{"id":10717,"date":"2012-12-26T13:46:53","date_gmt":"2012-12-26T22:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/?p=10717"},"modified":"2012-12-26T13:46:53","modified_gmt":"2012-12-26T22:16:53","slug":"army-seeks-regulatory-exemption-for-du-in-hawai%ca%bbi-as-hawai%ca%bbi-doctors-find-uranium-in-people%e2%80%99s-urine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/?p=10717","title":{"rendered":"Army seeks regulatory exemption for DU in Hawai\u02bbi as Hawai\u02bbi Doctors find uranium in people\u2019s urine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hawai\u02bbi island peace activists reported that elevated levels of uranium have been found in residents’ urine and demanded that the State of Hawai\u02bbi Department of Health take more aggressive measures to investigate the cause of this contamination. \u00a0After falsely claiming that the Army had not used Depleted Uranium (DU) in Hawai\u02bbi, the Army now admits to DU contamination in Schofield (L\u012bhu\u02bbe, O\u02bbahu) and P\u014dhakuloa Training Area. The Hawai\u02bbi County Council passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on live fire training in P\u014dhakuloa as long as DU contamination is present.<\/p>\n

On December 5, 2012, the peace organization Malu \u02bb\u0100ina staged an action at the state Department of Health offices<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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A group of 2 dozen Big island residents, many wearing Hazmat type suits, dramatically urged the State Health Department (DOH) to stop being bystanders and become pro-active advocates of public health over the issue of Military Depleted Uranium (DU) radiation contamination at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA). In a protest organized by Malu \u2018Aina at the Hilo DOH Environmental Health Office, citizens prodded the DOH to follow the Hawaii County Council\u2019s action call in Resolution 639-08 to stop all live-fire and other activities that create dust until there is a clean up of the uranium contamination at PTA. There were several signs with the well known radiation symbol. Other signs read \u201cTest For Radiation; Why Uranium in Urine?; No More Radiation; Peace thru Poison?, Time to Aloha \u2018Aina; Time to Mother Earth; DU equals Dirty Bomb, Sacred Mountains under Siege.\u201d There was even the appearance of a well known Hilo resident, playing the role of Governor Neil Abercrombie.<\/p>\n

Jim Albertini, of Malu \u2018Aina said \u201cDOH action is needed to investigate what\u2019s causing uranium showing up in Big island resident\u2019s urine. Is it uranium weapons that have been fired at PTA or something else? Three MDs and a Naturopathic doctor have patients who have tested high for uranium in urine, including levels exceeding three times the upper expected limit.\u201d Albertini said, \u201cit\u2019s likely that far more uranium weapons have been used at PTA than the 700 hundred or two thousand Davy Crockett DU spotting rounds from the 1960s. Comprehensive independent testing and monitoring is needed to determine the full extent of radiation contamination at PTA and other sites throughout Hawaii. The DOH should be offering free uranium urine tests for Big Island residents, especially people who work at PTA, or travel the Saddle Rd..\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n