Agent Orange Vietnam: Da Nang International Airport – Agent Orange and the Removal of Dioxin: Status

My first impressions of the site were grim. The stench nauseating. The area that I now walked on had been cemented over a number of years earlier as an attempt to prevent further contamination from dioxin. This was the very site where Agent Orange had been stored, mixed, and loaded onto aircraft. It is a wetland area with shallow groundwater. It is adjacent to a very densely populated residential area. This is the source of so much death, destruction and heartache.

The method of remediation that has been selected is known as In-Pile Thermal Desorption (IPTD). There is approximately 67,000 cubic meters of dioxin contaminated soil at the airport which will be processed by this method. In effect, the contaminated soil will be excavated, hauled and placed in the IPTD pile structure. It is important to note, that this entire process will take place on premise at the airport. The pile structure itself will be constructed in close proximity of the contaminated area. This thermal technology, amongst other things, heats the soil to extreme highs (700-800 degrees centigrade) necessary to remove the dioxin contaminates. In theory, the soil, once treated by IPTD will be returned to its “normal, pre-contaminated” state. I say “in theory”, because one question I asked the Doctor was if this method had ever been successfully used in removing dioxin at these very high levels. To his knowledge, it never has been – but he believes the technology will in fact work.

An Open Invitation to the Manufacturers of Agent Orange: Perhaps if you took the time to see the generations of victims, the broken hearts, the misery, you would indeed set aside your corporate greed and lend a humanitarian hand to the victims. It has been 50 years since the US first sprayed your manufactured poison. This is an open invitation to the management of Monsanto – please come to Da Nang. See this, one of the several hot-spots in Vietnam. See the results of Agent Orange.

Agent Orange Vietnam: Texas A&M System researchers sought for Agent Orange remediation

The primary aim of the initial project is to identify bioremediation solutions for approximately 7 million acres of forest and about 1.2 million acres of agricultural land that were destroyed by Agent Orange and similar agents during the war, as well as overuse of the land, Senseman said.

Kluver said Dr. Duong Van Hop, director of the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology in Hanoi, contacted Texas A&M because of the university’s expertise in agriculture, and particularly with issues related to dioxin contamination.

Potential research activities that have been outlined include: microbial genetics, microbial activity and community shifts, surface water monitoring, water filtration, ecophysiology, crop rotations, residue analysis of biomass and fertility programs.

The consortium envisions a multi-year project involving multiple steps, including:

New Organization to Provide Agent Orange Vietnam: Assistance to Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange

The Agent Orange Action Group (AOAG) was founded by several notable activists from around the world to accomplish one goal – obtain and provide assistance to the Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange.

In addition, we seek justice for the victims from those who caused the tragedy, namely the United States Government and the US Chemical Companies headed by Monsanto and Dow Chemical.

“In Vietnam there are near to four million victims of Agent Orange, of all ages, many not able to be treated in a hospital or clinics. Many live at home, in small towns and communes throughout the country. These tragic victims and their parents need our help and the help of the companies who manufactured this poison as well as the government responsible for spraying it,” states Len Aldis, Chairman of AOAG and one of its founders.

To learn more and to find out how you can help, visit www.aoag.org for more information.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: Airport to be cleared of dioxin by 2015

Dioxin contamination at Da Nang Airport would be remediated by 2015, co-chair of the Joint Advisory Committee on Agent Orange Le Ke Son said at yesterday's press conference as the committee concluded its sixth meeting.

Teichman said the committee also discussed environmental efforts to remediate the Bien Hoa Airport in Dong Nai Province and Phu Cat Airport in Binh Dinh Province.

However, Dr. Son said the decontamination work at Phu Cat Airport would likely be done next year while comprehensive technical assessment of the decontamination work at Bien Hoa Airport had not been completed.

Son noted that the US government had continued increasing its financial commitments to deal with dioxin/AO consequences

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: Vietnam Victim's Appeal

Agent Orange Vietnam: The Aspen Institute, USAID and Public and Private Partners Commit to Help Disabled in Vietnam at the Clinton Global Initiative

At the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Aspen Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation, IBM, Hyatt Hotels and many other private sector donors, committed to provide assistance to address the challenges of the disabled in Vietnam, without regard to cause.

he US-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin, has created a comprehensive ten-year strategic Plan of Action that includes practical steps to expand humanitarian services to people with disabilities and their families, without regard to cause.

