S. Korea, U.S. collect groundwater samples in Agent Orange probe

(ATTN: UPDATES first two paras; ADDS responses in paras 11-15, photo; AMENDS headline, dateline; TRIMS)
CHILGOK, South Korea, May 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean and U.S. officials on Friday collected groundwater samples near a U.S. army base here, widening their probe into the alleged burial of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange by American troops about three decades ago.
Samples were taken from 10 wells and streams near Camp Carroll by experts from the South's Environment Ministry, in the presence of U.S. military officials. The two sides also discussed how they would proceed with the joint investigation, officials said.



The investigation began after former U.S. soldiers told a U.S. television station early this month that they buried large amounts of the dangerous chemical in 1978 at a heliport inside Camp Carroll in Chilgok, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
"The groundwater samples will be analyzed by several environmental laboratories," a ministry official said. "It is expected to take more than two weeks for the analysis to produce results."
From next week, South Korea and the U.S. will jointly start monitoring sites at Camp Carroll, according to the official.
Lt. Gen. John D. Johnson, commander of the 8th U.S. Army and lead investigator into the allegations, said Thursday that ground-penetrating radar devices will be mobilized next week to identify substances buried at Camp Carroll.
"If we get evidence that there is a risk to health, we are going to fix it," Johnson told a local radio station.
Early this week, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said a 1992 study showed a "large amount" of pesticides, herbicides and solvents were buried at Camp Carroll in 1978, but were removed and taken to an unknown site during the following two years.
The USFK also said its review of records found "trace amounts" of dioxin in a 2004 test at the site, but the findings do not "directly" indicate that Agent Orange was buried there.
Agent Orange, a defoliant widely used in the Vietnam War, is suspected of causing serious health problems, including cancer and genetic damage, among some people, as well as birth defects in their children. The defoliant was contaminated by dioxin, a highly toxic substance.
Despite a pledge by U.S. commanders for a swift probe into the claims of Agent Orange burial, concerns over health or environmental risks are growing in Chilgok, a city of some 30,000 people.
Park Hyung-joo, a 48-year-old resident, said, "As a farmer near the U.S. military base, I feel nervous about the existence of the cancer-causing material." Park referred to the U.S. military's announcement that a tiny amount of dioxin was found.
"Because the cancer-causing material was found inside the U.S. military base, is there a possibility that the material may have leaked to the outside?" Park asked.
An independent probe commissioned by Chilgok County also found traces of dioxin in some groundwater near Camp Carroll this week. No evidence has determined whether the dioxin is related to the U.S. military base, but the county suspended the use of some groundwater.
"Although it has not been confirmed that the dioxin is linked to the defoliant, we decided to halt the use of groundwater because of people's anxiety," said a county official.
Meanwhile, a retired American soldier who collected samples from barrels of chemicals dug up at Camp Carroll in 1979 told a U.S. military newspaper that he is aware of no evidence that Agent Orange was buried there a year earlier.
According to a report by The Stars and Stripes on Friday, retired Sgt. 1st Class John Sipkens said none of the drums he saw had standard markings for Agent Orange, and no one he has spoken to regarding the testing ever mentioned the chemical.
"I don't think they were trying to hide anything from the Korean government," Sipkens was quoted as saying. "I think they were just trying to clean out the warehouse and make it disappear."