Trace amounts of chemicals in Camp Carroll do not indicate defoliant’s presence


A joint Korea-U.S. investigation team found no definitive evidence that a toxic defoliant was buried at one of the U.S. military camps in Korea, officials said Thursday.

According to the official results of the investigation, the team has “found no definitive evidence that confirms the burial of Agent Orange at Camp Carroll at any time in the past.

The investigation took place to verify a claim by U.S. veteran Steve House that he had helped bury hundreds of drums believed to contain Agent Orange near a helipad in Camp Carroll in 1978.

The joint investigation team announced the findings regarding the military base located in the rural town of Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province.

On May 22, the Eighth Army admitted that chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and solvents had been buried at Camp Carroll in 1978, but that the materials and 60 tons of dirt were subsequently removed in 1979-1980. The drums were said to have been placed at Area 41, later buried in Area D, which is adjacent to the helipad. According to results, the soil was “later excavated and shipping to the U.S.”

Agent Orange, a defoliant widely used by the U.S. during the Vietnam War, is believed to cause cancer, birth defects and other conditions.

The team did find trace amounts of 2,3,7,8-TCDD, which according to the official press release is a by-product of several chemicals, and does not equate to the existence of Agent Orange. However, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the same chemical was classified as a carcinogen in 1997.

An earlier analysis also detected in September trace amounts of another chemical used as a defoliant in the groundwater, however another sampling by the investigation team came back negative.

The investigation which began since May conducted analysis of the soil and groundwater through geophysical surveys and soil coring at the site.

“Official records show that 380 drums of Agent Orange were shipped to Korea and used in the DMZ in 1968 by the ROK Army,” according to the statement.

According to the press release the Seoul will continue to complete the assessment of local health, to ensure the health and safety of the residents there.

The joint survey team consisting of 16 Koreans and 10 Americans and was co-chaired by Ok Gon, a professor of Bookyung University, and Col. Joseph F. Birchmeier of the U.S. Army.

The team had also conducted interviews with 172 former Camp Carroll employees and studied official records.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)