"Unresolved Dangers: Lingering Toxic Threats of Former U.S. Military Bases"
Many former U.S. military bases, closed between 1988 and 2005, remain contaminated with poisonous pollution, including unexploded ordnance, lead fragments, industrial solvents, and explosives residue. The promised cleanup and restoration for civilian use has been slow and costly, with projected costs escalating to $65 billion from $43 billion. Some sites are so contaminated that they will never be suitable for habitation. Controversial cases include the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, where fraud and flawed cleanup efforts have caused setbacks, and the former Seneca Army Munitions Depot in upstate New York, where the cost of demolition is unaffordable for the local community. While there have been success stories, such as the former Lowry Air Force Base near Denver, many communities are still waiting for the toxic legacy of closed military bases to be addressed.