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Navy: Chiget range poses health risks
The Department of Navy has raised “priority levels” for the cleanup of the old Chiget Mortar Range on Tinian, noting potential risks to human health that warrant cleanup and further study, according to their latest findings.
The Navy has upgraded the firing range to a “level 3 priority,” under their Military Munitions Response Program, or MMRP. The lowest priority is level 8; the highest is level 1. The range used to be at level 4.
“The lower the score, the higher the priority for future work,” the Navy writes. They plan to release a “draft remedial investigation work plan” in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Last night, officials from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command led a public hearing on their latest results at the Tinian Public Library.
According to presentation documents and materials, copies of which were obtained by Saipan Tribune, leftover chemicals at the firing range have exceeded “project action limits” that were developed based on the most conservative of federal and local standards.
The metals exceeding these limits include aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, lead, antimony, and zinc.
No explosives were found exceeding the criteria.
“The highest number of [chemical] exceedances occurred for chromium, where 9 out of the 20 samples exceeded the PAL for chromium. Exceedances for the other metals were limited to 2 to 5 of the total samples collected.”
The Navy concludes that site surveys have confirmed the potential of “munitions and explosives of concern.”
They say that based on the findings, and their new priority rating, a potential risk to human health exists at the site.
“Further action to define and/or reduce the risk warranted,” the Navy says.
The Navy goes on to say that historical data and survey results support the need for further work under their munitions response program.
The Navy says additional investigation is warranted to define the “full nature and extent” of the munitions of concern. Some types of chromium, for example, are known to be carcinogenic.
The Tinian mortar range has been closed for 21 years. It was a former World War II battle site, and mortar and small arms range that closed in 1994.
