Mustard gas, asbestos found on Miss. barrier island

HORN ISLAND, Miss. (WALA) - The National Park Service says evidence of hazardous materials, including asbestos and possibly mustard gas, has been found in a decommissioned military facility on Mississippi’s Horn Island.

The announcement, dated Friday, says that the island is closed to the public, effective immediately.

“We received confirmation Thursday that there are asbestos materials on the ground on the northwestern shore of the island in an area that contains the remains of a military facility that was active in the 1940s,” said Dan Brown, the superintendent of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Exposure to asbestos can increase the risk of lung disease and, the greater the exposure to the organic substance, the greater the risk of harmful health effects — including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma — becomes. It can take several years for symptoms to develop following exposure.

Brown said, “Our highest priority right now is the safety of the public and our employees.”

Brown says a preliminary test also indicated there may be mustard gas present as well, but that they are awaiting confirmation from tests to prove that.

Private property owners have also been notified because officials “believe that some containers of mustard gas may have been deposited in the island’s Big Lagoon.” The part of the lagoon owned by the state has been closed.

Mustard gas was generally a chemical agent used in warfare in its most common sense, sulfur mustard. If contact occurs, it can cause burning of the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, excessive blinking and skin burning and blistering.

Symptoms of inhalation include coughing, bronchitis and long-term respiratory disease. Cancer, and negative effects on reproduction are also risks from sulfur mustard exposure.

The chemicals were discovered in June, when BP asked the National Park service to provide a list of potential chemical and environmental hazards on Horn island before they deployed clean-up crews in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

During the assessment and consequential inspection, an environmental services firm discovered the contaminants.

Brown adds that there are yet a lot of unknowns, but his agency is working to get information as quickly as possible.

“We are assembling a team of experts from a variety of disciplines to help us with this situation, and as we continue this process we will do our best to keep the public informed about what we find out and our plans for cleanup,” he said.