Newbury |
Report on the findings related toGreenham Common US Airbase |
This report contains an overview of the findings of the NLSG relating to possible causes of the leukaemia cluster in south Newbury. Some of the information is researched and where possible references will be given. Other areas are as yet awaiting research, and this report will be updated as soon as further information is obtained. This report should be read in conjunction with the background page which gives greater information about the cases of leukaemia in Newbury.
Greenham Common Airbase, now disused, is sited on the southern boundary of Newbury on a plateau, slightly above the surrounding countryside. The airbase was built during the Second World War and remained in service until 1991. During the Cold War it was a base for Pershing ground based cruise missiles which were transported to and from the base using heavy transport aircraft. The airbase was not used extensively for smaller fighter aircraft.
The airbase became a focus of investigation as it was suggested that the regular flight paths of the aircraft flying into and out of the single east-west runway airbase correlated roughly with the leukaemia cases. Also only one case of leukaemia is known of in north Newbury which had no overhead flights.
The report looks at the information based on the following subheadings:
Many local residents remember the heavy transport aircraft landing and taking off at Greenham. On take off there was often a plume of black, smoke and unburned fuel behind the aircraft, and on landing there were several reports of fuel being dumped prior to landing. Apart from the known cases of leukaemia, there are unconfirmed reports of a large number of cases of cancer in children at a primary school, on the southern edge of the town, right underneath the flight path.
Kerosene is the major component of aircraft fuel and is generally believed to be of low toxicity, although it produces charged particulates which can take other pollutants into the lungs. It is highly unlikely that normal aircraft fuel could be responsible for leukaemia as there would be major clusters around each commercial airport, which clearly there are not. The question was then, does (or did) military aviation fuel contain any other additives which may be the cause?
Mono-hydrazine is used in small fighter aircraft to restart engines and can be used as insurance when coming in to land to ensure the engines cannot blow out, especially when carrying armed weapons. Mono-hydrazine is in contrast to kerosene, very toxic although highly volatile and quickly dispersed. It has been linked to cancers of the digestive tract and mucous membranes if ingested.
Although some fighter aircraft (A10s and F1-11s) were to be seen at Greenham Common, they were infrequent. The bulk of the air traffic was made up of heavy transport aircraft including Galaxies, Starlifters and later, Russian Aeroflot aircraft. Larger aircraft, like commercial airliners do not use mono-hydrazine.
As stated before, there was just a single runway at Greenham, running roughly east to west. The prevailing wind comes from the south west 75% of the year , which would indicate that aircraft normally took off in a westerly direction over the southern part of the town. Air traffic, reached a peak between 1984 and 1989. This data should be compared with leukaemia contraction rates.
Movements of heavy aircraft per year at Greenham Common Airbase (source: Greenham Common Peace Campaigners)
NLSG is currently actively searching for other similar leukaemia clusters sited near military establishments. Please e-mail if you have any information.
Air bases like all military sites provide a wide range of support services associated with aircraft and airport maintenance. Storage areas above and below ground are required for fuel, lubricants, cleaning solvents, fire extinguishing agents and runway clearing herbicides. It would probably not be unreasonable to suggest that in the heights of the Cold War, attention to environmental protection was not the first priority.
The airbase is on a plateau, comprising acidic sand and gravel. Underground tanks and pipes would be subject to settlement and corrosion in this environment. It would not be unreasonable to expect that there was some seepage into the environment from a number of sources.
A number of springs rise in the south of Newbury which originate in the Greenham Common area. Any pollutant leaching into the groundwater (see Soil Pollution above) may then emerge at the spring sites.
How these pollutants would emerge is never entirely clear, and is dependent on the hydrology of the area and the specific gravity of the pollutant. Fuels with a low specific gravity would appear high in the water table, whilst solvents and other high specific gravity pollutants would settle to the bottom of the water table and probably collect above an impervious stratum.
The emergence of any pollutants at the springs would depend on seasonal rainfall, the specific gravity of the pollutant and the height in the water table from which the spring is fed.
Revised 12 March 98 NJB