The fact is, you could be in danger. Your personal health and the environmental health of your campus could be at risk and you might not know. AU’s administration and the United States Army Corps of Engineers could be to blame, too. They might know things they aren’t telling you. They might be withholding information that would make you safer, information that you ought to know.
This semester, EcoSense has begun an important campaign to raise student awareness about the dangers of buried chemical weapons. More generally, the student-run environmental organization has sought to unearth some hidden history on campus, which has serious implications for the safety and health of the AU community.
| MEG FOWLER AND SARAH PARNASS / THE EAGLE |
Most AU students have heard whispers about this history, but the university has been less than forthcoming about details. There is stuff down there, under the dirt. The Army Corps has discovered lewisite, arsenic-poisoned soil and even an explosively-configured munition. Earlier this year, the Army Crops dug up a 75mm white phosphorous projectile. Digging should continue, especially since not all burial sites have been sufficiently investigated. Thankfully, funding is available for a follow-up health study on this issue. That’s a good idea.
In the meantime, AU and the Army Corps can make some changes. Every student at this university should be aware of these issues. Every AU applicant should, too. The university should open its archives and provide students with more information. Transparency must be more than a buzzword considering the severity of chemical hazards on our campus. Students should be skeptical of the notion that AU is doing all that it could be doing.
This isn’t much ado about nothing either. The buried chemical munitions pose a serious threat to this campus.
Let’s shed some more light on this issue. Let’s dig up some more dirt, metaphorically as well as literally.
