"This sampling is the latest step in addressing concerns… alleging that since 2004 military and civilian employees working for the DOD [Department of Defense] Military Commissions on Camp Justice at NS [Naval Station] Guantanamo Bay have been exposed to carcinogens," the release stated.
The first sampling efforts will be conducted during the week of October 9-16 and again from October 30 to November 10, the release noted. Additional sampling will be conducted after the New Year.
"Indoor air sampling, soil sampling, water sampling, testing for ionizing radiation and paint samples in and around Camp Justice, will be included in the sampling efforts," the release explained.
The results will then be analyzed with a final report anticipated by mid-2016, according to the release.
"The sampling plan is intended to fill gaps in data identified in an earlier Public Health Review Report for the OMC [Office of Military Commissions] facilities. We want to ensure that… we can continue to provide quality living and working spaces," NS Guantanamo Bay chief Captain David Culpepper said in the release.
A team of experts from the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center and Navy Facilities Engineering Command Southeast visited the base from September 25 to September 29 to develop the plan, according to the release.