The Source

Rotary speakers target Vietnam's lingering Agent Orange

It's time to try and undo the damage the chemical continues to cause, said Bailey.

Bailey told the crowd how the chemical that causes birth defects, cancer and other illnesses is still prevalent in soils and waterways in Vietnam, where 28 Agent Orange "hot spots" have been identified.

Since that time, the United States has spent about $40 million to help those living with disabilities caused by Agent Orange. Another $36 million has come from foundations and other sources.

"Agent Orange affected all it touched," Bailey said.

The Source

Operation Ranch Hand The Toxic Legacy of Agent Orange

Image compliments of Jennifer 'Emery' Bakken

What was our government thinking?

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: ‘Ignorant’ filmmaker brings Agent Orange plight to light

Trinh, who moved to the US in 1987, when he was 30, said he really knew nothing about dioxin until 2005. The idea struck him then to make a film on Agent Orange and its victims.

He started researching the chemical and working on the movie, trying to show the cruelty and long-lasting impact of the war. He wrote the script in three months and came back to Vietnam for the first time since he’d left 19 years earlier.

Trinh said his wish is that the US government admits that it was wrong in using Agent Orange during the Vietnam War and atones for the crime by compensating all victims of the toxic chemical.

US individuals and organizations have tried to help mitigate the tragedy’s impacts and though the government has of late provided some funding toward dioxin clean up operations, it has refused to accept responsibility or provide direct compensation to the victims of Agent Orange.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: Extraordinary will of an “AO teacher”

Teacher Nguyen Ngoc Phuong is the symbol of will, braveness and extraordinary vitality in the central province of Quang Nam, the fire land during the Vietnam War.

Admiring the disabled boy who was very eager for studies, many people helped him. Phuong learned gas pumping and repairing watches. After a short period of time, he became a skilled worker. He returned home and began to earn his living with that job.

In early 2006, Phuong’s motorbike and electric repair workshop opened in Hoa Khanh district, Da Nang city. Working hard, with high skills, his workshop has attracted many customers. The story about him spread in the city as a fairy tale in the real life.

In 2008, a center for AO and disadvantaged children in Da Nang invited Phuong to teach children in the centre his trade. He became the first AO teacher at this centre.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: 50 years of AO catastrophe in Vietnam commemorated nationwide

In her speech given at the meeting, Vice State President Doan praised AO victims for their determination to overcome every difficulty to integrate into the community. She also called on people to do as much as possible to help AO victims ease their pains and improve their lives.Mrs. Doan asked the US Government to take responsibility for the damage they had caused to the environment and human health in Vietnam.

The Source

Washington backs joint Agent Orange cleanup project in Vietnam

A joint U.S.-Vietnamese team is working to clean up approximately 62 acres near Da Nang airport, the site of a U.S. base during the Vietnam where drums of Agent Orange were stored, The Asahi Shimbum reported.

The highly toxic defoliant still torments the land and exceeds international safety standards by 400 percent nearly 50 years after the chemical was first used by the U.S., the newspaper reported.

The U.S. will provide about $32 million to finance the decontamination work, which both governments aim to complete by 2013, Asahi reported.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: Mexican senators support AO victims

Image compliments of Danielle Reyes,
Co-founder and Daughter of a Deceased Vietnam Veteran

In a letter sent to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the day when the US started spraying Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin in Vietnam, members of the group expressed their solidarity with Vietnamese people, especially AO victims and demand the US take responsibility for the harmful consequences it caused in Vietnam.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: Hatfield Agent Orange Reports and Presentations

Image compliments of Danielle Reyes
Co-founder of AO Legacy, Daughter of deceased Viet vet

Hatfield Consultants has now provided, for download, the recently released report on its Agent Orange studies at the Bien Hoa airbase. The document may be accessed at:

Hatfield Agent Orange Reports and Presentations

VIDEO - Agent Orange Vietnam: U.S. still refuses Agent Orange responsibility

Campaigners say 50 years is too long to wait for the U.S. government to take responsibility for the birth defects caused by Agent Orange during the Vietnam war. Lily Grimes reports.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam AO 50th Anniversary: ‘Agent Orange’ Relief Sought for Vietnam

Aug. 10 marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the chemical warfare program in Vietnam, one of the war’s most shameful legacies. Agent Orange continues to poison Vietnam and the people exposed to the chemicals, as well as their offspring.

