation exposure.

The major health risk from exposure to radiation is cancer. For Marines who worked in Hangar 296, a chromosome breakage blood test would indicate exposure to radiation. The Navy has the capability to perform this blood test. The real question is will the Navy offer the test to an El Toro veteran who was assigned to MWSG-37, the site of the contaminated hangar.

Marine veterans can obtain copies of the Navy’s Radiological Report on Hangars 296 and 297 and the petition to the NMCPHC by emailing me at consults03@comcast.net.

NEXUS STATEMENT

The nexus letter is the key to winning a VA compensation claim. Nexus is defined as "the means of connection between things linked in series".

A veteran needs to seek an expert physician who will review your complete medical records and write a letter stating that it is his or her opinion that your injury (condition) today is related to the military service.

The nexus letter should follow a similar format to all letters that you use to communicate to VA. It may be addressed directly to you or in a "To Whom It May Concern" style. If the physician is willing to provide you with a current curriculum vitae (a resume) that will support the physician's expertise.

The nexus letter should follow the standard business format we always use when writing to the VA. This template below may be used as a beginning for your letter.

Date


VIA Certified Mail, Return Receipt


Reference: Your full name

Your reference numbers, SSN, etc.


To Whom It May Concern;

I am a (specialty) physician (Medical Doctor).

I have reviewed the Service Medical Record of Veteran ______________as well as his/her more contemporary medical records and history.

(If a physical examination has occurred, discuss that and report the findings now.)

(Describe rationale. For example; This veteran has no known history of exposure to risk factors that may pose a risk for __________________. There is no known history of this condition in his/her family history.)

I have concluded and it is my opinion that it is as least as likely as not that the veteran's current condition of (name the condition, illness, injury) was caused by exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) and/or tetrachloroethylene (PCE) while on active duty at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), El Toro, California. [1]


(Signed)


Address, etc.


Enclosure: Curriculum Vitae


[1] Reasonably Medically Certain: Often used by attorneys in instructions to physicians in medical malpractice cases and sometimes incorrectly used by VA leadership in instructions to physicians in VA benefit cases, but the correct threshold standard for VA cases as per the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and Congress for granting benefits is the “as likely as not” concept (50-50) which means that the medical evidence/medical principles for and against the association is at least evenly divided. This is a different standard than the one used in clinical medical for evidence, which is set at the 95% confidence level because the VA regulations have been liberally and generously established by our citizens who recognize the risks and value of service to out country.


"is due to" (100% sure)

"more likely than not" (greater than 50%)

"at least as likely as not" (equal to or greater than 50%)

"not at least as likely as not" (less than 50%)

"is not due to" (0%)

Ref: VA’s Clinician’s Guide for Disability Examination;

TCE/PCE Petition Drive Needs Veterans’ Support

The Veterans for Change (VFC), a proactive veteran service organization, drafted a petition to Congress in February 2009 for legislation to include exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) for military bases contaminated with these toxic chemicals under the VA's Presumptive Disability category.

According to Jim Davis, founder of VFC, the organization’s mission is to promote positive changes in the treatment and rights of all veterans and their families, especially relating to benefits claims, medical treatment, VA facilities, PTSD, Agent Orange, POW/MIA recoveries, and related issues. (See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VETERANS-FOR-CHANGE/

Davis said more signatures are needed to push for the reintroduction of The TCE Reduction Act, which never reached the 110th Congress for a vote.

According to Davis, this legislation will not only benefit veterans, but all Americans since TCE/PCE are two toxic chemicals contaminating many water supply systems throughout the country.

Congressional Testimony

Congressional testimony from Dr. Thomas Sinks, Deputy Director, Agency for Toxic Disease Registry (ASTDR) on June 12, 2007, to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, United States House of Representatives confirms the toxicity of these two chemicals: “TCE is a colorless liquid which is used as a solvent for cleaning metal parts. Occupational exposure to TCE may 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’s lymphoma. TCEin drinking water has been associated with childhood leukemia in two studies and with specific birth defects such as neural tube defects and oral clefts in one study.”

Dr. Sinks commented that: “PCE is a manufactured chemical used for dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Occupational exposure to PCE can cause dizziness, headaches, sleepiness, confusion, nausea, difficulty in speaking and walking, unconsciousness, and death. Exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water has been linked with adult cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.”

