Korea to test Camp Carroll area residents for chemicals

The government of Chilgok-gun and a state-run research institute will conduct health checkups for the residents of areas close to the U.S. military’s Camp Carroll.

Located in Chilgok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province, Camp Carroll was at the center of a controversy raised by a former U.S. soldier who claimed that Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant, was buried within its grounds.

The claims were disproved by a joint Korea-U.S. investigation team that discovered that drums containing chemicals were excavated and shipped to the U.S. The barrels contained pesticides, herbicides, solvents and other chemicals but not Agent Orange.

The Chilgok-gun government and the National Institute of Environmental Research surveyed 2,012 households last year, of which 497 households were found to be using groundwater.

The checkup will be conducted from Feb. 13-26, and will test 882 individuals who use ground water and 288 who do not.

The authorities plan to check for traces of chemicals found in defoliants in blood and urine. According to Chilgok-gun, the results of the medical checkup could be announced as early as April, while the results for the defoliant test are expected in August.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)