ID :
192228
Fri, 07/01/2011 - 09:57
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/192228
The shortlink copeid
U.S. says no Agent Orange found in 2010 probe of Camp Carroll
SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military stationed in South Korea said Friday only small amounts of harmful substances were detected last year near one of its bases in the country, citing its draft report on the inspection.
In a statement, the U.S. 8th Army said one draft presented data from 26 soil samples taken in 2010 from the vicinity of the Camp Carroll, in the rural city of Chilgok, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It said only "trace amounts" of cancer-causing dioxin were detected.
"The samples did not indicate the presence of Agent Orange," the statement said, referring to another type of toxic chemical. Retired U.S. veterans who'd served here recently alleged that the U.S. Army buried drums of Agent Orange around Camp Carroll in the 1970s, prompting a joint Seoul-Washington investigation into the area.
The 8th Army also said no 2,3,7,8-TCDD, a type of dioxin, was detected in the area, and the levels of detected substances "were significantly below safe levels as determined by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency."
"These draft reports... represent our clear focus on conducting required investigations to ensure we are protecting the health and safety of our U.S. and Korean workers on Camp Carroll, and also our neighbors in the surrounding community," the statement added.
The 8th Army also said it wanted to clarify an earlier report on a 2004 study. The report, by local construction firm Samsung C&T Corp, said 2,3,7,8-TCDD was detected from the area.
According to the U.S. military, 27 soil samples and four water samples were taken for that study, and dioxin was only detected in one soil sample.
"All soil and water samples indicated trace amounts of total dioxins at similar reported levels to industrial areas elsewhere in the world," the statement said. "None of the samples indicated the presence of Agent Orange."
In a statement, the U.S. 8th Army said one draft presented data from 26 soil samples taken in 2010 from the vicinity of the Camp Carroll, in the rural city of Chilgok, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It said only "trace amounts" of cancer-causing dioxin were detected.
"The samples did not indicate the presence of Agent Orange," the statement said, referring to another type of toxic chemical. Retired U.S. veterans who'd served here recently alleged that the U.S. Army buried drums of Agent Orange around Camp Carroll in the 1970s, prompting a joint Seoul-Washington investigation into the area.
The 8th Army also said no 2,3,7,8-TCDD, a type of dioxin, was detected in the area, and the levels of detected substances "were significantly below safe levels as determined by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency."
"These draft reports... represent our clear focus on conducting required investigations to ensure we are protecting the health and safety of our U.S. and Korean workers on Camp Carroll, and also our neighbors in the surrounding community," the statement added.
The 8th Army also said it wanted to clarify an earlier report on a 2004 study. The report, by local construction firm Samsung C&T Corp, said 2,3,7,8-TCDD was detected from the area.
According to the U.S. military, 27 soil samples and four water samples were taken for that study, and dioxin was only detected in one soil sample.
"All soil and water samples indicated trace amounts of total dioxins at similar reported levels to industrial areas elsewhere in the world," the statement said. "None of the samples indicated the presence of Agent Orange."