Chemicals Widely Used
Both chemicals were used by industry and the military for many years without regard to sound environmental disposal practices. For example, dumping TCE waste into sanitary sewers and sometimes the bare ground, for example, led to the contamination of groundwater and drinking water throughout the United States.

An unknown number of veterans have been exposed to TCE. In 2003 the Air Force reported 1,400 military sites contaminated with TCE.

The Marine Corps Times reported 22 military bases with contaminated TCE water in June 2007. (See: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/06/marine_water_list_070625/)

TCE Reduction Act

Senator Hillary Clinton led an unsuccessful attempt to reduce exposure to TCE in the U.S. Senate in 2007.

The TCE Reduction Act of 2008 (or the Toxic Chemical Exposure Reduction Act of 2008) was introduced in the US Senate by then Senator Hillary Clinton on August 1, 2007 and co-sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN], Sen. Barbara Boxer [D-CA], Sen. John Kerry [D-MA], Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R-NC], Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I-CT]. Sen. Bill Nelson [D-FL] and Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D-NJ].

The TCE Reduction Act of 2008 (S. 1911) never became law. Congressional sessions last two years, and at the end of each session all proposed bills like S. 1911 that haven't passed are cleared from the books. Never reaching the floor for a vote, S. 1911 expired at the end of the Congressional session.

VFC Proposed Draft Legislation
The VFC’s petition to reintroduce the legislation as the TCE/PCE Reduction Act includes a provision to make honorable discharged veterans who served at any military base on the EPA Superfund list (133 bases as of the latest count) eligible for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ “Presumptive Disability” umbrella when applying for VA disability compensation from exposure to TCE/PCE.

The draft legislation requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish, by not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act:

• A health advisory, including cancer risks, for trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in drinking water that fully protects susceptible populations (including pregnant women, infants, and children), taking into consideration body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure to trichloroethylene;

• An integrated risk information system reference concentration of trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene that is protective of the susceptible populations from vapor intrusion, taking into consideration the factors described in that subparagraph;

• To promptly establish a national primary drinking water regulation for TCE and PCE that fully protects susceptible populations (including pregnant women, infants, and children), taking into consideration body weight, exposure patterns, and all routes of exposure; and

• To include honorably discharged veterans eligible for VA presumptive disability for illnesses linked to exposure to TCE or PCE whenever these contaminants are listed as Contaminants of Concern by the Environmental Protection Agency for a military base placed on the EPA National Priority List.

Presumptive Disability Needed

The VA denies claims of veterans without substantial supporting documentation, including an opinion from a medical doctor that the illness was “at least as likely as not” due to exposure to TCE/PCE in the military. For many veterans this is a “catch twenty-two situation.”

The military base they were stationed at has high levels of TCE/PCE. Their illness is one that can be caused by exposure to TCE/PCE. They can’t work because of their disability. The VA requires “proof” that their disability including a medical opinion or nexus statement that links the illness to military service.

A disabled and unemployed veteran is unlikely to have the means to pay for a medical opinion and nexus statement from an expert medical specialist. For example, a telephone call to a Southern California medical doctor and toxicologist showed that a short opinion letter (one typed page) would cost approximately $3,000. In this economy, this is not a small amount of change, especially to a disabled veteran.

The VA’s Presumptive Disability entitlement eliminates the need for an expensive medical nexus statement.

How does "presumptive entitlement" work? If one of the medical conditions linked to TCE/PCE exposure is diagnosed in a veteran and the veteran served in a location contaminated with TCE/PCE, the VA presumes that the circumstances of his/her service caused the condition, and disability compensation could be awarded.

The VA currently has four groups of veterans under the Presumptive Disability category. These include former POWs, Vietnam veterans (exposed to Agent Orange); atomic veterans (exposed to ionizing radiation); and Gulf War veterans.

There’s medical support of the heath affects of TCE/PCE exposure (including the EPA and the National Academy of Sciences). TCE/PCE were widely used chemicals by the military and industry for decades, many bases have documented TCE/PCE contamination, and many veterans were exposed to these carcinogens and suffer the effects of exposure.

For MCB Camp Lejeune and MCAS El Toro Marine veterans the introduction and passage of this legislation will have special meaning.

