ID :
186501
Sun, 06/05/2011 - 05:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/186501
The shortlink copeid
Regional gov't to inspect unreturned U.S. military bases for hazardous material
UIJEONGBU (Yonhap) - A regional government plans to inspect areas around American military bases in Gyeonggi Province that have not been returned to South Korea to find out whether they are contaminated with chemicals, officials said Sunday.
The Gyeonggi Institute of Health and Environment, a body under the Gyeonggi provincial government, said it will check for contamination of highly toxic dioxin in water and soil around 28 U.S. forces bases in the province. The decision comes as South Korea and the U.S. are jointly investigating recent claims that American soldiers had dumped large amounts of toxic chemicals in the South.
Both South Korea and the U.S. have confirmed the spraying of Agent Orange, widely used during the Vietnam War, in the South in the 1960s to destroy dense foliage in the DMZ.
Camp Carroll in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and Camp Mercer in Bucheon, just west of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, have been cited by retired American soldiers as bases in which chemicals were allegedly buried in the 1960s and 1970s.
The inspection around Camp Mercer for dioxin contamination is under way and the institute said its investigation into other areas in the province will begin afterward, sometime in the middle of this month.
"To actually inspect inside the U.S. bases, we would need to consult with the U.S. forces under the Status of Forces Agreement," a Gyeonggi provincial official said, referring to a legal code governing American troops stationed here. "For the time being, we will check upon areas that we can inspect independently."
The institute said it typically takes up to 30 days to analyze samples for dioxin content but it will work with cities and counties in the province to minimize the time frame.
There are 93 U.S. military bases across South Korea, and 51 of them are located in Gyeonggi.
The Gyeonggi Institute of Health and Environment, a body under the Gyeonggi provincial government, said it will check for contamination of highly toxic dioxin in water and soil around 28 U.S. forces bases in the province. The decision comes as South Korea and the U.S. are jointly investigating recent claims that American soldiers had dumped large amounts of toxic chemicals in the South.
Both South Korea and the U.S. have confirmed the spraying of Agent Orange, widely used during the Vietnam War, in the South in the 1960s to destroy dense foliage in the DMZ.
Camp Carroll in Chilgok, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and Camp Mercer in Bucheon, just west of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, have been cited by retired American soldiers as bases in which chemicals were allegedly buried in the 1960s and 1970s.
The inspection around Camp Mercer for dioxin contamination is under way and the institute said its investigation into other areas in the province will begin afterward, sometime in the middle of this month.
"To actually inspect inside the U.S. bases, we would need to consult with the U.S. forces under the Status of Forces Agreement," a Gyeonggi provincial official said, referring to a legal code governing American troops stationed here. "For the time being, we will check upon areas that we can inspect independently."
The institute said it typically takes up to 30 days to analyze samples for dioxin content but it will work with cities and counties in the province to minimize the time frame.
There are 93 U.S. military bases across South Korea, and 51 of them are located in Gyeonggi.
