Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has okayed a master plan on supervising and disinfecting dioxin in two airports which were airbases of American troops in the Vietnam War. The Ministry of National Defense will work with other ministries and agencies to build the project for the prime minister’s approval. Dioxin levels in Bien Hoa airport which is located in the southern province of Dong Nai at 262,000 parts per trillion (ppt) toxic equivalent (TEQ) in soil, compared to the world’s permitted level of 1,000 ppt while the rate in Phu Cat base in the central province of Binh Dinh at 236,000 ppt. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry has determined that dioxin levels higher than 1,000 ppt in soil require intervention, including surveillance, research, health studies, community and physician education, and exposure investigation. The agency ranked Bien Hoa, Phu Cat and Danang airports are the worst known sites for dioxin. Currently, the U.S. is supporting Vietnam to carry out a dioxin cleanup project costing $84 million in Danang airport, marking Washington’s 1st involvement in cleaning up dioxin residue in the Southeast Asian country after the war. (phapluattp.vn Aug 19)
