[Taliesin]

In the late 1990s, a Canadian study tested soil, pond water, fish and duck tissue, as well as human blood samples, and found dangerously high levels of dioxin travelling up the food chain to humans.

Dioxin concentrations have been found to be 13 times higher than average in the soil of affected areas, and, in human fat tissue, 20 times as high.

A Japanese study, comparing areas sprayed with those that were not, found children were three times more likely to be born with cleft palates, or extra fingers and toes.

There are eight times as many hernias in such children, and three times as many born with mental disabilities.

In 2001, scientists found that people living in an Agent Orange "hotspot" at Binh-Hoa near Ho Chi Minh City have 200 times the background amount of dioxin in their bloodstreams.

Humanitarian opportunity

America "normalised" relations with Vietnam 10 years ago, and the country has now embraced the free market.

No representative of the US government in Vietnam would talk to One Planet about Agent Orange.

However, in 1984, chemical companies that manufactured the Agent paid $180m into a fund for United States veterans following a lawsuit. They did not, however, admit any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile in 2004 - at the same time Mr Nguyen first brought his lawsuit - a joint-US-Vietnamese project to examine the long-term genetic impact of Agent Orange was cancelled.

US Vietnam veterans won money from Agent Orange makers in 1984
Some Americans in Vietnam fear that the legacy of Agent Orange is overshadowing the new friendship between the two countries.

"Many of the other obstacles have been dealt with - trade and exchange and diplomatic relations," said Andrew Wells-Dang, from the Fund For Reconciliation And Development - an American organisation set up in the 1980s with the aim of improving relations between the countries.

He pointed out that the US has provided funding for clearing mines that it dropped on Vietnam during the war.

"We think the US should do the same with Agent Orange," he added.

"It's not going to go away, because it affects a huge number of people in Vietnam.

"We would see this as an opportunity for the US to take humanitarian action so that it doesn't become an obstacle between the countries."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4494347.stm

As I have understood the situation in Vietnam, the US invaded it in order to stop the communistic north from conquering the south, and the vietcong, the communist army of the north, reacted with a guerillia-warfare running-and-hiding in the jungle and attacking US-soldiers in mostly unexpected ways that don't follow the normal rules of war on an open battlefield, so that the superiority of US's firepower couldn't be used effectively.

Then the US-forces reacted with carpet-bombings, napalm-bombings and espescially with using chemicals that should destroy crops and jungle that provided cover for the vietcong:

The US sprayed 80m litres of poisonous chemicals during Operation Ranchhand. There were many Agents used, including Pink, Green and White, but Agent Orange was used the most - 45m litres sprayed over a 10th of Vietnam.

It was also used - mostly in secret - over parts of neighbouring Cambodia.

But Agent Orange in particular was laced with dioxins - extremely toxic to humans. Dioxins accumulate in the body to cause cancers. Anyone eating or drinking in contaminated areas then receives an even higher dose.

Source: Same as above.

Surprisingly the effect of the dioxine-laced "Agent Orange" proved to be quite malicious against the civilian population in Vietnam, even up to this day, as it's staying in the food-chain and is cumulating in the human body and leading to genetical deformations in newborn humans.

Despite the huge casualties of the Vietnam-war in general:

The lowest casualty estimates, based on the now-renounced North Vietnamese statements, are around 1.5 million Vietnamese killed. Vietnam released figures on April 3, 1995 that a total of one million Vietnamese combatants and four million civilians were killed in the war. The accuracy of these figures has generally not been challenged. 58,226 American soldiers also died in the war or are missing in action. Australia lost almost 500 of the 47,000 troops they had deployed to Vietnam and New Zealand lost 38 soldiers.

Source: http://www.vietnam-war.info/casualties/

the US-govenrments have decided to ignore the legacy of "Agent Orange".

What do you think?

Taliesin

[Eynstyn]

There are problems everywhere. This one is low on the list.

[bubblewrap]

My wife's grandan was a transport pilot in Vietnam. His last duty was AO deployment.
His VA medical records are stamped AGENT ORANGE.
WHat's strange, he's shown no ill effects from high dioxin levels.

[Eynstyn]

Originally Posted by bubblewrap

My wife's grandan was a transport pilot in Vietnam. His last duty was AO deployment.
His VA medical records are stamped AGENT ORANGE.
WHat's strange, he's shown no ill effects from high dioxin levels.

I remember seeing guy on news DRINK AO to show it's no danger.

Son of Admiral Zumwalt died of it, yes?

[bubblewrap]

I guess different people react to the chemicals differently.
The only thing that has ever hospitalized him was when a drunk hit him head on 1/1/2004.

[Eynstyn]

Originally Posted by bubblewrap

I guess different people react to the chemicals differently.
The only thing that has ever hospitalized him was when a drunk hit him head on 1/1/2004.

Here's the joke. He was hospitalized for alcohol problem. Other guy had alcohol. Wife's Grandan had problem! Ha!