http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20160109/news/160109364
More than 45 years after the last Agent Orange spray testing was completed at Eglin Site C-52A, some local residents still wonder about the residual effects of the toxin.
More than 45 years after the last Agent Orange spray testing was completed at Eglin Site C-52A, some local residents still wonder about the residual effects of the toxin.
Because
of the site’s proximity to creeks and other waterways that eventually
empty into
Since the early 1970s, the federal
government has conducted a series of studies to determine what, if any,
long-term damage may have been done to wildlife and plants at the site.
In general, those studies have shown no significant long-term impacts.
In
February 1998, a local resident petitioned the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to assess Eglin for potential
public health hazards, including possible Agent Orange contamination. On
April 6-8, 1998, and again on Aug. 20-23, 2001, ATSDR visited Eglin to
evaluate the concerns.
Under the topic of herbicide, ATSDR issued the following finding:“Access
to the (site) is extremely limited due to steep topography, dense
vegetation, and locked gates. In addition, the area is highly controlled
by security personnel who patrol the area. Therefore, there is, has
been, and will continue to be minimal contact with contamination at the
(site).”
The final conclusion? “Even though
Herbicide Orange was, and still is, present at Eglin AFB, community
members were not in the past, are not currently, and are not expected to
be in the future exposed to levels of Herbicide Orange that would cause
harmful health effects.”
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