Korea: Ground Radar Used to Find Lost Agent Orange Drums

by Robert O’Dowd

(CAMP CARROLL, KOREA)  - The U.S. Army and the Korean government are using ground penetrating technology to locate hundreds of barrels of 55 gallon drums of Agent Orange and other chemicals at Camp Carroll, South Korea, according

Photo Courtesy, The Korea Hearld

Just like Camp Carroll, there are reports of buried drums of TCE and PCE at former MCAS El Toro.

The same technology can be used by the U.S. Navy, responsible for remediation at former MCAS El Toro, to locate the buried drums of TCE/PCE.

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing left for Miramar in July 1999. The former base was sold to a real estate joint venture in 2005. TCE was used as a degreaser for aircraft at the base for decades, resulting in a Trichloroethylene (TCE) plume spreading miles into Orange County.


El Toro was a Marine Corps base for 56 years. The base kept no TCE usage records but literally thousands of barrels of TCE may have been used over this time period. TCE waste entered the soil, the groundwater, and the aquifer under the base and spread miles off base into the Orange County aquifer. Two agricultural wells off base and one on the base were found to be contaminated with TCE by the Orange County Water District (OCWD) in 1985. The TCE plume was traced back to El Toro.

The Navy reached a settlement with OCWD and the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) in 2001 to provide $42 million in federal funds plus $7.2 million in contingency funds for groundwater clean-up and treatment of groundwater. In 2002, the Navy agreed to pay $27 million to help pay for a desalination plant. The Navy’s environmental remediation work is on-going in cooperation with OCWD and the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD).

Information from official government reports show that TCE chemicals were used even though their authorization was withdrawn and extraordinary methods were taken to hide the evidence from the Marine Corps Inspector General. Instead of waiting for the steel drums to rot or miraculously appear on the surface, the Navy could follow the example of the U.S. Army at Camp Carroll, South Korea.

The U.S. Army and the Korean government are using ground penetrating technology to locate hundred of buried drums of Agent Orange and other chemicals at Camp Carroll in South Korea. The joint task force used a process called “Electrical Resistivity” to locate and map abnormalities underground.

Lee Sun-Young, reporter for The Korea Herald, broke story on July 9, 2011 on the use of ground penetrating technology to locate the buried AO drums. According to Sun-Young, “A joint Korea-US investigation team found signs that metallic objects, shaped like drums, may be buried underground at one of the US military camps in Korea…the will now take samples of soil from as far as 10 meters deep to verify a claim by US veteran Steve House that he helped bury hundreds of drums believed to contain Agent Orange near a helipad in Camp Carroll…geophysical surveys of the helipad area found some anomaly.” The joint task force is co-chaired by OK Gon, professor at Bookyung University and Colonel Joseph F. Birchmeier, U.S. Army.

Mr. Don Zweifel, Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) member, reported to the Navy way back on July 27, 2005 during public comments on “El Toro’s Draft Record of Decision for Site 24, the Volatile Organic Solvent (VOC) Source Area” that former El Toro employees told him of the practice of burying drums of contaminants on the base.

No records were maintained of where the barrels were buried and the Navy’s official response was no remediation efforts would be undertaken unless the buried barrels were found. Barring a miracle, it’s unlikely that the barrels will spontaneously appear on the ground surface. Over time, the steel 55 gallons drums will rot and the toxic contaminants will be released into the soil.

Although this could be a tedious effort, the military has the means of detecting buried metal containers. Although not suggested by Mr. Zweifel, a search of the 4,000 acres property by the military could locate the buried drums. Once found, the drums could be removed and properly disposed of.

Why wait for the drums to rot and endanger children and others? A proactive remediation approach would avoid injuries from rotting containers spilling their contents into the ground.

Review showed that the Navy ignored Zweifel’s concerns about the need to find the barrels, citing their policy, “The Department of the Navy (DON) also has a comeback policy that states the circumstances under which the DON will return to perform additional cleanup. One of those circumstances is the subsequent discovery of additional contamination attributable to DON activities. This would allow for additional investigation if buried barrels of contaminants where found anywhere on Former MCAS El Toro property in the future.”

COMMENTS FROM MR. ZWEIFEL, EL TORO RAB MEMBER

“You know, I remember some comments from the employees at MCAS El Toro that told me they buried barrels of contaminants. And why did they do it? I don’t know if that’s important right now. I can tell you later about why they did it – but actually it had to do with the – if it was a half-filled barrel of PCE, they had to remove that barrel because they wouldn’t get a full barrel or – barrels of PCE [TCE was the primary VOC but PCE may have been used as a degreasing agent, too] is vital for cleaning aircraft, they had to have it. The thing is, I’m saying, there are probably barrels buried down here and they are sealed and they are coated, but the thing is, eventually you’ve got to face it, those barrels are going to leak. They will leak. Maybe they haven’t leaked yet, but they eventually will leak.

Miller Jackson, he was in charge with the physical plant at El Toro years ago, and he said that he knows what they did. When the MG inspection was about to come, they buried – he didn’t say where, I don’t know if he is alive anymore. I talked to him ten years ago about this. And remember, Andy, I told you about this. And, Content, I already mentioned it to her, most of you guys know. I am just reiterating an old song. The thing is, ladies and gentlemen, this is a great concern to me. What is going to happen to those barrels? Right now it appears everything is okay, but the thing is, I think those barrels will eventually leak.

“I don’t know how many of them there are, but I am almost sure there are some barrels there. So what I am proposing, if I may, is that continued monitoring of Site 24 on the periphery, down gradient mind you, for, I don’t know, maybe, five, ten, 15, 20 years maybe. Because it will take a while for those barrels to leak, especially if they are coated. And most of the barrels were. And you may say, “Well, how long is it going to take to erode a steel barrel?

Who knows? It’s hard to say. But I’m saying that eventually those barrels will leak. We tentatively or at least potentially think they are there, that’s why I’m proposing – I’m sorry, you’re going to have to monitor this site for years and years to come to make sure that those barrels, that are probably there, don’t leak. And if they do leak, then you’re going to have to come back and – see I’m worried about the City of Irvine and Lennar and – because you’re going – I mean restrictive covenants on this site, until you can guarantee that.

