Military Toxins

Building the most powerful military force in human history has profoundly affected American culture, morality and politics.

This unprecedented investment in building missiles, bombs, jets, bullets, rockets, submarines, ships, satellites, bombers, guns and nuclear arms has also profoundly affected the American landscape and environment. The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges that the Defense Department is the nation's leading polluter.

Indeed, the health of millions are at risk. Over the past twenty years, millions of Californians have consumed water tainted with rocket fuel. During the Cold War, millions of American children were fed radioactive milk, contaminated by the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Many thousands of military workers got cancer from dealing with exotic chemicals and radioactive materials - and nearby communities were similarly exposed.

Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles believes that the military's historic mission— that of protecting Americans from harm— clearly extends to protecting Americans from the military's own environmental mess.

Military Pollution in California

Southern California's health and environment has been profoundly transformed by military activity. Did you know that the entire San Gabriel Valley is an EPA Superfund site - and the eastern half of the San Fernando Valley is similarly a Superfund site due to military pollution?

Among the major bases and contractors:

Please note that these are the region's current major sites. There are literally hundreds of smaller military contractors working in the region, and many hundreds more sites now abandoned with their own environmental problems.

Get Involved

PSR-LA is currently working to prevent the Defense Department effort to shun environmental responsibilities. Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles regularly investigates local sites of pollution. If you wish to volunteer and join these investigations, please sign-up!

Links

PSR-LA proudly works with the Center for Public Environmental Oversight. They offer great listservs on military toxins and cleanup.

 

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