Army's chief hygiene officer says US radar would not be health threat

The Czech Army's chief hygiene officer, Petr Navratil, has said that a US radar installation which could be deployed in the Czech Republic's Brdy military zone, would not pose a health threat, provided safety zone requirements were met. He made the statement on Friday, a day after a 200-page report on the project was made public by the Czech government. The study - the first by Czech officials - is based on specifications and technical data from the US. The chief hygiene officer said the base, as outlined, would meet all limits on non-ionic radiation, ruling out harmful effects. In past weeks and months, villages near the Brdy zone have come out strongly against the radar plan, while polls have suggested only one third of Czechs support the idea. The US has asked the Czech Republic to house the base as part of the United States' missile defense system.