Burns Air Force Radar Base is located in Harney County, Oregon, near the towns of Burns and Hines. It was once an invaluable element of America’s National Air Defense Command system. Positioned high on a butte in Oregon’s southeastern corner, Burns personnel were tasked with operating and maintaining search radar sets and height-finder sets during the height of the Cold War. The line of radar sites found along the Pacific Coast was built to be an early warning system in case of a Soviet bomber attack.[1]
The base itself operated as a small community, complete with housing, a dining hall, its own independent water supply, a recreation room, and a mail room. Though it operated for less than twenty years, the time that it was open represents a significant risk of asbestos exposure for all those who worked there, and that risk extended to others who visited the site long after the base was officially closed.
The History of Burns Air Force Radar Base
Today, the site of Burns Air Force Radar Station is nothing but crumbling and graffiti-covered ruins, but for fifteen years between 1954 and 1970, it served as a protective bulwark against what many Americans viewed as a very real threat from the Soviet Union.
Construction of the 31-acre military facility that would house the 634th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron started in April 1954. The service members stationed there were positioned atop mile-high Burns Butte to operate radar systems along what was known as the “Pine Tree Line,” a coordinated early detection system and Semi-Automatic Ground Environment defense system.[1]
The base included twenty Quonset barracks buildings, an officer’s quarters, two supply houses, two warehouses, a well house, and a headquarters building in addition to a cafeteria-style dining hall, recreation room, mail room, and sporting equipment. All of these buildings and many more throughout the site were constructed using asbestos, and so too was the equipment that the site was built to support.
The 634th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was deactivated at Burns Air Force Radar Station on September 30, 1970. In 1973, portions of the base, including the radar station were transferred to the Burns Union High School District for educational purposes and deeded back to the federal government in 1978. The site has been in private ownership since 1979 with the exception of 1.66 acres transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration and 1.83 acres transferred to the Bonneville Power Administration.[2]
The rest of the site was left to deteriorate in the arid, deserted landscape, and its open access attracted local teenagers who vandalized it. It also was visited by communication workers, hikers, and trespassers, all of whom were exposed to legacy asbestos. This led to investigations by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which designated the area as a health hazard, adding it to the state’s clean-up list, and leading to intervention from the Environmental Protection Agency. Much of the contamination was removed in 2004 following a request to conduct a Time-Critical Removal Action.[3]
How Was Asbestos Used at the Burns Air Force Radar Base?
Asbestos has a well-deserved reputation for being a sort of miracle substance that withstands heat, fire, and sound while adding strength. Add those characteristics to its low cost and easy accessibility and it is no wonder that the U.S. military relied on it so heavily for so many of its applications. Air Force applications were no exception, and most Air Force bases constructed between the 1930s and 1980, when the material was revealed to be carcinogenic, made extensive use of the material in the construction of base structures and in parts and fabrication of vehicles, aircraft, and base infrastructure.
Though Burns Air Force Radar Base was smaller than many other Air Force bases at just 21 acres, and its construction was not initiated until the 1950s, it was extensively contaminated with asbestos-containing materials in its structures.
Asbestos-containing materials and parts used at Burns Air Force Radar Base included:
- Adhesives
- Automobile and truck brakes
- Caulking
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement foundations
- Drywall
- Electrical wiring
- Epoxies
- Fireproofing materials
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- HVAC systems
- Insulation materials
- Paint
- Pipes
- Plumbing
- Roofing
- Sealants
- Siding
- Soundproofing
- Valves
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Wallboard
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure at Burns Air Force Radar Base?
In addition to the contractors and service members responsible for the construction of the structures at Burns Air Force Radar Base, asbestos exposure was a risk for all service members who lived and worked at the site on its radar mission and those responsible for keeping its vehicles and infrastructure operational during its fifteen years of operations. Those individuals’ family members, who lived off base in the town of Burns, were at risk of secondary asbestos exposure, and since the time that the base was closed, civilians who come close to the site have also been put at risk from exposure to legacy asbestos.
Those who were most at risk of asbestos exposure at Burns Air Force Radar Base included:
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Welders
- Electricians
- Contractors
- Construction Workers
- Airmen
- Boiler Workers
- Pipefitters
- Machinists
- Carpenters
Help for Burns Air Force Radar Base Asbestos Victims
Burns Air Force Radar Base operated from 1954 to 1970, which means that Air Force veterans who served there may already have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, or just now be experiencing symptoms of asbestos-related diseases. Malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, COPD, asbestosis, and other illnesses associated with exposure to the toxic mineral change lives forever, but there is help available.
An experienced asbestos attorney can help you navigate the many challenges and options that exist for victims of asbestos exposure. These options include applying to the Department of Veterans Affairs for special disability compensation that has been established for victims of asbestos exposure, as well as accessing specialized medical care at one of the several VA Medical Centers that offer care for victims of asbestos-related diseases. They can also help you file claims with the asbestos bankruptcy trust funds that have been established by companies whose contaminated materials exposed you to asbestos, or to file personal injury lawsuits seeking compensation for the harms you’ve suffered against those companies.
