<
https://ictnews.org/news/indigenous-ryukyuans-say-its-time-for-us-military-to-leave>
"In April 2020, a barbecue held at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa,
a small Japanese island just east of Taiwan, accidentally triggered the release
of 60,000 gallons of firefighting foam. There was no fire, but much of the foam
spread throughout the nearby residential area, sliding through streets and
floating into a stream.
The foam contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, also known as
“forever chemicals.” Used in a wide variety of consumer products, PFAS have
been found in air, water, and the blood streams of humans and animals across
the world and can impact health causing low birth weights, cancer, and liver
damage.
More than 15 percent of Okinawa is occupied by American and Japanese military
bases. In 2022, water tests conducted by the government of Okinawa revealed
PFAS levels up to 42 times higher than Japan’s national water standards with
contamination found in drinking and bathing water for roughly 450,000 people,
about a third of the island’s population. Local residents, many of whom are
Indigenous Ryukyu Uchinaanchus, say the latest firefighting foam incident was
another example of the harm caused by U.S. military installations on their
land."
Via Muse.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
