Memphis’ Military Legacy

The United States military produces nearly a ton of hazardous wastes every minute, an amount that surpasses even the biggest multinational corporations. More than 120 military sites have been placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund National Priority List.

Locating toxin-laden military installations near many of America’s poor, minority neighborhoods has forced disadvantaged communities to bear a heavy burden. According to Lois Gibbs, executive director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, “The military would never have buried leaking mustard bombs in Beverly Hills.” But that is exactly what was buried at the 640-acre Defense Depot of Memphis, Tennessee (DDMT). The fenced and guarded depot, once the U.S. military’s largest supply storehouse, operated from 1942 to 1997.

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