H.R. 2634, the Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2011, which Rep. Bob Filner, D-California, just introduced in the House, would provide crucial assistance for social and health services to Vietnamese, Vietnamese-American, and U.S. victims of Agent Orange.

Many U.S. veterans suffer from effects of Agent Orange due to their exposure in Vietnam, as do their children and grandchildren. Vietnamese-Americans exposed directly to Agent Orange and their offspring suffer from the same health conditions.

The bill, which the Vietnamese Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign assisted Rep. Filner in writing, defines “victim” as “any individual who is a Vietnamese national, Vietnamese-American, or United States veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange, or the progeny of such an individual, and who has a disease or disability associated with this exposure.”

The Source

The 50th anniversary of AO spray in Vietnam & the 2011 Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act by Breanna Wilhelmi

According to the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign, Wednesday August 10, 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the United States Military’s first spraying of toxic chemicals in Vietnam. Rainbow herbicides, most notably Agent Orange, were used in combat by Marines, Navy, Army, and Air Force personnel against oppositional forces for a 10-year period, during the Vietnam War.

In the last half-century, continuous scientific investigation has outlined the mass detrimental outcomes of chemical exposure extending from the Vietnam War.

To complement this information we may turn to Vietnam, wherein millions of people have experienced war-era toxin exposure and over 400,000 have died due to effects of the rainbow herbicides.

In the veteran (and children of veteran) communities, the phrase “deny, deny, deny until they die” has become a way of understanding the US Government’s response to innumerable claims that Vietnam-era toxin exposure has essentially ruined lives. Birth defects, learning disabilities, psychiatric symptoms, and developmental abnormalities are just some of the trans-generational detriments that are exhibited in thousands of veterans’ children as well as those in Vietnam.

Case in point, for millions of us, the war in Vietnam is not completely over.

The Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2011 is in the first phase of the legislative process.

The Source

Monsanto, GMOs & Agent Orange Vietnam: The American Half-Century

The US should help the victims of Agent Orange; but although Vietnam has suffered the poison’s unspeakable horrors for fifty-years now, the country must be careful not to sell its soul looking for compensation.

But there are other things that friends and supporters of the AO-victims have to take note of: Len Aldis, in his Op-Ed in this paper suggested that “the people of Ho Chi Minh City should petition the local authorities to close down the offices of Monsanto and Dow Chemical.” This was the first time I had heard of the existence of those offices. I knew that the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are planning to use genetically manipulated plants (GMO) and herbicides in Vietnam, and that therefore representatives of Monsanto and Dow Chemical have already gained a foothold in the form of agreements with Vietnamese authorities.

But some people fear that Monsanto & Co. could offer Vietnam some help (voluntary and without any recognition of responsibility) for the victims of AO if Vietnam introduces GMOs on a large scale. Even if the companies offered millions, they wouldn’t miss it. What would the Vietnamese government do?

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnan: More efforts to help AO/dioxin victims

The project focuses on plastic surgeries, function rehabilitation, and home-based health care for 2,500 AO/dioxin victims, helping them improve their health and integrate into the community.

The project also covers vocational training and development of livestock breeding and production to 3,000 households.

It is also to provide training on measures to prevent birth defects relating to AO/dioxin, and train medical workers and red-cross volunteers on functional rehabilitation and health care for disabled people in the community.

The Source

Agent Orange Vietnam: TV programme on Agent Orange/dioxin to be aired

A special programme on Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin will be broadcast live on HCM City television channel HTV at 8.30pm on August 7.

The Source