Camp García: Environmental and Health Legacy of Navy Bombing

The U.S. Navy left Vieques in 2003, but the consequences of 60 years of bombing will poison the island for generations.

Contamination:
- The former Naval training range covers approximately 900 acres of the eastern end of Vieques
- Contaminants include heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic), depleted uranium, napalm residue, and explosive compounds (TNT, RDX, HMX)
- Contamination has leached into groundwater, soil, and marine sediments
- Fish and shellfish in surrounding waters contain elevated levels of heavy metals
- The western portion (formerly the ammunition storage area) is also contaminated

Health Impact:
- Cancer rates in Vieques are 27% higher than the Puerto Rico mainland
- Studies have documented elevated rates of:
- Various cancers (liver, lung, stomach, esophageal, colon, cervical)
- Respiratory illness
- Skin conditions
- Cardiovascular disease
- Birth defects
- The community has reported these health effects for decades, but federal agencies were slow to investigate
- In 2009, the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) published a study confirming contamination but was criticized for downplaying health risks

Cleanup Progress:
- The former bombing range was designated a Superfund site in 2005
- The Navy is responsible for cleanup under federal law
- As of 2024, cleanup has been ongoing for over 20 years with no end date in sight
- The preferred method of ordnance disposal — open-air detonation (blowing up unexploded bombs in place) — releases more contaminants into the air and soil
- Viequenses have protested open-air detonation, demanding less polluting disposal methods
- The Navy has resisted alternative methods, citing cost and feasibility
- Estimated cleanup timeline: 2032 at the earliest, more likely decades longer

Colonial Justice Denied:
- No reparations have been paid to Vieques residents
- Health care on Vieques remains inadequate — the island lacks a hospital
- Economic development has been stymied by the contaminated zones
- The Navy's cleanup is supervised by the EPA, but Vieques residents have no political power to accelerate the process
- Mainland Superfund sites have generally received faster and more thorough cleanup than Vieques

The Vieques environmental crisis is a case study in environmental racism and colonial impunity: the U.S. military used a Puerto Rican community's land as a bombing range for 60 years, poisoned the population, and has spent 20+ years on an inadequate cleanup that continues to expose residents to contaminants.