Residents from Kingman and surrounding communities attended a town hall meeting convened by Arizona Senator Kelly Ward, on what exactly is falling from Mohave County skies and is it sickening some of its residents.
More than 100 residents attended a town hall to express their frustration over what exactly is being sprayed in the skies and wondering if it is harmful.
Senator Ward called the meeting baby steps in getting answers to the increased levels of barium, aluminum, strontium and other heavy metals in residents blood.
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality administrative counsel faced many questions and outrage after lack of answers and interest by state officials.
Counsel insisted that their department has no jurisdiction over what is emitted from aircraft or its engines, and went on to explain the Federal Environmental Protection Agency sets the air standards for aircraft, which are enforced by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.
They also recommended filing a complaint with the EPA or the FAA.
Ward said she would talk to U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Prescott, and other elected federal officials and promised future town halls on the subject.
Barium has been found in blood systems, which is sickening people.
One resident asked if the rain water has been tested for barium and other toxic metals.
A woman said several family members have died from brain tumors and wondered why someone from the EPA or the FAA was not present at the town hall.
Another woman spoke of chaff, saying it is used by the Air Force to spray a fibrous chemical from fighter jets to avoid detection.
Chaff is actually made up of strips of metal foil or metal filings to obstruct radar detection.
She said fighter jets, flying at higher altitudes than commercial airliners, spray the chemicals that are then collected by airliners water vapor before dropping to the ground.
Were being sprayed like were bugs and thats not OK
Several people spoke of moving to the county years ago and seeing blue skies and now seeing a constant haze.
One woman spoke of numerous species dying off including birds, bees and fish globally.
Another woman spoke of seeing unmarked aircraft taking off in Phoenix with spray nozzles attached to the tail or wings.
Someone else asked where to send medical evidence of increased levels of toxic metals.
Another man said that former President Dwight Eisenhower warned Americans of the military industrial complex just before he left office in 1960.
Officials from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) seemed ill-prepared to deal with the medical and technical aspects of the complaints repeatedly claiming they had no jurisdiction in FAA matters.
Senator Ward suggested a second meeting would follow, much to the appreciation of those in attendance.
The town hall was full of testimony establishing that unmarked aircraft have been repeatedly spraying aerosols from unmarked military aircraft while civilian airliners were leaving no trails, even while flying in the same air space as the unmarked jets.
Multiple lab tests that revealed high concentrations of toxins and contamination were submitted to ADEQ as evidence.
"Barium has been found in blood systems, which is sickening people."
"Barium is a mineral that enters drinking water through drilling and mining waste runoff, discharges from chemical industries and erosion of natural deposits."
Mineral Park is an open pit mine located 15 miles northwest of Kingman.