HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1210.007 2006-2008
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Murashige, Laura
From: Elizabeth Hultman-Salfen [esalfen@co.hawaii.hi.us] 16 Aft 9 31
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 6:11 PM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: FW: Reso 639-08, DU (G'OM ) Z 10)
Attachments: DU presentation at State Leg (13.8 KB)
From: Lorrin Pang [mailto:panghi@hawaii.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:05 PM
To: Angel Pilago; Bob Jacobson; Brenda Ford; Dominic Yagong; Donald Ikeda; Emily Naeole; j Yoshimoto; Pete
Hoffman
Cc: Jim Albertini; shannon rudolph
Subject: Reso 639-06, DU
Dear Big Island Council Members,
A few years ago I bought a small lot on the Blg Island so I speak as a fellow Big Islander and ask you to support:
RESOLUTION 639-08 URGING THE UNITED STATES MILITARY TO ADDRESS THE
HAZARDS OF DEPLETED URANIUM AT THE POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA
Over the past year I have made a several trips to the Big Island (more to Honolulu) on my own time and expense
to talk to community and law makers regarding this issue. I heard that the Big Island decision was postponed
until the military has a chance for input. I am rather surprised that their claims of "transparency" on this
issue leaves the council with insufficient information to have made a decision. On the other hand as a scientist
I am still confused by their objectives, activities, and conclusions. The rising number and cost of visits is
unfairly biasing the influence of those who do have their trips covered by State and Federal funds. I submitted my
testimony for Jim Albertini to present - but due to a mix up he only read part of it during your hearing. I enclose all
of it below for your consideration. Thanks for this opportunity to testify - perhaps I can make my case in person if
you reopen the hearings for the military.
My testimony will be very close to what I sent to Dr Josh Green (at his request) after hearing the Army and DOH
present before our Senators in Jan 2008. 1 want to give an analogy that helps clarify this situation. Like
cigarettes, DU is safe until it is burned in the form of armor penetrating weaponry. Just as smoking affects the
primary user as well as those inhaling second hand smoke, the airborne products of DU burning remain
suspended for long periods and travel great distances in the atmosphere. We do not know all the toxicity of the
airborne DU products (nano-toxicity) but some forms (DU oxides) we do know can persist in the body for
decades. When internalized DU emits the most dangerous type of radiation, alpha radiation. Animals with
implanted alpha emitters have shown high cancer rates and birth defects - which can pass on to subsequent,
UNEXPOSED generations.
We have asked that a site survey be done to look for evidence that DU penetrators were used at Hawaii target
sites. Although there are no records to show use (NRC license requirement?) it is prudent that a survey be done
to put to rest our uncertainty of record keeping. Continuing with the cigarette analogy, this would be like looking
for ashes as evidence of past smoking. The ashes themselves may pose little health risk but they are used as a
marker of smoking. Similarly the DU survey should not focus on the risk of what is NOW found on the ground
(unless there is gross qualitative/quantitative contamination - which might re-aerosolize if the ranges are
bombed). The survey should look for evidence (quality, quantity and geographic distribution) that DU penetrators
were ever used. We are looking for a marker. Thus the DOH reference to health threshold levels of current
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environmental samples is a rather mute point (50% of the DU aerosolizes on burning). I am not sure if the
objectives of the survey were ever agreed upon. Perhaps the survey is comprehensive enough to cover all
aspects. But not having been invited to the planning stages I am afraid that we might only look at the present risk
and ignore evidence of much more dangerous past risks. Again the cigarette, smoke and ashes are a good
analogy to follow.
Attached is my testimony to Dr Josh Green. From my statement there, I now want to say the since Army Sec
Davis failed to address this issue during his subsequent visit - I am no longer confident that this DU issue might
be fully resolved.
Lorrin Pang, MD, MPH
(as private citizen)
Retired Army Medical Corp
Best Doctors of America list 2006-8
Consultant WHO (since 1985)
Consultant Glaxo Smith Kline
166 River Road
Wailuku, HI 96793
Ph 808-8701637
Y
5/13/2008