If you want to sign off on this and say, “There is not going to be any more contamination from this site. You can go ahead. Well, that’s great, but your neck should be on the line. And if they find that these barrels have leaked, if they are truly there, well, then you are going to have to come back, the Navy is going to have to come back and solve that problem. And you’re going to have to promise that – the Department of the Navy is going to have to promise us that they are not going to leak. And if they do, you are going to have to come back and remediate.
The official response from the Navy was that additional investigations would be undertaken if “buried barrels of contaminants were found anywhere on former MCAS El Toro property in the future.”

The Navy’s response addresses the studies done in regard to Site 24, a 200 acres mostly paved or asphalted area. One problem is that El Toro’s employee may not have used this area to bury TCE drums. It would have much easier to bury the drums in unpaved areas using a front end loader or other equipment to dig. Most of Site 24 located in the Southwest quadrant of the former base is paved. Unpaved areas in unpopulated portions of the base or even one or more of the landfills (no digging required) would be more likely areas to bury TCE drums.

In any case, waiting for barrels of toxic chemicals to rot before removing them does not appear to is a responsible policy, especially when the area may be a route of exposure of toxins to children and others using recreational facilities on the former base.
Instead of waiting for the steel drums to rot or miraculously appear on the surface, the Navy, responsible for the remediation at El Toro, could follow the example of the U.S. Army in South Korea.

Will the Navy pursue the use of this technology at former MCAS El Toro to locate the buried drums of TCE/PCE? The former base was comprised of 4,700 acres. Surfaces paved with concrete or macadam for decades can immediately be eliminated from any survey, but that still leaves acres of open ground. The Navy has the engineering talent to conduct a survey following the U.S Army example in Korea but without human intelligence of the locations where drums were buried, the costs may deter any Navy attempts to locate them.

Pressure could be applied by the El Toro RAB, the city of Irvine, and Heritage Fields LLC, a joint venture between developer Lennar Corporation and several other firms, who purchased 3,724 acres from the Navy in 2005.

More on the story of former MCAS El Toro can be read in A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals, a book on the environmental contamination at former MCAS El Toro and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, co-authored by Tim King and Robert O’Dowd, published in the Fall 2011 by MilSpeak Books, an eBook press featuring the works of military personnel.

EL TORO MARINE AWARDED 100% VA DISABILITY

Korean War and Vietnam War veteran totally disabled. Daughter completes successful VA claim on the first try.

(SALEM, OR) – Retired Marine Captain Jim Brooks, age 79, is a victim of organic solvent exposure, Agent Orange, and a myriad of other toxic chemical exposures.

Jim Brooks has Alzheimer’s, a fatal brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.

A Marine Mustang, Gunnery Sergeant Brooks, a jet engine mechanic, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant during the Vietnam War.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older. But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early-onset Alzheimer’s (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.”

The father of six children, Captain Brooks spent almost 17 years of active service at MCAS El Toro. Cathy Brooks, his wife and a retired nurse, said that her husband made the decision to purchase a home off-base, which fortuitously prevented his family from exposure to the toxic chemicals in El Toro’s soil and groundwater. Unknown to him, his exposure to TCE would lead to Alzheimer’s disease, a very serious cognitive disorder.

Scientific literature identifies more than 100 industrial chemicals that are known to affect the human brain, causing cognitive symptoms. TCE is one of those chemicals.

The VA approved a 100% disability for Jim Brooks in 2011. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2002 and by 2010 the disease had advanced to the severe stages of dementia. There is no family history of dementia in siblings and grandparents.

A nexus opinion from his physician stated that his exposure to TCE at El Toro was at least as likely as not the cause of his Alzheimer’s dementia. Marine Jim Brooks now resides in a nursing home. The disease had advanced to the point where he could no longer be cared for at home.

Captain Brooks was awarded the VA disability for ischemic heart disease and other illnesses linked to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.

Sue Cast, one of Jim’s six children, put together her father’s VA disability and compensation claim with help from Veterans-for-Change’s CEO Jim Davis, Garden Grove, California. Jim said that most of the credit for the excellent VA claim goes to Sue Cast.

Sue said that, “We were well trained by one of the Corps best! When I went up to see him last July 4th the home had us take the military guys out in front of the Center and wait for the Air Force jets do a fly over, it was loud and as my father watched he just nodded his head to that familiar screech he knows all too well ….the Marine Corps could not have ordered a more dedicated, Gung-ho guy as my Dad.”

As part of his VA claim, Sue put together the following career time line and exposures’. The VA doesn’t require this step, but it’s obvious that it’s an excellent tool for documenting a disability claim.

Although his memory has failed him to day, I’m sure Captain Brooks would be especially proud of the efforts made by Susan Cast, his daughter, in putting together an outstanding VA disability claim. Her work is evidence of the love and affection of a daughter for her father and a Marine’s training in getting all the details just right.

Semper Fi, Captain Brooks!

INTERVIEW WITH TCE EXPERT (VIDEO REPORT)

Dr. Phillip Leveque is a physician, toxicologist, and nutritional biochemist residing near Portland, Oregon. He holds Masters degrees in Biochemistry and Pharmacology as well as a Doctorate degrees in Pharmacology and Osteopathy. He was one of Oregon's first toxicologists and has served as an expert witness in more than 400 cases. He has extensive experience as a toxicologist, medical school professor, and practicing physician.



TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2008


TCE EXPERT SPEAKS TO SALEM-NEWS.COM


TRANSCRIPT FROM VIDEO INTERVIEW


Dr. Phil Leveque and reporter Tim King


(SN = Tim King, from Salem-News.com)


SN:
I’m Tim King from Salem-News.com, and I just returned from a week in southern California at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station where I was based in the early 1980’s, investigating TCE, Trichloroethylene contamination, and it just so happens that Dr. Phil Leveque on our staff at Salem-News.com is one of the first people who ever had a TCE court case as a toxicologist. So, we’re going to go through the TCE “drill” right now and learn more about it. Things that we’ve all been wanting to learn.

