New WILPF Collaboration on War, the Environment, and Public Health

Pat Elder on his “Million PPT tour.”

By Nancy Price
Earth Democracy Issue Committee

Follow and share videos of Pat Elder’s cross-country “Million PPT Tour” to eight of the most contaminated military sites from February 23 to March 1. It’s time for peace, environmental justice, and public health organizations to work together!

Disarm and Earth Democracy are collaborating on a new project with WILPF members Pat Elder, who works with World Beyond War and Civilian Exposure, and Patricia Hynes, Director of the Traprock Center for Peace & Justice, to educate and mobilize our members and the public on the environmental impact of military activities on US and foreign bases that contaminate air, land, and water, and the public health impact on base personnel and families and residents in surrounding communities. This tour is just the first effort in a multipart program with Pat.

Pat’s cross-country tour is highlighting just eight (8) of the most contaminated sites in this country. You may view the daily video Pat has posted at the WILPF US Facebook page or at twitter @WILPF_US and please share with your friends.

Here are some additional resources:

• Read about the contamination at these eight bases from just two chemicals that never break down: PFOA/PFOS.  
• Listen to Pat speaking on the February 14 ONE WILPF call.
• Pat also spoke about these two chemicals at the International Conference against US/NATO Military Bases in Dublin held in November 2018. Watch his talk here.

The Department of Defense and Environmental Protection Agency have known for many decades of contamination at active, as well as closed, military sites in almost every state across the country, and especially of polluted water sources, including ones used for drinking water, on bases and in surrounding communities.

Just these two reports, "Full List of Camp Lejeune Site Contaminants" and "How War Pollutes the Potomac River"—the Potomac is the source for Washington, D.C. tap water—catalogue the alarming alphabet soup of chemicals that individually and in combination create a dangerous body burden. This leads to chronic or life-threatening diseases: many types of cancer, male and female reproductive problems such as miscarriages, low sperm counts and infertility, developmental delays for fetuses and infants, and so much more over our lifetimes.

Alarmingly, this year in January, the “Navy announced that it would deny 4,400 claims from Marines and their families who say contaminated water at Camp Lejeune caused cancers and other serious illnesses rais[ing] the question of whether any affected military community could ever be compensated for the ailments they now face” (from an Air Force Times article).

A large number of recent news and research accounts are documenting the extent of this contamination and the health impacts. The military and the Federal Government bear enormous responsibility and liability, which verges on the criminal, for which they must be held accountable. Some measure of compensation for affected military and community members must be discussed, as well as adequate funding for site clean-up and remediation. These could be line items in a peace budget, though the cost to people’s health which includes even premature death, is incalculable.