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Army: Don’t move chemical weapons

HONOLULU — Chemical weapons dumped in deep water five miles south of Pearl Harbor after World War II should remain at the site because moving them could pose more of a threat to people and the environment, the Army said Friday.

The military used the ocean as a dumping ground for munitions between 1919 and 1970. Records show the Army dumped 16,000 bombs at the site south of Pearl Harbor after World War II.

Each of the bombs contained 73 pounds of the chemical agent mustard.

The Army is currently reviewing a report by University of Hawaii researchers that says the munitions are not currently a threat to human health or the environment.

“Therefore, the Army does not believe they should be removed,” said J.C. King of the office of the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for the environment.

Margo Edwards, a senior research scientist at the university, said the munitions were deteriorating and should continue to be monitored.

Edwards’ team made 16 dives in submersible vehicles to depths of 2,000 feet over three years to study the weapons. She saw more than 2,000 munitions on the ocean floor.

King said the military’s Explosives Safety Board believes the safest approach to underwater munitions is to leave them in place and to educate the public about what they should do when they encounter a shell.

However. the board believes weapons that pose an imminent and substantial danger should be removed.

King said studies like those conducted by the university are helping the Army better understand the effect the munitions may have on the environment and what effect the ocean may have on the weapons. The Army intends to expand the area studied off Hawaii, if funding is available.

The Army also plans to determine, in coordination with the rest of the military, how it should monitor underwater weapons dumping sites over time, King said.