Doctor, how are you doing today?

DR. LEVEQUE:
I’m just doing fine, thanks.

SN:
TCE. You and I have spoken about it quite a bit, but we’ve had kind of a limited conversation about it since I’ve been back. But, start, tell us if you will what TCE, Trichloroethylene is.

DR. LEVEQUE:
Trichloroethylene is a compound that has two carbon atoms and three chlorine atoms, and it is based upon chloroform, which many people understand what that is. Chloroform was one of the first general anesthetics, the other one was ether. And, I can’t remember which was discovered first, but they were both discovered about the same time, about 1850, I can’t remember for sure, but around that time.

Well, what they found out was that both of them could be administered with an open mask. Which, the modern anesthetics have to have a closed system and so forth, and you see people wearing these things on their faces. But chloroform and ether were the general anesthetics that they could use that way. Well they discovered fairly soon that chloroform caused severe damage to the liver, ending up frequently with cirrhosis, or just total destruction of the liver, and lethality.

In other words, it killed them. And so they found out well, you can use chloroform once, but you can’t use it more than twice- cause if you do, you’re going to kill somebody.

So they discovered, or, whatever- manipulated the formula, so they ended up with the Trichloroethylene, and Trichloroethylene was used as a general anesthetic for a while. Its name was Trilene. And, it was purported to be safer than chloroform, but it wasn’t.

And so some of the- I’ve checked this up on the computer, and some of the postings, one of them said Trichloroethylene was one of the most toxic chemicals used in the United States as a degreasing agent. My experience, as you mentioned, was the first, I think the first court case of Trichloroethylene lethality and that was about 1974 is Des Moines, Iowa.

SN:
It’s “lethality” that’s causing all this investigation to go on in the first place, because a number of Marines from both El Toro and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where there’s an active base, have had serious, severe health problems; death. Doc, what was the story on that first court case you had? That was very interesting to me.

Dr. Leveque:
The man had a janitorial service, and where he got his exposure was in grocery stores where people had spit their chewing gum on the floor. And so, he was using the Trichloroethylene to loosen it up so he could scrape it off the floors. But at the same time, whether he was putting it on with some hunk of cloth or spraying it on or something like that, but he was exposed to Trichloroethylene fumes for four to eight hours a day. And if I can remember correctly, and I’m not sure about this, but he, in about six weeks, got enough exposure and it killed him.

SN:
So, TCE in the case of El Toro was used to clean the jet fighter parts. It was a degreaser. It’s my understanding that they would keep vats of it and parts would be dipped into it and they would also take it out to the aircraft to use it. And ultimately, this Trichloroethylene would just be dumped into the ground water system. And then, the health problems began. And of course the contamination of the water system at the base, that went on until about 1970, when the base at El Toro switched to municipal water supply.

But, Doc, talk to me about the things that people would go through just by being in the general proximity to it like that. Of course, liver failure if it’s direct contact, but many other problems as well.

Dr. Leveque:
Well, Okay, good question. Nerve tissue in the body is, the covering of the nerves and the nerves themselves, are fatty tissue.

And, just as well as Trichloroethylene is a “grease solvent” for engine parts, fat in your body is the same as grease, and so it actually not only affected the nerves, but it affected almost every system in the body.

The liver is most important because the liver is the organ in the body which detoxifies poisons. It metabolizes them to a lesser – but at the same time, it destroys itself.

So, this is one of the things that can happen. And also, it can alter the DNA-RNA system, which ends up with all sorts of tumors, and cancers, and so forth.

Reading on the computer these days, which I’ve done a lot the last few weeks, in sort of a preparation for today, I notice that there’s a lot of what I consider to be really abnormal, medical, not only medical but lethal medical problems that have occurred and if I understand correctly, we’re getting a lot of mail in to that degree. For example, there were a whole bunch of miscarriages and dead infants and so forth. Lots of them.

This does not surprise me, knowing what I know about Trichloroethylene. And what has been concealed from almost everybody accept for the people who sell it. So this is a bad scene. That’s the best I can say for it.

SN:
In talking about the people that sell it for just a moment, we’re kind of in a unique category here. We often have to be, obviously very careful in News, we can’t say things that aren’t true, or that we suspect as truth we can’t present them as the truth. But Dow Chemical, actually, you learned during this court case, that they hadn’t made correct, they hadn’t made it clear how dangerous this was.

Dr. Leveque:
That’s what I understand and what I can remember, at the time, because the insurance carriers for – I presume for Dow Chemical Company, said, “Dow Chemical says that this stuff is not harmful when used properly.” But whatever that means, is kind of hard- I mean, you can use this for removing chewing gum on the floors, and so forth, but how are you going to do that without exposing yourself?

So, but at the same time, I’m pretty sure that after the case I had, in which- well I guess it was Dow Chemical, was found guilty of causing harm, and their insurance carrier paid off to this family, I was under the impression that they were not gong to be using it any more. But apparently they just kept on using it.

SN:
And in the course of using it, at El Toro in particular, again it was dumped into the ground water system. And today, there is what they call an “underground plume” of TCE and it’s a huge, massive amount of TCE that’s occupied the water underneath the base. And now it’s moved off the base, into the Woodbridge community of Irvine, the city of Irvine. It’s a very wealthy community as you know Doc. What should these people in Irvine be thinking about, when they’re now first learning that they literally are sitting right on top of this big TCE plume?

Dr. Leveque:
If I read correctly, they’re trying to make a housing project on El Toro, with parks and baseball fields and all that kind of stuff?

Well this stuff is constantly vaporizing into the atmosphere, and these people that are there are exposed to Trichloroethylene fumes when they walk right over the top of the aquifer.

