United States Left Tons of Hazardous Waste at its Greenland Bases

A journalistic investigation revealed the United States left enormous quantities of hazardous, environmentally polluting waste in Greenland after dismantling its military bases. This abandoned waste included hundreds of thousands of liters of diesel fuel, weakly radioactive water, and heavy metals. Last January, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated that Thule Air Base became the sole fully operational base among 17 former US bases in Greenland post-Cold War, with its military personnel reducing from 10,000 to about 200. The investigation confirmed US environmental pollution in Greenland is more widespread than previously known, following a study of at least 36 former US military bases and facilities on the island. Hundreds of rusty diesel barrels, car batteries, worn-out pipes, cables, metal sheets, and millions of liters of slightly radioactive water were discovered at these sites. The total volume of abandoned hazardous waste is estimated in thousands of tons. This debris contains heavy metals and environmentally hazardous materials, harming shellfish and other marine life in Greenland.