Army: Chemical weapons dumped off Hawaii after World War II should stay in place

Army: Chemical weapons off Hawaii should stay put

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.

Records show the Army dumped 16,000 bombs at the site after the war; each of the bombs contained 73 pounds of the chemical agent mustard.

J.C. King, assistant for munitions and chemical matters at the Army, said in a statement that the Army is reviewing a University of Hawaii study released earlier this week on the dumped weapons. Margo Edwards, a senior research scientist at the university, said the study showed the munitions aren’t a hazard, but that they’re deteriorating and should continue to be monitored.

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

The spots where the military has dumped chemical weapons off Hawaii are too deep to normally be reached by the public. They’re also marked on nautical charts and ships do not trawl in these areas.

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 find 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 help the Army better understand the effect 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.

The military used the ocean as a dumping ground for munitions between 1919 and 1970.