Posted on Jun 14, 2023
In Vieques, Puerto Rico cancer rates are high. Advocates say Navy bombing may be to blame
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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/06/12/vieques-puerto-rico-navy-bombing-cancer-rates/ [login to see] 7/
The island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, for decades had all the makings of a tropical paradise, save for one thing: The roar of bombs blasting into the picturesque landscape.
Zaida Torres still has that sound ringing in her head. She recalls buildings trembling as if there were constant earthquakes. “It felt like a war zone – and there was no war,” says Torres, 69, a lifelong resident of the island.
Tourists still flock to the Puerto Rican tropical haven, known for its white-sand beaches and glimmering cerulean waters less then 10 miles east of the main island. But many are unaware of its tainted history and legacy of suffering.
The U.S. Navy for 60 years used the eastern side of Vieques as a bombing range, dropping 5 million pounds of ordnance each year.
The island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, for decades had all the makings of a tropical paradise, save for one thing: The roar of bombs blasting into the picturesque landscape.
Zaida Torres still has that sound ringing in her head. She recalls buildings trembling as if there were constant earthquakes. “It felt like a war zone – and there was no war,” says Torres, 69, a lifelong resident of the island.
Tourists still flock to the Puerto Rican tropical haven, known for its white-sand beaches and glimmering cerulean waters less then 10 miles east of the main island. But many are unaware of its tainted history and legacy of suffering.
The U.S. Navy for 60 years used the eastern side of Vieques as a bombing range, dropping 5 million pounds of ordnance each year.
In Vieques, Puerto Rico cancer rates are high. Advocates say Navy bombing may be to blame
Posted from usatoday.com
Puerto Rico
Cancer
Hazmat
Medical
Health
Posted 11 mo ago
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If they can positively define a link between the bombing and the Cancer I would think they would have a case similar to the Camp LeJune Water thing.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
MSgt Dale Johnson It will probably take a While but anytime, any where US Ordnance has been stored or Used it usually turns into a Superfund Site. The Soil, Everything is Contaminated.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."'Highly toxic' chemicals and metals endanger health
Along with cleanup, experts say federal efforts should focus on establishing health care resources and better data collection to track health problems in Vieques.
The EPA awarded a grant to a research team led by environmental health risk researcher Lorena Estrada-Martínez, a University of Boston assistant professor of environment and public health. She and her team are involving residents in the research, letting them lead tests for contaminants. The team is also testing whether plant-based remediation methods can decontaminate the soil. They've had to repeat that process after Hurricane Fiona flooded the area."...
..."'Highly toxic' chemicals and metals endanger health
Along with cleanup, experts say federal efforts should focus on establishing health care resources and better data collection to track health problems in Vieques.
The EPA awarded a grant to a research team led by environmental health risk researcher Lorena Estrada-Martínez, a University of Boston assistant professor of environment and public health. She and her team are involving residents in the research, letting them lead tests for contaminants. The team is also testing whether plant-based remediation methods can decontaminate the soil. They've had to repeat that process after Hurricane Fiona flooded the area."...
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