SN:
Now I think I mentioned this to you, and it was in my last report. I had parked my car at the worst part of El Toro, which is the area I worked in, it’s called Marine Wing Support Group 37. I parked the car there about ten minutes, weather was about 85 degrees out, and as I drove away I thought I had a nail in my tire. I got out to look, and a huge cake of the asphalt that I had been parked on top of just stuck to my tire and I drove away with it. I’ve never seen that happen before, and you mentioned the fact that, well, TCE is a solvent and when it hits something like asphalt which is an oil-based product, just starts (coming apart).

Dr. Leveque:
Well, tar is heavy grease if you want to call it that, and Trichloroethylene will dissolve it, and probably resulted in the loosening this stuff so it fell apart, yes.

SN:
And as you said, they are planning on making this into a huge park facility, with all of the “human participant” games like ball fields and this type of thing. It makes me cringe, honestly, thinking of that happening to my tire and 100 yards over here they want to have little kids playing in the grass.

Dr. Leveque:
That would be a horrible mistake. Whoever the officials are in Irvine, or that area, if they don’t know that now, they should know it.

And this would be a terrible mistake to have any type of habitation there. I don’t know what they could do about that, I think the best example would be to put about six inches of concrete over the 700 acres or whatever it is.

SN:
1300 acres. And at the time, it was a vibrant place. It was so clean, and active, and now it’s hard to see it looking as it does with the weeds growing through the cracks.

Dr. Leveque:
I’m sure that they had family accommodations on there too, for the Marines?

SN:
Yes, base housing was out at the back gate and it’s all closed down now.

Dr. Leveque:
I am certain that a lot of those people, particularly children are more sensitive to toxic substances like this. There were no “old” people on the base I’m sure, but children and old folks are the ones most sensitive or susceptible to poisons of all sorts- including Trichloroethylene. And I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if there were a lot of children who died unexpectedly.

The quote is, “of natural causes”, but hogwash, because we know of lethality from Lejeune information that we have, so this wouldn’t surprise me at all.

And I would suggest that any Marine or Marine family that were on the base for, what the heck, even a month, if they had some abnormal medical condition, it’s probably connected to Trichloroethylene.

Fact of the matter is, that’s not the only substance that was there. They also had Perchloroethylene, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they had other chlorinated hydro-carbons also, all of which are lethal. Toxic, lethal, whatever the right word is.

SN:
We know about TCE, we know about PCE, Perchloroethylene, which the doctor just mentioned, and we also know about Perchlorate, which is a rocket fuel ingredient. And this one had us stumped for a moment, you and I, because it didn’t make sense that that would be there, then we learned that the Perchlorate is from bombs that were dropped on a range outside of the base. But all of these different things going on, with developers building right on top of it, it seems like money is kind of driving this more than comment sense.

Dr. Leveque:
Well, what’s money worth in that area? Probably a million dollars an acre or something like that? So, the people that want to sell it can make an awful lot of money, and they’re probably doing everything they can to conceal the fact that it is, in the most literal sense, a toxic waste dump. It just is, it just is that.

SN:
So, Doc: TCE, Trichloroethylene, three chlorines?

Dr. Leveque:
Yep.

SN:
What’s the difference between Trichloroethylene and Perchloroethylene?

Dr. Leveque:
Perchloroethylene has four chlorines and Trichloroethylene has three, but essentially they have about the same toxicity.

SN:
And when you’re in this context and you use the word “per” as in Perchlorate, what does that mean?

Dr. Leveque:
To me, it means “extra”. Somebody’s going to say, “don’t you know any chemistry?” Well, I was a Chem major, and a Bio-Chem major, and worked as a toxicologist for fifty years, and I’ll admit I don’t know everything- but I know an awful lot of stuff.

SN:
Well Doc, I really appreciate you taking the time on this, and I think we’re going to have a whole host of other questions coming down the line from this work that we’re doing. And I just think that the odds that we would have a toxicologist and a person with TCE practical background and experience as we go into this story involving my own background, it’s a great series of coincidences, don’t you think?

Dr. Leveque:
Beyond believable.

SN:
Of course, it’s a very sad story, but we will keep you updated on that. Thanks very much for joining us. With Dr. Phil Leveque, I’m Tim King, for Salem-News.com.

MCAS EL TORO'S 'GROUND ZERO'

The most contaminated portion of the base was in the Southwest quadrant, an area occupied by the Marine Wing Support Group 37. The 200 acres of MWSG-37 contained 11 of the 25 contaminated sites identified by the Navy and EPA.

EPA traced the “hot spot” to the MWSG-37 maintenance hangars: “…the primary VOC source is present beneath Buildings 296 and 297, extending to the south with decreasing concentrations to the southern Station boundary. Several smaller source areas exist in the soil beneath Site 24, including a PCE soil gas plume located west of Building 297. The VOC [Volatile Organic Compounds] concentrations in soil gas generally increase with depth, and the highest concentrations occur near the water table. VOCs in the area of Buildings 296 and 297 extend to groundwater directly beneath those buildings.”

SITE 7: Drop Tank Drainage Area No. 2:

Site 7 is referenced as Drop Tank Drainage Area Number 2 and is located in the southwestern quadrant north and west of Hangars 295 and 296. Site 7 was previously used for aircraft drop tank storage and drainage. Aircraft drop tanks were drained and washed on a concrete apron from approximately 1969 to 1983. Contamination is from JP-5 and waste lubricating oil disposed of on area soil as a dust suppressant. Shallow groundwater underlying the site is contaminated by volatile organic compounds, including trichlorothene, carbon tetrachloride, and tetrachloroethene.

SITE 8: DPDO Storage Area:

The DRMO was the storage area for containerized liquids, scrap, and salvage materials from El Toro and MCAS Tustin. Scrap materials included mechanical and electrical components and various types of liquids. Non-radiological contamination included VOCs, SVOCs, pesticides, PCBs, TPH, TRPH, herbicides, and metals. Radiological surveys and soil sampling indicated Radium 226 (Ra 226) concentrations greater than background levels. An analysis of data obtained from radiological surveys and soil sampling showed Ra 226 concentrations greater than background levels for Units 1 and 4 at Site 8. Concentrations were found to be consistent with background levels for Units 2, 3 and 5.

