Agent Orange and the haunting aftermath of the Vietnam War

(Baonghean.vn) - Sometimes what war leaves behind after it ends is more terrifying than what it took away in the battles. That is also the tragedy after the Vietnam War ended.

The US sprayed 72 million liters of herbicides during the Vietnam War, including more than 40 million liters of Agent Orange dioxin. Dioxin is a herbicide that is ranked among the most dangerous substances in the world, not only because of its ability to spread death but also because it leaves behind consequences for many generations to come.

56 years ago, on August 10, 1961, a "chemical rain" poured down on Ngoc Hoi village, Kon Tum, opening the US Ranch Hand campaign in the Vietnam War.

The United States used 15 different herbicides in Southeast Asia, including the code names "Agent Orange", "Agent Green" (Agent Blue, cacodylic acid), "white matter" (Agent White), "purple substance" (Agent Purple) and "pink substance" (Agent Pink). In which, Agent Orange is a mixture of two herbicides 2-4-D and 2-4-5-T.

Agent Orange was discovered in a study by botanist Dr. Arthur W. Galston. However, he did not intend to create a toxic chemical, but only wanted to use it as part of his research. It was later used by the US military during the Vietnam War.

Galston himself became one of the leading campaigners against the use of Agent Orange. After a wave of protests, which saw it as immoral, President Nixon, in the face of fierce opposition, banned the use of this poison.

1. Dioxin and Agent Orange

Dioxin is the name given to a toxic substance found in Agent Orange and other herbicides. The US Department of Veterans Affairs states that Agent Orange contained only trace amounts of this dioxin, but areas affected by Agent Orange or where it was stored have shown very high concentrations of dioxin.

US military planes are spraying Agent Orange on the battlefields of South Vietnam.

In some heavily affected areas in Vietnam, dioxin levels in the blood are dozens of times higher than the allowable level. A small dose of this substance can actually reduce the incidence of cancer, but when it exceeds the allowable level, it increases the incidence of cancer by up to 40%. Dioxin causes many health consequences, not only killing people but also leaving behind consequences for many generations to come.

The World Health Organization has classified dioxin as a human carcinogen, which can damage body systems such as the endocrine, immune and nervous systems.

When dioxin is sprayed, it not only destroys plants, animals and people, it also seeps into the soil and groundwater, becoming part of the food chain. When someone eats plants or animals contaminated with dioxin, it begins to accumulate in fatty tissues.

2. Herbicides used to kill weeds

The truth is that the US used Agent Orange to destroy the forests that our troops used as camouflage shields, destroying crops and food sources for the army. Agent Orange was secretly used in Laos and Cambodia to detect the Ho Chi Minh trail, an important supply route through the jungle.

The devastation caused by Agent Orange.

When sprayed on a forest, Agent Orange destroys all vegetation regardless of type. It destroys tree roots, causes leaves to die and fall, turning a leafy forest into a bare one. Not only that, Agent Orange also seeps into the soil, preventing the growth of future plants, destroying agriculture and causing many effects on human health.

3. And the effects on humans

There is much debate about the actual effects of Agent Orange. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States suggests a link between Agent Orange and the development of certain types of cancer in humans.

Others, including chemical companies facing lawsuits, argue that there is no clear evidence that health problems are caused by Agent Orange or dioxin. In fact, some areas in Vietnam affected by Agent Orange have high rates of diseases, birth defects and even cancer.

Images of Vietnamese children affected by Agent Orange.

The Vietnamese military and people were the ones who suffered the most severe consequences, however, American soldiers in the Vietnam War also suffered the harmful effects of Agent Orange due to exposure.

In 1978, the Department of Veterans Affairs established a program to help veterans exposed to Agent Orange. The program examined the health of over 300,000 veterans who had participated in the Vietnam War. They received health care, compensation for damage caused by exposure to Agent Orange, and support for children of veterans born with disabilities, medical care, and special education.

Medical staff at the Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children - Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Gio Linh District (Quang Tri) practice rehabilitation for victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.

American soldiers were compensated and enjoyed special policies due to the harmful effects of Agent Orange, while Vietnamese soldiers and people have not been properly compensated. That is also the reason for the lawsuits demanding rights for Vietnamese people affected by Agent Orange in recent times.

About 1 million Vietnamese people have been affected by Agent Orange, and children born there continue to suffer from birth defects that cannot be cured. There are many areas of land still contaminated with dioxin that have not been treated due to the high cost.

4. Agent Orange lawsuits and compensation

Over the years, there have been many lawsuits filed in US courts regarding the harmful effects of Agent Orange and the consequences it left behind after the Vietnam War, but the Vietnamese people affected by Agent Orange have never received the compensation they deserve.

A Vietnamese Agent Orange victim at the Agent Orange appeal hearing in the US.

In 1984, in a major case heard by the US Supreme Court, US chemical companies involved in the production and sale of herbicides to the US military had to pay $180 million in compensation, with the beneficiaries being mainly veterans of the Vietnam War.

However, the companies only accept compensation for American veterans. In lawsuits claiming benefits for Vietnamese people, these companies give many reasons to deny responsibility. Also in some recent lawsuits by Vietnamese people, the court ruled that chemical companies are not responsible because they are only contractors of the US Government.

Members of the Collectif Vietnam Dioxine Association - an organization that brings together many associations and groups of Vietnamese people in France and French friends - marched to raise awareness about the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam. Photo: Collectif Vietnam Dioxine Association

The efforts have not stopped, the victims and human rights organizations continue to campaign and call on the US to compensate for the effects as well as handle the consequences of dioxin in Vietnam.

Peace

(Synthetic)