PHNOM PENH, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-two Cambodian villagers living in the areas where the war-left U.S. tear gas barrel bombs were found had been hospitalized in the last two weeks due to their exposure to the foul smell of the leaked barrel bombs.
The villagers had fallen ill after they came into contact with chemical substances which were the remnants of the U.S. bombs, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Friday, adding that most of them suffered from skin allergies.
At least nine U.S. tear gas barrel bombs had been discovered in Koki commune of Southeastern Cambodia's Svay Rieng province since earlier this year. Currently, a group of anti-chemical weapon experts are working to dispose of them.
Weighed over 200 kg each, the chemical bombs, containing 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (CS), a type of tear gas, were dropped from a U.S. warplane in 1970 during the Vietnam War era.
Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng called on the villagers in the affected areas to be extra vigilant and advised them to stay away from the bombs.
"If you have any abnormal symptoms or if your babies were born with deformities, please visit the nearest health center or hospital for free-of-charge medical checkup and treatment," he said in the statement.
On Oct. 12, the Ministry of Health also announced that three children in the bomb-affected areas were born with horrific defects such as abnormal big heads, disproportionate mouths and chronic itches.
However, the United States Embassy in Cambodia issued a statement on Thursday, rejecting the claims that tear gas barrel bombs caused birth defects.
"Though the use of tear gas is often controversial, clear procedures exist by which to dispose of it, and there is no evidence linking it to long-term health problems or birth defects," the statement said.
It is estimated that between 1965 and 1973, the U.S. dropped about 2.7 million tons of explosives on 113,716 locations in Cambodia.