SITE 9: Crash Crew Pit No.1:

Between 1965 and 1971, site was used as a training area for crash crew. During training exercises, two pits were filled with water and covered with various mixtures of residual fuels and other combustible fluids (e.g., JP-5 fuel, aviation gasoline, crankcase oil, and other wastes). The mixtures were then ignited and extinguished by the firefighters. An estimated 123,700 gallons of waste liquids were used in the west pit training exercises. The east pit operations are believed to have been similar. Chemicals detected at site include VOCs, SVOCs, TPH, dioxins, and metals above MCAS El Toro background levels.

SITE 10: Petroleum Disposal Area:

From 1952 through 1970, an estimated 52,000 gallons of liquid wastes, including crankcase oil, antifreeze, hydraulic and transmission fluids, motor oil, and solvents, were sprayed over the site for dust control. Chemicals detected include VOCs, SVOCs, and metals above MCAS El Toro background levels.

SITE 11: Transformer Storage Area:

From 1968 to 1983, site was used for storage of electrical transformers on a concrete pad (Unit 1) and a storage yard (Unit 3) at the site. Reportedly, five transformers containing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) leaked onto the concrete pad and then onto the unpaved surface of the storage yard or into an asphalt-lined drainage ditch (Unit 2) adjacent to the concrete pad. PCBs were commonly used as a coolant in transformer oil; however, use of PCBs in this manner was discontinued in the late 1970s. In 1983, all transformers were removed and properly disposed of off-site.

SITE 12: Sludge Drying Beds:

Located west of Bldg. 493, this site includes secondary treatment plant dewatered sludge in drying beds. Contamination included VOCs, SVOCs, pesticides, PCBs, TPH, TRPH, herbicides, and metals. Eighty cubic yards of sludge was plowed under at this location. An analysis of data obtained from radiological surveys and soil sampling showed Ra 226 concentrations were found consistent with background levels for this site. The WWTP at Site 12 ceased operation in the early 1970s. The IWWTP was dismantled by 1961. DON investigation suggested that the above ground concrete treatment tanks were demolished in place and then covered with approximately 5 to 7 feet of fill material. The sludge at this facility was dewatered in the two drying bed areas (east and west). When the plant closed, the sludge remaining in the drying beds was abandoned in place. The earthen berms surrounding the sludge beds were combined with imported fill material and graded in place. The drainage ditch (Unit 3) is an unimproved earthen channel that skirted both sludge drying bet areas into a catch basis, which connects to the lower reach south of Plant Road via concrete culverts.

SITE 14: Battery Acid Disposal Area:

Heavy metal, organic compound, and petroleum hydrocarbon contamination from battery acids oil wastes and paint wastes disposed on soil. Shallow groundwater underlying this site is contaminated by volatile organic compounds, including trichlorothene, carbon tetrachloride, tetrachloroethene, trichlorothene and carbon tetrachloride.


SITE 21: Material Management Group & Supply Center Storage:

The site was part of the supply distribution center for MCAS El Toro and other Marine facilities and was used for the storage of drummed materials since approximately 1946. Soil contamination came from leaking drums. All drummed materials stored at the site were removed in 1995. Chemicals detected at the site included VOCs, SVOCs, TPH, pesticides, herbicides, PCBs, and metals above background levels.

SITE 22: Tactical Air Fuel Dispensing System (TAFDS) Operations Area:

Soil and groundwater contamination from leaking tanks, fittings and hoses. The site was former aircraft fuel storage and dispensing facility. Fuel storage was first observed in aerial photographs dating from approximately 1952 and historically occurred in two areas: an eastern fuel-dispensing area and a western fuel-dispensing area. Heavy staining was observed at both locations and the western fueling area has a documented history of spills. Chemicals detected at the site included VOCs, SVOCs, TPH, pesticides, and metals above background levels.

SITE 23: Wastewater Treatment Plant Sewer Lines:

The Navy conducted a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities assessment (RFA) at MCAS El Toro. The purpose of the RFA was to evaluate whether an additional 140 sites at El Toro would require further investigation. The final RFA Report was submitted in July 1993 (Jacobs Engineering 1993b). Based on an evaluation of the sampling visit results, 25 solid waste management units/areas of concern were recommended for further action. Site 23 (Wastewater Treatment Plant Sewer Lines) was evaluated in the RFA and recommended for no further action.

SITE 24: VOC Source Area:

VOCs are present in soil and groundwater. VOCs present at the site include TCE, PCE, 1,1-dichloroethene (DCE), and carbon tetrachloride. The primary VOC source is present beneath Hangars 296 and 297, extending to the south with decreasing concentrations to the southern base boundary. Several smaller source areas exist in the soil beneath Site 24, including a PCE soil gas plume located west of Building 297. The VOC concentrations in soil gas generally increase with depth, and the highest concentrations occur near the water table. VOCs in the area of Hangars 296 and 297 extend to groundwater directly beneath those buildings.

MILITARY ETHICS: 'DO THE RIGHT THING' (VIDEO REPORT)

The veteran who seeks medical care and disability compensation when there’s a delay in the onset of injuries is often met with open hostility by the DOD, the VA, and his own medical care providers.The Navy and Marine Corps are faced with the choice of ‘doing the right thing’ by supporting legislation to provide medical care and compensation to those injured from exposure to environmental hazards while on active duty or facing the backlash of a public outcry for not doing so, including lawsuits from dependents and civilian workers that could run into the billions of dollars.

The actions taken to date by the Navy and Marine Corps are not supportive of veterans and others with injuries linked by medical care providers to exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation. The military continues to deny any responsibility for deaths and serious medical conditions, despite a number of Congressional hearings and mounting evidence of causality.