Despite the years of data documenting the contamination of Lejeune's base wells and a number of deaths linked to the base wells, Jerome Ensminger, a retired Camp Lejeune Marine who witnessed the death of his 9 year old daughter to leukemia from contaminated base water, cautioned that Lejeune veterans can still expect their VA disability compensation claims to be denied but will win on appeal. However, veterans should know that the VA disability compensation appeal process can be lengthy and exhausting with no guarantees.

El Toro Marines can expect VA denials for exposure to TCE/PCE in the base's drinking water, despite the thousands of pounds of TCE/PCE cutting a path through the base wells.

El Toro appears to be a bigger uphill fight for veterans. While Lejeune has lots of evidence of support for contamination of base wells and remains an active Marine Corps base, El Toro was officially closed in July 1999 and the missing documentation raises a number red flags and lots of unanswered questions.

With serious and unanswered questions about the base’s water distribution system and the possible contamination of base wells, an El Toro Marine veteran even with a disease linked to TCE/PCE exposure can expect an uphill fight to win a VA disability compensation claim. Sadly, despite the best motivation, an El Toro Marine veteran with stage 4 bladder cancer is unlikely to have the time or health to win the battle.

Presumptive disability for diseases linked to TCE/PCE contamination is the fairest way to honor the service of veterans. According to Davis, unless the proposed TCE/PCE Reduction Act is passed with the presumptive disability provision, an unknown number of veterans will be denied medical benefits and compensation. Davis urges all veterans and Americans to get support this effort by signing the petition to Congress.

For more information on the VFC petition, email Jim Davis at jdavis92840@sbcglobal.net.

Navy Hypes "El Toro Story"

El Toro's base wells were sealed by the Navy without inspection for well screen intervals after one screen was found in the contaminated aquifer. An international epidemiologist and radiation expert recommends the Navy do blood tests on Marines for radiation exposure in one hangar on the former base.

The Navy failed to inspect base wells for location of well screens before sealing them, ignoring evidence that a former MCAS El Toro’s base well was contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a known carcinogen.

Contamination from Radium 226 once used as a fluorescent paint on aircraft instruments and gauges at El Toro was found in one hangar. Groundwater near several base landfills had elevated levels of radiation.

The Navy, responsible for El Toro cleanup, has not disclosed the failure to inspect all base wells for the well screen interval before their destruction nor made public report on radiation at the former base.

The Navy has released at least three “fact sheets” on El Toro as part of the effort to inform the public. Nothing was said about faulty well destruction process or the radiological studies on the base.

We obtained a copy of the Radiological Report on two huge maintenance hangars under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A area of one hangar where the radium paint room was located was found contaminated with radium.

The report is almost seven years old. The California Department of Public Health has not approved the hangar for unrestricted use, citing concerns over the Navy’s radiological survey.

MCAS El Toro was once the premier Marine Corps Air Station. After trichloroethylene (TCE) was discovered off base in 1985, El Toro was placed on the EPA Superfund list and eventually closed in July 1999. The Navy sealed the base wells from 1998 to 2006. Thousands of men and woman served at El Toro over 56 years. The human cost from exposure to carcinogens like TCE and Radium 226 is incalculable.

No veteran, dependent or civilian worker at El Toro was informed of the health effects of their possible exposure to toxic chemicals and Radium 226.

This is not unusual since there is no regulatory requirement to notify veterans and others at any military base on the EPA Superfund list of what EPA calls the “Chemicals of Concern.”

TCE was used as a degreaser on aircraft at El Toro for decades before safe environmental practices were implemented. The Navy traced the source of the TCE to the highly industrialized southwest quadrant of the base, the home of the Marine Wing Service Group-37. The clean-up continues today and will not be completed for years.

For the Navy, the hundred of millions spend on El Toro remediation and the transfer of the former base to local authority is a success story.

The Navy sold much of the former base to a joint venture headed by Lennar Corporation in 2005 for $650 million. For those who served at El Toro or worked as civilians on the base and now are seriously ill, the story is anything but a success.

TCE and Radiation

In 1985 the Orange County Water District discovered TCE near El Toro. The source of the toxic chemical was traced to the base, resulting in its placement on the EPA Superfund list.

El Toro kept no TCE usage records. The Navy estimated 8,000 pounds of TCE in the soil and groundwater under the base. The city of Irvine consultants estimated the amount at 700,000 pounds.

There is no disagreement that the TCE plume cut its path right through the base wells.

A Navy groundwater monitoring report from 2000 estimated that the TCE in the groundwater in the immediate area of the base wells ranged from 50 ug/L to 500 ug/L or from 10 to 100 times the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL).

