title: A GIS study of dioxin contamination in a Vietnamese region sprayed with herbicide.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The American-Vietnam War ended over 35 years ago, but dioxins still remain in human tissue and Vietnam's environment. The main objective of this study was to assess the correlation between dioxin concentration in soil, sediment and breast milk in one of the areas sprayed with herbicide, namely Cam Chinh commune, Quang Tri province, using a geographic information system (GIS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The concentration of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in soil, sediment and breast milk samples was determined and the data analyzed using the geostatistical log-normal Kriging algorithm.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean dioxin levels in soil and breast milk in the sprayed area were significantly higher than those in the non-sprayed area. The distribution pattern of PCDDs and PCDFs in soil was different, and there were no significant correlations between the estimated dioxin levels in soil obtained by the Kriging method and those in breast milk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The possibility remains that another exposure route, such as exposure to herbicides used during the Vietnam War, might affect dioxin levels in breast milk, although more soil data are needed to make more reliable geographical estimations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 5-11-80 Kodatsuno, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-0942, Japan, dangnhu258@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Dang Duc
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Nhu
authors.forename: Teruhiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kido
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naganuma
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sawano
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tawara
authors.forename: Muneko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishijo
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Nguyen Ngoc
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Le Thi Hong
authors.initials: le TH
authors.lastname: Thom