Vietnam, Agent Orange and Beyond

Vietnam came to the attention of Americans during what we call the Vietnam War whereas in Vietnam it is called the Second Indochina War. Agent Orange herbicide was used to defoliate jungles and destroy crops until 1971. It was contaminated with a highly toxic and persistent dioxin. During the war, some in Vietnam complained of human health damage, birth defects and liver cancer possibly caused by dioxin in Agent Orange. The US government denied health damage was caused by Agent Orange. Later, it became apparent by considerable research that dioxin could cause many health problems in humans including certain cancers and some birth defects. Dioxin was later found by US and Vietnamese researchers in humans, food, and the environment up to the present time. Now, remediation of residual dioxin in Vietnam and approaches to improve health of those potentially involved is underway. Methods to accomplish this and funding are under active consideration and are ongoing partially with financial assistance from the US government. Other health problems involve more people than does Agent Orange which may have contaminated an estimated approximate 10 -15% of the Vietnam population, almost all in the south of Vietnam. The public health focus has shifted to these other problems although children with malformations from whatever cause have been of considerable interest and they have been shown to many visitors to Vietnam as possible Agent Orange victims.