The Army decades ago dumped more than 8,000 tons of chemical munitions, which contained blister agents and nerve agents, in at least three places off south O'ahu and Wai'anae, but the exact locations and depth of the weaponry are not clearly known. The Hawai'i lawmakers said they are concerned about leakage from the toxic weapons that are known to have been dumped in 1944 and 1945 and other disposal programs that may have started as early as 1941 and continued to as late as 1972.

The legislation calls for a complete report by September 2009 to include the location and size of dump sites, the kinds of material present, sampling and monitoring of the sites, and recommendations on how to deal with them and how much that will cost.

Hawai'i environmental groups said they support the legislation, but would like to see it extended to include other kinds of munitions at other Hawai'i sites on both the land and in the sea.

"I would expand it to look at all the areas where munitions have been dumped off Hawai'i," said Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land. "For example, when the military cleaned up Kaho'olawe, they never looked at munitions in the water. I would hope for a comprehensive report on both chemical and nonchemical weapons."

Marjorie Ziegler, director of the Conservation Council for Hawai'i, said there also are concerns about unexploded munitions at present and former training ranges on land. "Munitions are of great concern. They are a deadly form of land contamination that precludes future use. Let's not forget Makua, Schofield Barracks, Waikane, Kane'ohe and Pohakuloa," Ziegler said.