Members of Congress, the state, the city and environmental groups are joining a growing chorus demanding answers about the status of thousands of tons of chemical weapons that were dumped in waters off south O'ahu after World War II.

Both Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case are calling for an official inquiry, and are scheduled to be briefed by the Army this week in Washington.

Local congressmen are not the only ones pushing for answers into the Army's practice of dumping of chemicals in waters off at least 11 states, including Hawai'i.

U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J., and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Daily Press of Newport News, Va., that hearings are likely if the Army's response is inadequate.

"We're not going to let this go," Andrews told the newspaper. "I'm not going to be satisfied with the Army saying, in effect, 'We know the facts, and we don't think there is a problem — trust us.' "

The newspaper also reported that Sen. John Warner, R-Va., issued a formal letter of inquiry to the Army and has scheduled an informal briefing with military officials for Monday afternoon. Warner is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The U.S. Army is actively engaged with members of Congress regarding the disposal of munitions at deep-sea locations," Army spokesman John P. Boyce Jr. told the newspaper. "As always, the U.S. Army will work closely with Congress and other government agencies on these ordnance-disposal issues to ensure the safety of others and the protection of our environment."

In Hawai'i, Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, adjutant general of the state Department of Defense, said his office is working with the U.S. Pacific Command "to obtain more information and possible plans for cleanup." Lee said his office at this point has received no assurances from the military about the safety of the dumped munitions.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann has requested a meeting with military officials "to see how best we can address the issue," said Bill Brennan, a spokesman for the mayor.

Environmental groups also are concerned.

"They need to look at what's down there, assess it and come up with some innovative solutions that the community can review," said Kat Brady, assistant executive director of Life of the Land.

PUBLIC THREAT

More than 8,000 tons of chemical munitions lying on the ocean floor off O'ahu represent both a threat to the public and a challenge to its faith in the military, Case said.

"This is a matter of utmost concern not only to the public safety, but to the credibility of our military," he said.

A 2001 Army report, which was detailed in a story by the Daily Press, said that vast quantities of chemical weapons were dumped in at least three major events — two off Honolulu in 1944 and one off Wai'anae in 1945. They included mortars, bombs and bulk containers of caustic mustard and lewisite and of highly poisonous hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride.

The weapons are still there, and the Army is preparing responses to congressional and media inquiries about the condition of the munitions, whether they are leaking and what health or environmental threats may exist.

COSTLY CLEANUP

Case, a member of the Congressional Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Caucus, said he is concerned about the whole issue of dumped and abandoned weapons in Hawai'i.

"This crucial issue — of inadequate military attention to cleaning up after itself — is not, of course, new to Hawai'i or our country. Kaho'olawe is a living example," Case said.

The Navy spent $400 million on a five-year cleanup of ordnance on the former target island, and still did not clear the entire island.

Case said the Department of Defense estimates that it would cost billions of dollars to clean up former defense sites. The cleanup of former West Hawai'i military sites around Waikoloa, Waimea and Kawaihae is estimated at $600 million, and that sum represents the entire annual U.S. budget for cleaning up former military sites.

"The big picture here is the low allocation of priority by the Department of Defense to cleaning up after itself when compared against the entire defense budget," Case said. "Clearly, marine dumping of chemical and other munitions is directly in the jurisdiction of our UXO Caucus. I will be addressing collective action with the caucus members based on the specifics of this most recent report and our briefings."

SAFETY CONCERNS

Conservation groups said that the military has not responded appropriately to the ocean dumping issues.

"One of our big issues with the military is that they don't like to look at coastal issues. We would actually like a good survey of what's down there — the condition of the drums and whatever else is down there," said Life of the Land's Brady.

Greenpeace is considering launching its own mission to dive on dump sites and try to assess the danger levels.

"We are definitely looking into it. The ocean isn't a bottomless trash can. What we dump there comes back to haunt us," said Greenpeace ocean specialist John Hocevar.

Both Hocevar and Brady said they recognize the possible hazards of cleaning up the chemical munitions, some of which may be both toxic and explosive. But they argue that something needs to be done.

"Every year people are getting injured by it, dragging it up in nets. The Army needs to remove the weapons when it's safe to do so," Hocevar said.

Brady said that if the weapons are too unstable to be moved, they may need to be secured in place, perhaps encased in concrete.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.