In fact, Navy and EPA reports show that the shallow groundwater unit (SGU) is contaminated with TCE and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like tetrachloroethylene (PCE).

Both the Navy and EPA insist that the base wells were safe from contamination.

The Navy reported that an impenetrable clay barrier from 70 to 140 feet thick named the Intermediate Zone stopped the toxic chemicals from contaminating the base wells.

In fact, our review of Navy well destruction reports obtained from the Orange County Health Agency showed that inspection by a Navy contractor on the first well selected for destruction in 1998 the found well screen at 210 feet below the ground surface or about 50 feet above the clay barrier in the SGU. TCE was found in this well. The report was never made public by the Navy.

The remaining base wells were destroyed without inspecting them for the location of the well screen intervals.

Navy Gets Facts Wrong

In August 2008, the Navy published an attractive, slick blue and gold colored fact sheet on the internet describing the groundwater cleanup activities at former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. See: www.bracpmo.navy.mil.

The purpose of the fact sheet was “to provide the community with an update of groundwater cleanup activities” for Site 18 (the Principal
Aquifer or PA) and Site 24 (the Shallow Groundwater Unit or SGU).

The information on the SGU was apparently intended for veterans and their dependents and civilian workers who lived and worked on the base prior to its closure and had concerns about the base wells.

The Navy reported that six base Navy wells were constructed during WW II at total depths from 440 to 645 feet below the ground surface; the combined flow from these six wells was 900 gallons/minute in August 1945; and the depths and pumping rates were consistent with the current and historic supply and irrigation wells in the greater Irvine Subbasin.

All of this is reassuring information to the Marines, dependents and civilian workers—the consumers of water from the base wells. However, the information was just not accurate.

We found that the Navy production reports showed only four of the six wells were ever in production at any one time and the combined maximum output of these was 41,071,400 gallons in August 1949, not August 1945 as reported.

Navy Well #3 was a dry hole while Navy Well #4 was in production for only five months during this period.

Contrary to the Navy report, not all of the wells were constructed by the Navy in WW II. We found that Navy Well #1 was originally Irvine Company Well #57. As of May 1943, Well #57 had become Navy Well #1.

More important to the community of veterans, dependents and workers, the Navy failed to disclose the location of the well screens, only the depths of the wells.

To the uninformed reader, the depth of the wells provided protection since the contaminated SGU was separated from the principal aquifer by 70 to 140 feet thick layer of impenetrable clay.

The Navy failed to mention that the original construction drawings with the well screen locations were lost or that the well screen interval and not the depth of the wells determined the first point that water and contaminants entered the well.

A review of the well destruction reports on file at the Orange County Health Agency in Santa Ana showed that the Navy inspected only one well prior to sealing them and never looked for another well screen after the consultant reported the well screen interval started in the contaminated SGU.

In March 1998, the Navy contracted with OHM Services Corporation, Irvine to scrub the well casing, locate the well screen and video tape the well casing on Navy Well #4. OHM reported that the well screen was a series of vertical slots hand cut by torch from 210 feet to 494 feet below the ground surface (bgs).

Since the shallow groundwater unit went to 260 feet below the ground surface, about 50 feet of the screen was in the contaminated SGU. OHM reported chemical analysis of the well taken in August 1995 by another contractor found 12 ug/L of TCE. The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level for TCE is 5 ug/L.

Instead of inspecting the other wells before their destruction, the Navy ignored the findings from Navy Well #4 and sealed the wells without knowing the location of the well screen intervals.

The TCE plume spreading into Orange County cut a path right through the base wells. The TCE plume put the wells at risk for contamination.

The Intermediate Zone of clay provided an effective barrier to contamination only if the well screens were not located in the contaminated SGU.

The Navy’s decision not to inspect other wells for the well screen intervals before sealing them is unconscionable. Marines and others on the base drank and showered in this water.

If the other well screens were in the SGU like Navy Well #4, then the base water supply was at risk for contamination with toxic chemicals.

Municipal Water

The Navy fact sheet reported the purchase of municipal water from the Metropolitan Water District in February 1951, which was succeeded by the Irvine Ranch Water District in July 1969.

Did El Toro abandon the base wells as early as February 1951? The Navy reported there were no pumping records for the wells after December 1950.

However, we found evidence that the base wells were in use long after the MWD contract.