By law, veterans cannot file tort suits for injuries on active duty, even when the injuries are caused by government negligence. Their only recourse is to file a VA Compensation and Disability Claim. The Defense Department can be supportive in these claims by volunteering information relating to their exposures or not. Based on information from veterans, the information needed by veterans has to be obtained the hard way by filing time consuming Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests, often with the intercession of their Congressional representatives.

Military service is not a hazard-free occupation. Those serving in bases outside of combat zones can be subject to exposures to environmental hazards that can be as deadly as driving over IEDs or begin hit by an RPG.

The differences are that unlike a veteran wounded in combat who is treated very often within minutes with first class medical care and monitored to ensure full recovery, the veteran exposed to dioxin, carcinogens like trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride, benzene, fuels, and radiation often has no idea of the exposure until years after separation from military service when cancer has attacked his body and there’s no way to ‘connect the dots’ to the military.

MCAS El Toro (closed in July 1999) and Camp Lejeune are the two U.S. bases on the National Priorities List, a list of the most environmentally hazardous sites with known or threatened releases of hazardous substances in the United States and its territories. Naval Air Facility Atsugi may have made this list, but only military installations in the U.S. and its territories are eligible.

Like those injured from trauma-related services in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans, their dependents and civilian employees of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, and Naval Air Facility Atsugi, injured by environmental hazards need medical care, but unlike those in active military service, the care is not forthcoming from the either the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Congressional hearings have been held on Lejeune and Atsugi,the two active military bases. For Lejeune and Atsugi, bills were introduced into 111th Congress but no legislation passed. El Toro is not on anyone’s radar; the base was sold to a real estate joint venture in 2005 and the former veterans sickened by the multiple contaminants left to their own resources.

These three military installations are by no means unique but are representative of the environmental hazards faced by veterans of the 130 military bases on the National Priority List, commonly referred to as the EPA Superfund sites

When exposures to chemical, radiological or other agents cause immediate harm while on active duty, medical care is provided by the military, the condition is documented in the medical service record and upon discharge, the veteran, if the medical condition is chronic, is eligible for VA medical care and compensation benefits.

However, when the onset of a medical condition from exposure to environmental hazards is delayed, not exhibited sometimes for decades after separation from the military, then the burden of proof of service connection falls on the veteran. To make this connection, the veteran needs the cooperation of the Defense Department to provide evidence of exposure at a particular military installation and a nexus opinion from a medical care provider linking his current disability to military service.

The veteran who seeks medical care and disability compensation when there’s a delay in the onset of injuries is often met with open hostility by the DOD, the VA, and his own medical care providers.

For military installations listed on the NPL, the EPA Superfund data base lists the Contaminants of Concern found in the environment and the health effects from exposure to particular COCs. Too often this is the only government source of information available. Some data can be obtained from the military service via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), if the records exist and can be identified in the request. For installations not on the NPL, the only source of information is the military service who typically maintains a hostile attitude to helping veterans document their possible exposure to environmental hazards.

More often than not, doctors are hesitant to become involved with the government on a VA disability claim. In this situation, the only alternative is for the veteran is to pay for the non-reimbursable costs of an independent medical nexus opinion, running into several thousand dollars. In fact, exposure to environmental hazards can impose far greater health risks in the near or distant future, including neurological damage, infertility, cancer, heart disease, and other conditions that require substantial medical care, cause disability, and in some cases cause premature death.

The current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have focused on the need for substantially improved trauma-related services. This is a critically important issue that has been addressed in the national media, numerous reports, the subject of intense scrutiny and ongoing effort. From all reports the DOD and VA recognize the necessity of providing medical health care and compensation to those injured. For those who served honorably and were injured in these war zones, they deserve no less.

For Vietnam veterans, the fight to win presumptive disability for exposure to Agent Orange took decades to bring about. Their story is well known. Other hazardous agents, many now highly controlled or banned, have been and continue to be used at military bases and in military actions. These have caused serious illnesses in veterans and active duty personnel. The service men and women suffering from hazard-related diseases and disabilities require rapid response from the federal government, rather than the delayed actions experienced by too many veterans in the past.

TCE drums were buried on El Toro to prevent their discovery by the Marine Corps Inspector General after their use was no longer authorized.

Missing government Superfund records at El Toro include at least 30 years of engineering drawings for the base’s water distribution system (1955-1985), all of the original well construction drawings, the dates the base wells were abandoned, the government contract file for municipal water services with Irvine Ranch Water District.

The official government contract file with IRWD would include the justification for the award of the negotiated municipal water services contract, including the technical justification for the municipal water services when there was no known shortage of water in the aquifer at El Toro.

At El Toro, the Navy was responsible for remediation and instructed its consulting engineer to inspect the first well scheduled for destruction in March 1998. The consultant reported the well screen interval in the contaminated aquifer. A water sample found TCEs in the well above the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). In another well sealed in 2007, the Navy’s consulting engineer reported petroleum hydrocarbons (primarily motor oil) at a concentration of 1,600,000 milligram per kilogram (mg/kg), 170,000 mg/kg of diesel and gasoline, and methylene chloride, naphthalene, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene positively identified with the result less than “the Reporting Limit and greater than the Method Detection Limit.” Another agricultural well on base was found contaminated with low levels of TCE in 1985 by the Orange County Water District. After the well screen interval was found in the contaminated aquifer, the Navy sealed all remaining wells in concrete without looking for well screen intervals, the first point that water and contaminants enter a well. No physical inspection is possible now. All the wells are wearing concrete shoes.

No Marine veteran of MCAS El Toro was notified of their possible exposure to chemical toxins and their health effects. Like other veterans of the 130 military bases that are on the National Priorities List (EPA Superfund sites), Marine veterans of this base in Southern California who may be seriously ill from exposure to toxic chemicals have not connected the dots to military service.

On the East Coast, Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water wells have been the focus of national media attention for several years. Several Congressional bills have been introduced but, no legislation passed to provide health care to the injured veterans and their dependents.

The Marine Corps has notified some Lejeune veterans, but only after legislation was passed requiring them to do so.

