An I-Team Investigation

It was a military communication system that was designed to help keep our nation safe during the cold war. Now, it may actually be harming Alaskans.

It has been 30 years since the White Alice communication system kept an eye on the Russians during the cold war, and helped defend our country.

Now obsolete, the satellite and radar equipment in 70 different communities has been taken down, leaving behind large concrete blocks and polychlorinated biphenyl or PCB contamination.

"It seems there are always challenges trying to delineate the full extent of PCB contaminated sites," says John Halverson with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

"When you go out to do clean up, it's not uncommon to find more than you thought was there."

The old White Alice site in Aniak has PCB levels in the ground 400 times higher than what the state considers safe. The toxic chemicals are right under a school.

"Our kids go to school here," says Aniak resident Elsie Simeon, "The building is now the vocational education center, which has classes for the high school and middle school students. We use that building. Our high school is right here, and its close proximity to this hazardous stuff."

The contaminated dirt is being dug up, bagged, and sent to a hazardous waste dump in the Lower 48.

"Our mission here is to make sure that the sites are addressed, and cleaned up so that it no longer poses an unacceptable risk," says Halverson.

But some fear that with 30 years of contamination, the damage has already been done.

"There is an increase in health problems, and we do not know where they are coming from," says Simeon.

PCB exposure can cause cancer, immune, hormone and brain function problems.Once the chemicals are in the environment, they do not break down easily. Instead, they cycle between the air, water and soil.

"If it is windy and there is

dust blowing around, they might inhale a little bit," says Lori Verbrugge, an environmental toxicology expert at the Department of Health and Social Services, "People have a small amount of soil ingestion just from putting things in their mouth."

It is clear high levels of PCB contamination can be hazardous. But it is unclear what can happen with low-level contamination over a long period of time.

"It scares me," says Simeon, "There are health problems in our town, and we have lost people to questionable cancers."

State health officials have been out to Aniak several times to do blood tests. They say, so far, it does not look like the PCB contamination is making people sick.

"We'll never know for sure, but we do not think so," says Verbrugge. "They are all really subtle effects. Very difficult and nearly impossible to find in a person to see if it is happening or not, because there is such a range of activity."

Subtle effects or not, health experts and Aniak residents say they'll be keeping an eye on the health and well being of the community, long after the PCB contamination is cleaned up. If there is enough concern about PCB contamination in a community, the health department can arrange for blood tests to see if it is having an effect.

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To contact Andrea, call 907-273-3186.