Agent Orange's legacy - Soviet-Empire.com U.S.S.R.

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Soviet cogitations: 4340
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 20 Jul 2007, 06:59
Ideology: Marxism-Leninism
Forum Commissar

23 May 2010, 18:13

US, Vietnam still in conflict over Agent Orange

The US has so far allocated US$6M to deal with the impact of Agent Orange, tough it still says that there's no link between it and disabilities.

Quote:
Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military sprayed roughly 11 million gallons of Agent Orange across large swaths of southern Vietnam. Dioxin stays in soil and the sediment at the bottom of lakes and rivers for generations. It can enter the food supply through the fat of fish and other animals.

Vietnam says as many as 4 million of its citizens were exposed to the herbicide and as many as 3 million have suffered illnesses caused by it — including the children of people who were exposed during the war.

The U.S. government says the actual number of people affected is much lower and that Vietnamese are too quick to blame Agent Orange for birth defects that can be caused by malnutrition or other environmental factors.

"Scientists around the world have done a lot of research on dioxin and its possible health effects," said Michael Michalak, the U.S. ambassador in Hanoi. "There is disagreement as to what's real and what isn't, about what the possible connections are."

That position frustrates many Vietnamese, who point out that the U.S. government banned commercial use of the herbicide long ago and provides benefits to American veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.

"It does not suffice to reject the error; we must overcome it, explain it and outgrow it." - Antonio Labriola
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GreenCommunism

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Soviet cogitations: 1384
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 28 Feb 2009, 03:41
Party Member

24 May 2010, 17:47

is this not chemical warfare in a way. i mean the point was to destroy jungles so that communist wouldn't hide behind those but the effects on the population should count as what it is. is it even considered like a war crime by the international community or the usa? i do think vietnam think so.

The schizophrenic is the new jew.

Classless

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Soviet cogitations: 65
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 13 Aug 2011, 23:52
Ideology: Other
Pioneer

29 Aug 2011, 06:34

The horrors in Vietnam are largely ignored by the international community, this is mainly due to the fact the Americans were the ones committing the atrocities and even though a few massacres got leaked internationally we are yet to see the real criminals bought to justice. Until America gets the same treatment as every one else the UN is a waste of time. The Vietnamese are a testament to this.

Markius Fox

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Soviet cogitations: 260
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 24 Oct 2011, 08:59
Ideology: Other
Komsomol

27 Nov 2011, 20:55

The VA has several pamphlets stating that exposure to agent orange can cause serious health issues and count towards disability benefits. It is no surprise that the US doesn't want to commit money to aiding the veterans of the NVA and Vietcong, and the civilians of Vietnam in general that were exposed.

It's funny, the veterans from both sides often visit the old battlefields and talks as if they were life long friends. But the government behind the poisoning of the land and it's people refuse to aid the people affected.

It's disgusting.

khlib

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Soviet cogitations: 1015
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 20 Jul 2011, 15:17
Party Member

27 Nov 2011, 22:28

Three of my uncles have just been diagnosed with kidney cancer. They were all in Vietnam, and their doctors at the VA hospitals have said that it's clearly from Agent Orange (there are predictable crystals that develop with exposure to the substance). What a shame that the government won't admit it.

Markius Fox

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Soviet cogitations: 260
Defected to the U.S.S.R.: 24 Oct 2011, 08:59
Ideology: Other
Komsomol

28 Nov 2011, 02:54

khlib wrote:
Three of my uncles have just been diagnosed with kidney cancer. They were all in Vietnam, and their doctors at the VA hospitals have said that it's clearly from Agent Orange (there are predictable crystals that develop with exposure to the substance). What a shame that the government won't admit it.

Sorry to hear that about your uncles, the VA has a policy that they can not put a person on disability due to Agent Orange unless they get a second opinion from an other physician in another hospital. They do not need to say that it is caused by AO, just that they have a condition that is listed in the many things that AO causes. You don't want to talk to the docs about AO though, they will deny it.

My father was 'lucky' when he collapsed in Mayo Clinic while with my mother (she had an appointment at the clinic). The VA had diagnosed him with ischemic heart disease, but he could not claim it on disability connected with agent orange because of that policy. After Mayo looked at what caused him to collapse, they diagnosed it as ischemic heart disease and treated him. So, now, after getting a second opinion, he is now pursuing disability connected with Agent Orange.