Asbestos and other contaminants not a worry for troops in Haiti
According to the U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine, the locations where U.S. troops have been operating in Haiti do not contain high levels of toxic substances. Hundreds of air, soil and water samples were tested for asbestos, silica and 200 other contaminants.
Samples were collected by teams from the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force around sites where U.S. troops have been since the deadly earthquake in January.
The contaminants found were present in levels below U.S. government standards. Haiti, it seems, did not use asbestos insulation as extensively as the United States did. The only significant quantity of asbestos was found in an asbestos ceiling tile at an AIDS clinic being used by the U.S. Public Health Service.
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