Teno unfazed by arrival of int’l. environmental group

Apparently unfazed by presence of Greenpeace activists on the island, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday assured that the government is taking steps to safeguard public health against effects of the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in Tanapag.

The governor said that he has made sure that local and federal agencies deal with the environmental problem in the village in order to protect the health of the island residents.

Although he did not react strongly against the presence of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior vessel on Saipan, he did say that it would not affect how the CNMI government is currently addressing the PCB issue.

“Everybody is free to visit us,” Mr. Tenorio told reporters when sought for comment. “We are doing our best regardless of whether other people are here. We want to see that it’s being taken care of.”

The governor met Monday with some Greenpeace officials where he was briefed on the group’s activities while on the island.

Greenpeace has declared Tanapag a global toxic hot spot and demanded immediate cleanup of the northern coastal village. In an effort to draw attention to the problem, it sent its Rainbow Warrior vessel here, manned by 14 crew members from nine countries.

It arrived on Wednesday from Okinawa, Japan and was welcomed by Tanapag residents who expressed happiness over the international group’s actions to solve the biggest environmental and health problems in the CNMI.

The U.S. Army Corps is scheduled to begin its cleanup efforts this month to rid areas of the contamination by the highly-toxic chemicals.

For the past several weeks, the Department of Public Health, in conjunction with federal agencies, conducted medical screening to test more than 1,000 villagers of the presence of PCB.

Environmental officials from here and the U.S., on the other hand, also took samples of soil, water and food to determine the level of exposure.

PCB’s and dioxins were found in electrical capacitors abandoned by the military during the ’60s on the island. Studies show they caused cancer in animals and that people exposed to the chemical for a long time can experience nose, lung and skin irritation.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tenorio backed findings made by the Attorney General’s Office on the request by lawmakers for legal actions to demand cleanup and compensation for those affected by the contamination.

“Our major concern is to make sure that the health of the community is being protected. I would like those agencies that are involved on that to continue to assist us in trying to make sure that the contaminated soil is taken care of,” he said.