The discussion surrounding depleted uranium (DU) in Puerto Rico is centered almost entirely on the island municipality of Vieques, where the U.S. Navy maintained a major Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility for six decades before shutting it down in 2003.

The history, the official findings, and the ongoing controversy surrounding depleted uranium and military contamination in Vieques involve several key dimensions:

1. The Use of Depleted Uranium in Vieques

  • The 1999 Incident: The primary documented instance of DU use on the island occurred in February 1999, when a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet on a training mission mistakenly fired 263 depleted uranium rounds (penetrator bullets) at the North Convoy Site within the Live Impact Area (LIA).
  • Other Contaminants: Alongside the DU rounds, decades of bombing, live-fire exercises, and weapons testing left behind unexploded ordnance (UXO), napalm, lead, mercury, and other heavy metals.

2. Official Stance and Environmental Studies

  • Recovery and Surveys: Between 1999 and 2000, the U.S. Navy conducted recovery operations overseen by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Subsequent sampling of soil, water, and vegetation by federal and local agencies concluded that the impacts were localized to the LIA and claimed that public exposure risk was low.
  • Superfund Status: In 2005, the former base was designated a federal Superfund cleanup site managed by the EPA, the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, and the Navy. Cleanup efforts—which involve clearing ordnance and addressing environmental contamination—have faced lengthy timelines, with work projected to continue for years.

3. Community Concerns and Health Impacts

  • Public Health Disparities: Residents and local advocacy groups have long pointed to stark health disparities on the island. Cancer rates, hypertension, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions have historically been reported at significantly higher rates among Viequenses compared to the main island of Puerto Rico.
  • Independent and Academic Studies: While federal agencies have maintained that the contamination poses minimal public risk, independent and peer-reviewed studies (such as biomonitoring research published in public health journals) have noted elevated levels of toxic heavy metals—including uranium isotopes—in the bodies and urine samples of residents living downwind from the former range.
  • Controversy Over Remediation: Local communities and environmental organizations have continuously protested the military’s cleanup methods—specifically the use of open-air burning and open detonation (OB/OD) to destroy old munitions—arguing that these practices risk releasing residual toxins back into the air and soil.