Despite no reports of water shortages in the aquifer under the base, the Navy reported the construction of an 18-inch water supply pipeline in the 1950s, followed by the award of municipal water services contracts with the Metropolitan Water District in February 1951 and with the Irvine Ranch Water District in July 1969.

FOIA requests were made to the Navy for copies of the supporting documentation for both contracts. Supporting documents may have been destroyed and are no longer available.

The possibility that the Navy may have abandoned the base wells in 1951 by purchasing municipal water defies common sense.

It doesn’t make sense for the Navy to abandon productive wells that were less than 10 years old.
Based on our review of El Toro engineering drawings, it’s clear that the base wells were abandoned on or before 1986. We were unable to find any information on the actual dates the base wells were abandoned. The Navy could only confirm that well pumping records abruptly stopped as of December 1950.

We did find that Navy's 4 wells were good producers and with Well #4 back in service, they had 5 of the 6 wells available for water for the entire base.

There were no tests for TCE in 1950 so this was not a factor in the decision to purchase municipal water.

It takes quite an imagination to believe that the Navy woke up one day and simply decided to purchase municipal water from the Metropolitan Water District. Water is not an inexpensive commodity in Southern California.

Navy procurement regulation for negotiated contracts with MWD and IRWD required technical justification to support purchase. The problem is the supporting documentation is with the official government contract files now apparently destroyed.

Total Dissolved Solids ("Salts")

Evidence supports that the levels of total dissolved solids (“salts”) from the SGU caused service disruptions to the base wells and may have been behind the decision for the Navy to construct the 18-inch pipeline and purchase municipal water.

The Navy production records showed service disruptions in Navy Wells #4, #5, and #6. We also found an early El Toro Public Works Department engineering drawing from 1948 “Repairs to Wells and Pumping Equipment.”

Based on information from the Navy obtained by FOIA, the MWD contract provided for the delivery of one cubic foot/second of “softened water” for El Toro and the nearby Santa Ana Air Facility.

To most of us that’s a lot of water, but based on our calculations not enough to support the water needs of El Toro and the nearby Santa Ana Air Facility.

The United States Geological Survey defines cubic foot per second (cfs) as "the flow rate or discharge equal to one cubic foot of water per second or about 7.5 gallons per second." Converting the one cubic foot per second into gallons equals about 648,000 gallons/day for both installations (7.5 x 60 x 60 x 24).

Even if all of the water went to El Toro and none to the Air Facility, the supply of water from MWD was only 50% of the maximum output of 4 Navy wells (900 gal/minute x 60 minutes x 24 hours or 1,296,000 gallons/day).

Based on these facts, it’s obvious that the MWD municipal water contract was not intended to replace the base wells but, more likely than not, intended to supplement the “hardened water” well water with softened water, helping to extent the useful life of the wells and pumps.

It’s obvious the intent of the Navy fact sheet is to dismiss the base wells as an issue as early as February 1951.

You would have to believe in the tooth fairy to be convinced that the Navy and Marine Corps walked away from Navy wells that early without good cause.

The Navy never stated the base wells were abandoned in 1951, but their Fact Sheet strongly suggest it. However, in this instance, the data just doesn’t support this conclusion.

What about the follow-on municipal water services contract with the Irvine Ranch Water District? We obtained a copy of the July 1969 contract from IRWD.

This contract estimated daily demand of 1,730,000 gallons/day for El Toro. However, the government was not obligated to purchase this quantity. This daily estimated daily demand in 1969 exceeded the maximum daily output from the 4 Navy wells (1,296,000 gallons/day).

When Where the Navy Wells Abandoned?

TCE tests in drinking water were not available until the 1980s. However, the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Instruction 6240.3C, dated August 25, 1972, set a standard for chlorinated hydrocarbons at 3 to 100 ppb in 1972. The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery required that any drinking water exceeding the chlorinated hydrocarbon standard be rejected

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are a group of chemicals composed of carbon, chlorine and hydrogen. TCE is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. As early August 1972, the Navy had the means to test for chlorinated hydrocarbons in the drinking water.

There are no laboratory analysis reports available for El Toro’s base wells so unless someone with inside information comes forward, it’s impossible to confirm whether any chlorinated hydrocarbons were found in El Toro base wells.

