Johnston Island Data (Ongoing Research)
There is a massive amount of information available regarding Johnston Island. However, there is a certain set of records missing. Namely, rock solid data referencing both the levels of dioxin and nuclear material present on the island and in the water. This is of the upmost concern as many Veterans who served on the island are facing health issues generally associated with both radioactivity and chemical exposure. If information is found that links service on the island to known health issues associated with chemical and nuclear exposure, these Veterans can potentially receive care and benefits from the VA.
This blog post will be a storehouse for interesting data found regarding the issue above. Less focus will be on historical information but rather ecological and environmental data.
An Ecological Assessment of Johnston Atoll published in 2012
Submitted by a JI Veteran detailing official government records listing TCDD levels
Official levels of TCDD reach over 20 and 25 parts per trillion in sample tests. CDC maximum levels of TCDD are 30PPT. The European standards are far more conservative. 25 ppt of TCDD in water equates to 25 ppt TEQ (assuming only TCDD is present) and is approximately 357 times higher than the EU’s 0.07 ppt TEQ EQS for biota in surface waters. This indicates that 25 ppt significantly exceeds the EU’s safe level for water quality protection.The Environmental Working Group lists the safe level of TCDD at .03 PPT
Johnston Atoll Plutonium Contaminated Soil Cleanup Project. This is very interesting article from 1988 explaining why, and how, the military removed radiation contaminated structures from JI - and brought them to the US mainland, burying them at the Nevada Test Site.
Plutonium Exposures to Personnel Assigned to Johnston Atoll This report details everything a person would want to know about the radiation hazards present at JI and their health affects. Presumably, this was used by the VA as a metric for granting or denying VA benefits. Veterans with on-site participation at Johnston Atoll during either the Hardtack I tests conducted in 1958 and Dominic I tests conducted in 1962 are eligible for presumptive compensation for diseases listed in 38 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 3.309(d), and listed in Appendix A. As noted above, onsite presence of a veteran up to six months after the operational period of each test series is also included in presumptive compensation. Almost exclusively, veteran claims for ionizing radiation exposure under 38 CFR 3.309 are evaluated by Defense Threat Reduction Agency/NTPR to establish participation. Civilian onsite participants are eligible for compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) passed by Congress in 1990, though this act also covers other exposure categories.(Pg.2)