Veterans and dependents who were stationed at National Air Facility, Atsugi, Japan, while a Japanese incinerator spewed forth deadly dioxin only several feet above ground level, still await government health care.

The U.S. Justice Department sued the owner of the incinerator in a Japanese court. Before the case could be heard, the Japanese government purchased the private incinerator for $40 million and then quickly dismantled it. A Senate bill to provide health care for both Atsugi and Lejeune veterans and establish a scientific Advisory Board to evaluate environmental hazards at military installations failed to reach the floor for a vote and died with the end of the 111th Congress.

Faced with a public health problem at Lejeune, the Marine Corps chose to wage a public relations campaign, denying responsibility for injuries and deaths caused by the contaminated well water (1957-1987). The outcome may be settled by five lawsuits in Federal court, filed on behalf of former Lejeune dependents.

The documentation on Lejeune’s wells includes exposure to benzene, a known human carcinogen. There’s no need to delay health care and reasonable compensation at Lejeune. In the end, the Federal court may force a settlement, leaving senior Marine Corps leadership in the position of apologizing for throwing Marine veterans and their dependents ‘under the bus’ and doing irreversible damage to their motto, ‘Semper Fidelis.’ _________________________________

El Toro Buried Drums of Toxic Chemicals

Information was reported to the Navy who ignored the need to search for the drums.

(IRVINE, Calif.) - El Toro employees buried 55 gallon drums of toxic chemicals to avoid Marine Corps Inspector General inspections and, in the case of half empty drums, to support the need for ordering full drums of TCE/PCE.

TCE/PCE was used for decades on the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. These chemicals were used as degreasers for aircraft parts and for other purposes. The official Navy/Marine Corps position is that TCE/PCE use was discontinued in the mid-1970's. Reports from Marine veterans dispute this. Marines reported that the chemicals were used on the base in the 1990's. El Toro closed in July 1999.

Information from official government reports show that the chemicals were used even though their authorization was withdrawn and extraordinary methods were taken to hide the evidence from the Marine Corps Inspector General.

Mr. Don Zweifel, Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) member, reported to the Navy during a July 27, 2005 public comments on "El Toro's Draft Record of Decision for Site 24, the Volatile Organic Solvent (VOC) Source Area" that employees told him of the practice of burying drums of contaminants on the base.

No records were maintained of where the barrels were buried and the Navy's official response was no remediation efforts would be undertaken unless the buried barrels were found. Barring a miracle, it's unlikely that the barrels will spontaneously appear on the ground surface. Over time, the steel 55 gallons drums will rot and the toxic contaminants will be released into the soil.

Although this could be a tedious effort, the military has the means of detecting buried metal containers (e.g., land mines). Although not suggested by Mr. Zweifel, a search of the 4,000 acres property by active duty Marine engineers equipped with metal mine detectors could locate the buried drums. Once found, the drums could be removed and properly disposed of.

Why wait for the drums to rot and endanger children and others? A proactive remediation approach would avoid injuries from rotting containers spilling their contents into the ground.

Our review showed that the Navy ignored Zweifel's concerns and the need to find the barrels, citing their policy, "The Department of the Navy (DON) also has a comeback policy that states the circumstances under which the DON will return to perform additional cleanup. One of those circumstances is the subsequent discovery of additional contamination attributable to DON activities. This would allow for additional investigation if buried barrels of contaminants where found anywhere on Former MCAS El Toro property in the future."

The comments from Mr. Zweifel and the Navy's response are as follows:

Mr. Don Zweifel, RAB Member:

"You know, I remember some comments from the employees at MCAS El Toro that told me they buried barrels of contaminants. And why did they do it? I don't know if that's important right now. I can tell you later about why they did it - but actually it had to do with the - if it was a half-filled barrel of PCE, they had to remove that barrel because they wouldn't get a full barrel or - barrels of PCE is vital for cleaning aircraft, they had to have it. The thing is, I'm saying, there are probably barrels buried down here and they are sealed and they are coated, but the thing is, eventually you've got to face it, those barrels are going to leak. They will leak. Maybe they haven't leaked yet, but they eventually will leak."

"Miller Jackson, he was in charge with the physical plant at El Toro years ago, and he said that he knows what they did. When the MG inspection was about to come, they buried - he didn't say where, I don't know if he is alive anymore. I talked to him ten years ago about this. And remember, Andy, I told you about this. And, Content, I already mentioned it to her, most of you guys know. I am just reiterating an old song. The thing is, ladies and gentlemen, this is a great concern to me. What is going to happen to those barrels? Right now it appears everything is okay, but the thing is, I think those barrels will eventually leak."

"I don't know how many of them there are, but I am almost sure there are some barrels there. So what I am proposing, if I may, is that continued monitoring of Site 24 on the periphery, downgradient mind you, for, I don't know, maybe, five, ten, 15, 20 years maybe. Because it will take a while for those barrels to leak, especially if they are coated. And most of the barrels were. And you may say, "Well, how long is it going to take to erode a steel barrel?"

"Who knows. It's hard to say. But I'm saying that eventually those barrels will leak. We tentatively or at least potentially think they are there, that's why I'm proposing - I'm sorry, you're going to have to monitor this site for years and years to come to make sure that those barrels, that are probably there, don't leak. And if they do leak, then you're going to have to come back and - see I'm worried about the City of Irvine and Lennar and - because you're going - I mean restrictive covenants on this site, until you can guarantee that."

"If you want to sign off on this and say, "There is not going to be any more contamination from this site. You can go ahead. Well, that's great, but your neck should be on the line. And if they find that these barrels have leaked, if they are truly there, well, then you are going to have to come back, the Navy is going to have to come back and solve that problem. And you're going to have to promise that - the Department of the Navy is going to have to promise us that they are not going to leak. And if they do, you are going to have to come back and remediate."

