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by Defense Logistics Agency Press Release, United States Embassy Tokyo, Japan TOKYO, Japan, 5 May 2000 -- The Defense Logistics Agency announced today that a shipment of waste material containing very low levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) will be moved no later than May 18, 2000, from Japan to Wake Island until final disposition is determined. Wake Island is a possession outside the customs territory of the United States in the central Pacific Ocean approximately 2,000 miles from Hawaii. The island is three square miles in size and is staffed by approximately 100 contractor personnel supporting Army activities. Wake Island is currently being used by the U.S. Army as a missile launch support facility. The waste PCBs to be shipped from Japan resulted from ongoing efforts by the U.S. military forces to make its installations PCB-free, worldwide. These materials were manufactured outside the United States and used by U.S. military forces in Japan. By law, PCBs cannot be imported into the customs territory of the United States for disposal. Currently, there are no appropriate disposal facilities in Japan. The material consists of items such as transformers, transformer oil, circuit breakers and small parts. It was tested at U.S. military laboratories and found to contain less than 50 parts per million PCBs. The Toxic Substance Control Act does not regulate for storage materials with concentrations less than 50 parts per million PCBs. The items are properly packaged and containerized to ensure safe handling, movement and storage. The Department of Defense coordinated closely with the Departments of State, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. DoD is committed to ensuring this material is handled and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The Military Sealift Command will transport this material. For further information, please call the U.S. Embassy Press Office on Monday, May 8. FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News |