By
Travis J. Tritten
and
Chiyomi Sumida
Stars and Stripes, January 23, 2014 |
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The ongoing Japanese recovery of herbicide- and dioxin-tainted barrels just outside Kadena Air Base alarmed hundreds of residents this week who fear for the safety of children at adjacent on-base schools.
After seven months of testing, Japan’s government has found no
indication of wider soil or water contamination, and the Air Force has
said base drinking water is safe.
But those results were less than reassuring for Kadena residents, whose
fears were fueled by dire warnings from an advocate for victims of
herbicide contamination. They sought more information, rallied on
Facebook and petitioned for a town hall meeting as word spread that
drums with dioxin residue are buried within sight of the schools.
Twenty-two empty Dow Chemical drums
have been unearthed since June, and another 11 unidentified containers
have been detected but remain buried at the Japanese soccer field, which
is separated from Kadena’s Amelia Earhart Intermediate School and its
playground by a raised expressway. The Bob Hope Primary School and the
Kadena middle and high schools are nearby.
READ MORE: http://www.stripes.com/news/buried-drums-near-kadena-schools-spark-pollution-fears-1.263491
No comments:
Post a Comment