Experts downplay risk Hawaii civilians need not worry about health effects from military tests done here in the 1960s that used common bacteria and dangerous chemical agents, local microbiologists and health experts say.
of 1960s testing
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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com"There's no reason for anybody to have any concern" about the three bacteria used to simulate more harmful bacteria, such as anthrax, said Dr. Steve Berman, an infectious-disease specialist.
"There's nothing dangerous about these bacteria," he said. "They're even present in water."
The bacteria Bacillus globigii, Serratia marcescens and Escherichia coli could cause infection in a person with a compromised immune system, such as an AIDS patient, Berman said, but that would be true of any bacteria.
If, on the other hand, a person came into contact with even a small amount of sarin gas or ester of benzilic acid, which were used in tests on the Big Island, "you'd be acutely ill. ... There's no possibility that anyone was exposed without knowing it," state Health Director Bruce Anderson said.
"And if you weren't (exposed), there's nothing to worry about," Anderson said yesterday. "These are acute-acting substances and toxic when released, but they break down very quickly," within hours or days.
The tests done by the military were at various times in the 1960s on Oahu, the Big Island and on ships in offshore waters.
At a news conference Wednesday, the Pentagon released declassified summaries of 28 of the tests, showing the scope of open-air testing of chemical and biological agents on American soil. About 5,500 service members participated in the tests.
One of the tests, called "Big Tom," involved spraying Bacillus globigii over Oahu in May and June 1965. Two other tests on the Big Island, in April through June 1966, used bomblets to test a compound with benzilic acid in the upper Waiakea Forest Preserve, southwest of Hilo. The substance can cause stupor, hallucinations and confusion.
"If there were any significant exposures, it would probably be among the military and not the civilian population," Anderson said.
Still, Anderson said he has asked for more information from the Department of Defense about precisely what substances were released in the islands, where and when.
He said he learned of the old military tests through media reports yesterday.
Retired University of Hawaii microbiologist Ralph Berger put it this way: "I don't think today there's any cause for alarm with what was done 40 years ago. ... (If someone had any effects) it would be back then, and if they've lived 40 years, they've certainly survived it."
