Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense launched a dioxin cleanup project Friday to treat 35,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil at A So Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province.
The project, expected to cost VND70 billion ($3 million), is
scheduled to take around two years to complete.
In 350,000 cubic meters of soil that needs treatment, around
6,600 cubic meters contain dioxin levels of over 200 parts per trillion,
considered "very serious," Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's
Army) Newspaper reported.
During the Vietnam War, the American military used A So
Valley in A Luoi District as a field airport. This was also a place to store
toxic chemicals and a transit station for the U.S. Air Force to spray Agent
Orange containing the dangerous chemical contaminant dioxin across the region.
Thua Thien-Hue was one of the most heavily affected places
by dioxin in Vietnam. The central province is home to nearly 16,000 people
exposed to Agent Orange.
Vietnam still has 28 dioxin hotspots, including airports
formerly used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
The government hopes to complete the task of decontaminating
the country’s soil by 2030.
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