Navy's Response:

"The purpose of this Record of Decision (ROD) is to address vadose soil at Operable Unit 2A Site 24. Extensive investigations, including record searches, employee interviews, and soil and groundwater investigations have been performed at this site. Information obtained during record searches and interviews with Former MCAS El Toro personnel was used as part of the input for the design of sampling programs used during the Phase I and II remedial investigations (RIs) at Site 24. Results from the RIs as well as from subsequent feasibility studies and remedial actions at Site 24 were all approved by the regulatory agencies including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), California Department Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), and California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Santa Ana Region. No further action (NFA) is recommended for vadose zone soil at Site 24 and therefore no additional monitoring is recommended in the ROD. It should be noted that there will be additional monitoring at Site 24 related to the groundwater cleanup. Information related to groundwater cleanup at Site 24 is contained within the Sites 18 and 24 ROD. The Department of the Navy (DON) also has a comeback policy that states the circumstances under which the DON will return to perform additional cleanup. One of those circumstances is the subsequent discovery of additional contamination attributable to DON activities. This would allow for additional investigation if buried barrels of contaminants where found anywhere on Former MCAS El Toro property in the future [my emphais]."

Waiting for barrels of toxic chemicals to rot before removing drums does not appear to be a responsible policy, especially when the area may be part of the Great Park, allowing a route of exposure of toxins to children and others using recreational facilities.

EL TORO MARINE DEAD FROM CHEMICAL EXPOSURE

Marine exposed to Agent Orange and benzene.


UPDATED 9/9/2010

(IRVINE, CA) - A Marine veteran’s widow was awarded compensation for the death of her husband from progressive small lymphocytic lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) caused by exposure to burnings at landfills on former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California.

El Toro is on the National Priority List (EPA Superfund). Trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) were two organic solvents used on the base as degreasers for aircraft parts for decades. These chemicals and other contaminants were found in the base’s soil and groundwater. Activities at the base generated harmful waste and paint residues, hydraulic fluids, batteries and other waste into the soil and grounds from several past operations.

The VA reported that the Marine has been exposed to air pollution from the burnings at El Toro’s landfills and that it was more likely than not that “the Veteran’s leukemia and lymphoma were caused from this in-service chemical exposure at El Toro MCAS during his transport of hazardous materials and his exposure to pollution from landfill burnings.” The Marine died in April 2008.

The Marine was stationed at El Toro from August 1968 to April 1971 during which time he worked as an air freight man and drove a truck. According to the VA, he wore a gas mask and protective shoes during this time.

A July 2004 opinion from VA physician noted that he had been treating the veteran for CLL, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The physician opined that this cancer was related to the Marine’s exposure to benzene and to Agent Orange.

The Marine did not serve in Vietnam and there no official government reports of Agent Orange contamination at El Toro. There is no information in the VA Veterans’ Appeal Board report of how this Marine came into contact with Agent Orange. The VA Board did note that the Marine’s assignment at El Toro required him to transport hazardous materials. Did he transport Agent Orange? Did El Toro use Agent Orange as a defoliate? No clear answers to these questions.

DIOXIN ON BASE. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control reported DIOXIN ( 2,3,7,8-TCDD TEQ) as a contaminant of concern at the former base. EPA reported 2,3,7,8 TCDD that 2,3,7,8-TCDD is ”formed as an unintentional by-product of incomplete combustion. It may be released to the environment during the combustion of fossil fuels and wood, and during the incineration of municipal and industrial wastes.” EPA notes that “it is known to be a developmental toxicant in animals, causing skeletal deformities, kidney defects, and weakened immune responses in the offspring of animals exposed to 2,3,7,8-TCDD during pregnancy. Human studies have shown an association between 2,3,7,8-TCDD and soft-tissue sarcomas, lymphomas, and stomach carcinomas.”

According to the Vietnam Veterans’ website, Agent Orange is a code name for a herbicide developed for the military for use in tropical climates to ”deny an enemy cover and concealment in dense terrain by defoliating trees and shrubbery where the enemy could hide.” Fifty-five gallon drums containing Agent Orange were marked with an orange band.”

Based on the above EPA guidelines, it’s obvious that anyone downwind from a burning landfill or crash crew burn pit would be at risk for exposure to 2,3,7,8 TCDD.

Agent Orange is a 50-50 mix of two chemicals, 2,4,D and 2,4,5,T. The combined product was mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft, vehicle, and hand spraying, according the Vietnam Veterans’ website.

The Marine served at El Toro in Air Freight Operations. The October 2009 opinion from the Veteran’s treating VA physician, the only competent medical opinion of record, established a nexus between the cause of death and his service. This opinion is buttressed by the April 1991 CDC report which confirmed the burning of hazardous materials at base landfills.

The four landfills on the base burned solid waste, oil, paint residues, flammable fluids, jet fluid, industrial solvents, aviation gasoline and other liquids into the air.

VA CLAIM. A July 2008 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Waco, Texas denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Marine’s death.

The VA Board of Veterans’ Appeal on May 10, 2010 ruled in favor of the veteran. The VA Veterans’ Board of Appeals found that the Marine was exposed to benzene, alkalating agents, aromatic amines, solvents used in chemicals, plastic, rubber, exposure to petroleum products, paint, agricultural chemicals and chemical exposures while on the base. All are known causes of leukemia.

The VA reported that the immediate cause of the Marine’s death was respiratory insufficiency, progressive small lymphocytic lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Other significant conditions which contributed to the his death included chronic kidney disease, chronic anemia, diabetes, Agent Orange exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hemiparesis and arthritis aneurysm by history.

The VA noted that all the elements for the “grant of service connection for the Veteran’s cause of death have been demonstrated.” Based on this finding, the Marine’s widow was awarded Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC), on the basis of service connection as the cause of her husband’s death.

The organic solvent contamination of soil and groundwater at El Toro is shared by many military bases. Millions of dollars were spent in remediation by the Navy. However, like other veterans, no El Toro veteran was notified of the health effects of exposure to organic solvents, toxic metals, and radionuclide.

A number of El Toro veterans reported serious illnesses linked to exposure on the former base. Veterans can access useful information about the base’s contamination at a 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, MCAS El Toro veterans’ website.