Since TCE was found in Navy Well #4 in 1995, it’s possible as early as 1972, the Navy and Marine Corps may have been aware that this well if not abandoned by then and possibly others exceeded the Navy’s drinking water standard for chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Ordinarily, you would expect the Navy and Marine Corps to continue to use the base wells until the water was found to be contaminated or the mounting repair costs and service disruptions forced the abandonment of the wells.

The fact sheet does not address any of these issues nor does it provide any explanation of the missing El Toro water distribution engineering drawings. These drawings would provide evidence of the use of the base wells.

Using FOIA, we requested copies of El Toro’s water distribution drawings. We found a kind of “Bermuda Triangle” between 1954 and 1986. Between these 32 years, there are no engineering drawings on El Toro’s water distribution system. A 1954 engineering drawing clearly showed 5 Navy wells as part of the water distribution system (including Navy Well #4). By 1986, all of the Navy wells are gone and only the Irvine Company Well #55 remains (this well was on the property as early as 1942).

Our conclusion is that between 1954 and 1986, the Navy and Marine Corps abandoned the Navy wells at El Toro. It’s possible that someone who worked in the El Toro’s Public Works Department knows the actual dates, but so far, no one has volunteered any information.

There’s no spin anyone can put on the decision not to locate all well screen intervals. Given that the TCE plume cut a path through the base wells and the known toxicity of ingestion of TCE contaminated water, the decision not to inspect all wells for the screen interval prior to sealing them is at best irresponsible and at worst a deliberate cover-up.

Radium Contamination Reported

As part of the base closure process, the Navy contracted with Roy F. Weston, Inc. to perform a Historical Radiological Assessment (HRA) of El Toro. A copy of Weston’s May 2000 HRA was obtained via FOIA from the Navy.

Aircraft containing radioactive equipment and safety devices had been stationed and worked on at El Toro. Based on interviews, review of documents, and informal surveys, Weston recommended radiological surveys of a number of sites on El Toro for further investigation.

Among these sites were the Original Landfill, the Perimeter Road Landfill, Magazine Road Landfill, Communication Station Landfill, and several hangars, including Hangar 296, the site of a Radium Paint Room.

Radium 226 and 228 were found in the groundwater in the landfills while areas in the north mezzanine of Hangar 296 were reported contaminated with Radium 226.

In Hangar 296, Weston found elevated radioactive levels within the “former radium room, paint room, and ventilation ducting over the north mezzanine.” Portions of the concrete floor title, ventilation ducting and sewage piping were found contaminated, removed and deposited off-station. The Navy reported the area fully remediated and ready for release for unrestricted use.

In July 2002, Weston prepared “Final Radiological Release Report for Hangars 296 and 297.” The Navy forwarded the report to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substances Control recommending that that these two hangars be released for unrestricted use.

Hangar 297 was released for unrestricted use, but Hangar 296 was not. Follow-up with CDPH showed that CDPH had “concerns” over the radiological survey in Hangar 296. No additional details were available from the state.

Based on the Navy’s Weston report of Hangar 296 and state unexplained concerns over the radiological survey, it appears the Marines who worked in the north mezzanine of the hangar are at risk for exposure to radiation.

Blood Test for Radiation Exposure

Information from Dr. Rosalie Bertell, Ph.D, an international renowned epidemiologist and acknowledged expert in radiation, indicated that the Navy could perform a blood test to determine whether anyone at El Toro was exposed to radiation.

Dr. Bertell in an April 14th email stated that: “The Navy could perform a chromosome breakage test. Radiation exposure causes a second break of the DNA before the first has time to be repaired, producing signature Rings and Dicentrics. This is usually visible for years after exposure. It requires only a blood sample, and they have good estimates of normal occurrence of these types of breaks due to background radiation. It would not take much effort to undertake this type of testing, and it could be easily analyzed at Oakridge. Probably you should have split samples and send one sample to a non-government agency to be sure. The Cytogenetics Laboratory at Roswell Park Cancer Research center in Buffalo NY would be able to do it. There might also be a center near to where you live. If you have already had radiation therapy for the cancer, this would falsify the test.”

“The military has been careless with toxic and radioactive materials. I think it is part of the mind set which allows them to handle these things!”

A petition to the Navy Public Health Center to evaluate the risk of occupational exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals at El Toro, including a chromosome breakage blood test for those interested is on the interest.
(See: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/cdr-melissa-mohon-usn.html)

Human Impact

The following personal accounts are anecdotal but demand evaluation and investigation by appropriate authority. These comments are from Marine veterans, dependents, and civilian workers who were stationed or worked at former MCAS El Toro.

