Vietnamese and U.S. Interactions with Respect to Agent Orange and its Dioxin

The first collaboration between Vietnamese and U.S. scientists on Agent Orange and dioxin was a study of human breast milk and fish from South Vietnam, in an area heavily sprayed with Agent Orange. The scientists measured, for the first time, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, the dioxin which contaminated Agent Orange and which is also the most toxic dioxin. It was found that TCDD levels were higher in areas sprayed with Agent Orange compared to other areas. Later work extended these findings by investigating areas where human adipose tissue, milk, blood, food, wildlife, and environment were contaminated with elevated levels of TCDD only, which is consistent with Agent Orange exposure. These high levels were also measured decades after exposure that occurred during wartime. At the present time, the U.S. EPA and U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S. AID), along with private philanthropists, are working on remediation of dioxin contaminated areas in Vietnam, beginning with Da Nang and then Bien Hoa airbases. Other health related projects that do not involve Agent Orange are also planned.