KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister of Samoa, Hon. Tuilaepa Sailele Lupesoliai Malielegaoi yesterday said the possible drop of a toxic-fuel tank in the Pacific Ocean, will make a "nice souvenir" for Samoa.
The comment came after Admiral Timothy J. Keating, USN; Commander of the United States confirmed that there was an
"infinitesimal" chance that remnants of the toxic-fuel tank aboard a disabled U.S Spy-Satellite may land in the Pacific Ocean.
This comes after a decision by the Pentagon said last to destroy the satellite to prevent its hydrazine tank from crashing to Earth and spreading a deadly cloud of toxic gas.
The disabled Spy-Satellite was destroyed by a missile launch from the USS Lake Erie in the northern Pacific Ocean.
The USS Lake Erie fired the weapon about 10:26 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, according to the Department of Defence in the US.
CNN reports that while the Pentagon confirmed the satellite had been "intercepted," it was unclear whether the main target, a toxic-fuel tank on-board the spy probe, had been destroyed.
Toxic debris
"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24 to 48 hours, and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days," the Defence Department stated in a news release.
"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24 to 48 hours, and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days," the Defence Department stated in a news release.
The remaining debris will most likely land in the Pacific Ocean according to the Defence Department.
In a Press Conference in Samoa yesterday, Admiral Keating did not deny that part of his two hour stop over by the US Command in Samoa is to shed light on the possibility of a threat.
Admiral Keating yesterday said that the US had made extensive efforts to ensure that countries around the world were aware of potential hazards as a result of the satellite collapse.
Keating said: "The chances of any material from that now-destroyed satellites are infinitesimal, 75 per cent of the world surface is water, of the remaining 25 per cent only 25 per cent of that land is developed, but we felt it incumbent upon us to let our friends know what we were doing in advance, that there was risk involved."
He assured that the US had four teams on standby all throughout the Asia/Pacific Region to respond in the event of a failed shot.
"Should toxic material land lets say in Samoa, we wouldn't think it was Samoa, it wasn't going to, but we had teams on alert to come provide if it should have happened."
Marine hazard
But there are fears that any the marine life in the Pacific ocean will suffer in the event of a toxic fallout from the satellite debris.
According to Marine Pollution Adviser for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Mr. Anthony Talouli, the Pacific Ocean is relatively unpolluted from oil or toxic spills.
Talouli says that in the event of a toxic spill such as oil and other hazardous chemicals, the sea mobile living species such as fish, plankton, marine mammals, turtles, marine birds and not so mobile habitual coastal and inshore resources such as coral, rocky reefs, sea grass, mangroves/salt marshes, nesting turtles, crocodiles, marine mammals and marine birds will be greatly effected.
"Economical impacts are fisheries, tourist dependent industries such as hotels/resorts, tour operators, restaurants, entertainment. Also will affect things such as fish farms especially if the spill is large and it coincides with spawning periods, marinas, boat hirers/boat owners and of course coastal property owners," Talouli said.
Social Impacts outline by Talouli are political, recreational, cultural/heritage often indigenous.
According to Talouli the biological and economical impact could be irreversible.
Any remaining debris from the satellite will enter the atmosphere within 40 days according to the US Department of Defence.