One MWSG-37 Marine recalls using an overhead crane to hoist 55 gallon drums of TCE, which were then, emptied into a large vat in one of MWSG-37’s huge maintenance hangars. The tank was heated and a metal basket with parts to be cleaned was lowered into the vat. Very effective. Within seconds the parts were cleaned. You can guess where the waste ended up.”

Another Marine in the same group reported that he “saw a lot of TCE ‘up close-and-personal’ as the aircraft strip was done just below us [Bldg. 296]. At the TCE ‘hose-down’ stage, clouds of the stuff would waft on the wind—get into the upper level [of the hangar]. As I recall, a single F9F could use up to a 1/3rd of a 55 gallon drum. Excess TCE simply drained into a sump outside the hangar door. If you were entering or exiting the hangar while this segment was underway, you had to stand back and not let the stuff get on your uniform of the day. If you got spritized—goodbye your clothing—would eat away the cloth like a moth…a lot of Marines are either dead or dying (family members included). You can see this by reading the Marine Air Transport Association quarterly newspapers going back to 2000. The ‘obits’ would leave one to believe that dozens of these Marines—spanning literally decades of service—have died from conditions that fairly scream out ‘CLUSTER CANCER’ with TCE fingerprints.”

Susan, wife of an El Toro Marine, wrote that: “When my Marine husband developed brain cancer, his neurosurgeon asked if he had ever been exposed to toxic chemicals. He was stationed at El Toro and Camp Lejeune [both TCE contaminated bases] in the 1960s but we knew nothing of the TCE/PCE exposure. My husband died March 24, 2008.”

Susan’s note really caught my attention. I had a seizure before a prostate operation in July 1987. On follow-up, a neurologist asked if I had ever been exposed to chemicals. I had not and asked him why the question. He replied that my symptoms were typical of someone who had been exposed to chemicals. In 2005, I survived stage 2/3 bladder cancer, which is linked to exposure to TCE and possibly Radium 226 at El Toro. I worked and slept on duty watch in Hangar 296, right above the former Radium Paint Room.

Elmer, an El Toro Marine, wrote: “I have Crohn’s disease and have had it for about 40 years. I spent two years at El Toro.”

Richard, another El Toro Marine, wrote: “I served at El Toro in 1965. I now have multiple physical and other problems. I am on disability and always thought I was too young to have the problems I have.”

This one caught my eye. So far we have been unable to track down Lorraine and her brother in California. Both were at El Toro the same time as me. I didn’t know personally. Lorraine wrote: “My brother and I were stationed at El Toro between 1964 and 1967. We both have many physical problems. My brother developed cancer of the throat two years ago and was actually dead for 45 seconds. I have COPD and need a breathing device to sleep at night.”

A retired Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant wrote: “You say that these chemicals were only used until the mid 1970's but I know for a fact that they were used up until the early 1990's. How do I know because we used them OFTEN. As you said they were a degreaser and an outstanding one at that. They were also used for hydraulic contamination testing and keeping hydraulic components and equipment clean. When I was with VMA (AW)-121 and MALS-11 we would use the stuff daily (1-5 gallons). I think the hangers that you are referring to are the KC-130 hangers on the west end of the base. I do know of a Marine that spent most of his career in that hanger and died of cancer soon after retiring (months), the VA/USMC claimed not military related. We took up a big collection in the squadron/KC-130 community to help his family pay for medical bills.”

This note from a mother set off alarm bells: “I am adding my daughter Sarah Ann to the list as she developed ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia) in 1991 at the age of 12 while living in base housing at El Toro Marine base and attending school at the El Toro Marine School.” At Camp Lejeune, the government confirmed the death of 16 children from exposure to TCE in contaminated base wells.

What’s Next for the El Toro Story?

Government spin should never be a substitute for the truth. We live in an imperfect world. Mistakes are made. People get injured.

It’s apparent to me from the almost total lack of concern over the impact of exposure and the health effects to the community of Marines, their dependents, and civilian workers that action needs to be taken by the Navy Marine Corps Public Health Center to evaluate the risk of exposure to VOCs and radiation and to offer the chromosome breakage blood test to confirm exposure to radiation.

At this point, the jury is out: Will the Navy do the right thing? Only time will tell.

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