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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1142.006 2006-2008 Citizen testimony regarding: Comm. 1142: Presentation By The United States Air Force On The Proposed C-17 Training Missions To Be Flown At Low Altitude Over Hawaii Island Submitted by: Deborah Brody Chen, RN, BSN 67-1236 Panale'a Street Kamuela, HI 96743 808-887-1666 I categorically oppose the use of Hawai'i Island airspace for these missions. 1. Unacceptable hazard to public safety - air accident: The low altitude of the training flights - 300 feet over `unpopulated' areas, 2000 feet over populated areas - presents high risk of air accident. The training routes are over or near to residential and populated areas. Air accident runs high risk of sending burning aircraft wreckage at high speeds into homes, streets, schools, churches. The risk of injury to life and limb of Hawaii residents and visitors is unacceptable. 2. Unacceptable hazard to public health - Exhaust Products: The low altitude of the training flights will subject the air and ground along the flight corridor to high levels of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, gaseous nitrous and nitric acid, gaseous sulfuric acid, volatile hydrocarbon aerosols and soot. (GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 25, NO. 12, PAGES 2137-2140,1998) All of these exhaust products are harmful to human life. They injure the mucus membranes of eyes, nose, and respiratory tract, and interfere with the normal physiology of gas exchange in the lung. Frequent or long-term exposure will increase the incidence of general inflammatory conditions of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, as well as increasing the incidence and severity of conditions such as asthma. Long-term risks such as cancer -either from direct contact or from ingestion of water or crops polluted with these chemicals - cannot be ruled out. The seriousness of aircraft contrail pollution at high altitude has already been recognized since the 1970's. (Document ID: 19800007800; Report Number: NASA-CR-159712) At the altitudes proposed for these training flights the pollutants will have no opportunity for dispersal and will fall directly upon the people living under their path. Those most at risk will be the elderly, the children, and those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. This is an unacceptable health risk to all residents and especially to those among us whom we have a duty to protect. 3. Unacceptable hazard to public health - Noise: At a distance of 1000 feet, the jet engines of the C-17 produce noise at a level of over 90 decibels. This is above Comm: blo. Ref. To, Preseat.a Ref. Date APR 2~ 1_ the NIOSH level of acoustic injury, which is set at 85 decibels. (Committee on Hearing, Bioacoustics, and Biomechanics (CHABA) for the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council) Additional and higher noise levels are generated by the aerodynamic effects of the aircraft flying at high speeds (500mph) and low altitudes (300 - 2000 ft) owing to denser air and increased resistance. It is clear that repeated exposure to noise at the level produced by these training flights will risk hearing injury to residents along the flight path. In addition, repeated exposure to noise even below the acoustic injury threshold is known to induce stress-related injury, including elevated blood pressure, increased cortisol and blood sugar levels, depressed immune function and migraine headache. (CDC, NIOSH). Thus, the noise pollution that will be generated by these flights presents an unacceptable risk of acute and chronic injury to public health. 4. Unacceptable risk of property damage to residents - The shock wave generated before and behind the passing aircraft is strong enough to shake buildings. The exhaust fumes and soot are injurious to crops, livestock, and ornamental plantings. Repeated exposure risks unacceptable financial burden to residents in repairs and lost value of agricultural products or residential property. 5. Unacceptable risk to the ecology of the island - Just as we humans are harmed by the exhaust, shock wave and noise produced by these aircraft, even more so are the plants and animals with whom we share this beautiful island. It is our duty to protect and husband the beauty given to us here, not expose it to pollution and harm. Lastly, I categorically reject the proposal that the C-17 training missions are important to the defense of our country. As stated by the US Air Force factsheet, (http.Il iome. ofmil/factsheets/factsheet. asp?f5ID=86): "The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations when required. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States." In brief, the C-17 is a key component in the capability to project US military presence anywhere in the globe. It is a key component in the capability to invade and occupy any nation on earth at a moment's notice. How does this protect the United States when the chief threat to our security comes from terrorism - a threat that is not based in any country but hidden in cells of handfuls of people mobile worldwide? The simple answer is that the C-17 and the capability to project military presence across the globe is not a protection for America, it is a protection for the multinational corporations' control of resources such as oil and labor in other people's countries. It is the means by which the United States tears down a nation's infrastructure so that the contracts for both the destruction and the rebuilding can be given to companies like Pratt & Whitney (the C-17) and Halliburton; and every cent paid for by the American taxpayer, unto the 7'h generation. It is a merry-go-round of investment bonanzas, funded by American taxes, and safeguarded by the blood and tears of our men and women in uniform. It is a perversion of everything I teach my children to pledge allegiance to each morning at school. It is a travesty of deceit and injustice. The C-17 training flights are part and parcel of this harmful action. I don't want them flying over my head, or over the heads of my children - at any altitude. Let the air over our heads be free. I am a nurse. It is my work to care for the people injured by harmful actions such as war, or callous misuse of public spaces. It is even more my duty to try to prevent that harm by testifying against it. And so I submit my testimony here. Sincerely, Deborah Brody Chen.