--- Jay Moore <research at neravt.com> wrote:
> Subject: Navy Poisoning Children on Vieques
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2000
> SIX CHILDREN ON VIEQUES REPORTED TO HAVE HEAVY METAL
> POISONING
>
> Story Filed: Wednesday, September 06, 2000 11:55 AM
> EST
>
> San Juan, Sep 06, 2000 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Six
> children on the island of
> Vieques are suffering poisoning from heavy metals
> such as arsenic, cadmium, bismuth, mercury and lead,
> the Association of Licensed Naturopaths of Puerto
> Rico (ANLPR) announced Wednesday.
>
> The group referred to a report by the Doctor's Data
> laboratory in Chicago, which examined the stool
> samples of a group of Vieques children between the
> ages of one and 13 and found that the heavy metals
> detected "were above normal levels."
>
> The ANLPR said that this poisoning was the result of
> U.S. Navy military exercises on Vieques.
>
> "Six children from Vieques who were examined are
> accumulating potentially toxic metals in their
> bodies. This is especially alarming in the cases of
> two little girls who are only one and two years old
> who may have absorbed these metals from their
> mothers' placenta, because it may mean that this
> poisoning is being passed on from one generation to
> another," the organization said.
>
> Several months ago, the ANLPR - through its
> scientific committee and its president, Dr. Carmen
> Colon de Jorge - placed these findings in the hands of
> the Health Department and the Health Commission of
> the Puerto Rican Senate.
>
> "The scientific committee has also met and discussed
> these findings with toxicologists from the Federal
> Agency of Toxic Substances and Registry of Illnesses
> to no avail, as the committee has requested these
> institutions continue investigations and has received
> no response whatsoever," the ANLPR indicated.
>
> The organization added that "the committee has sent
> a copy of the study to Gov. Pedro Rossello and has
> written to U.S. President Bill Clinton, as well as
> Puerto Rican lawmakers, and received no answer."
> EFE