A public health crisis caused by a foreign military deployment in a small island
Urasoe city (photo, my current hometown) is provided water to drink by the Chatan water supply system, which is considered as contaminated by PFAS (a cancer-causing toxic substance).
US military bases have been constructed and developed by internally displacing local people in the crowded 1,207-square km tiny island of Okinawa, a southwestern island of Japan over the last 75 years. The military bases have been continuously polluting its air, water and land by toxic chemicals and are producing extremely noxious noise pollution.
Recently it has also found that local water supply systems are highly contaminated by PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) which cause cancer and is considered as a leakage from the base (1). Likewise, groundwater near three military air bases in Georgia, US, is also contaminated with these same chemicals (2, 3).
While local Okinawan people have been suffering from this pollution, there have been numerous aircraft accidents related to military drills over the island and its nearby seashore. Seventy percent of all US military bases in Japan are concentrated in this crowded island. To add insult to injury, Japanese central government currently tries to construct a new military base despite the strong opposition from local people and their governor.
Military troops of foreign country is uncontrollable or beyond the control of the host country. Okinawa was once an independent country known as a Ryukyu Kingdom until Japan forcefully annexed it in 1879 as the 47th Prefecture of Japan, 140 years ago.
The military colonization by Japanese and the environmental toxic contamination by the US Base and adverse health effects among Okinawa people is unjust, unethical and undemocratic. Health professionals of Okinawa, Japan and the US should act against public health crisis and prevent the construction of new military bases. Okinawa public health matters as well as individual health.
Yasuharu Tokuda, M.D., M.P.H.
Muribushi Okinawa for Teaching Hospitals, Okinawa
References:
1: Okinawa Prefecture. Detection of Organofluorine Compounds in the Corporate Bureau. access date: Feb 1, 2019. Accessed at:
2: Meris Lutz. The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Contaminated groundwater, a toxic legacy of Georgia’s air bases. Jan 03, 2019. Accessed at:https://www.ajc.com/news/
3: Harvard Chan School news. Groundwater contamination near Georgia air bases worries experts, residents. Jan 11, 2019.
Accessed at:
