In article ,
says...
On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 22:22:13 +0800, Ian W wrote:
In article ,
says...

So Agent Orange was never used in Vietnam???????, Vietnamese people and Yank
Grunts never got poisened by Chemical defoliants dropped and sprayed by
trhe USAF.

To say nothing of the estimated 500,000 to 1 million Vietnamese kids born
with birth defects as a probable consequence of the spraying of Agent
Orange etc.

A quote from UNICEF ( http://www.unicef.org.vn/disable.htm )

"An untold number of Vietnamese children suffer from disabilities
attributable to Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant the United States
military sprayed over vast areas of Viet Nam during the war. While a
recent study funded by the Vietnamese government places the total number
of Agent Orange victims at 30,000, the specific number of child victims
identified in the study has not been disclosed. What is known with
certainty is that some Vietnamese children continue to be exposed to this
dangerous substance.

Studies conducted by the Canadian-based Hatfield Group reveal that there
are still areas in Viet Nam with alarmingly high levels of dioxin (the
toxic agent in Agent Orange), and indicate that in these areas dioxin is
entering the food chain. The studies suggest a direct relationship
between dioxin contamination and human health, a link that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency recently confirmed. In a tacit
acknowledgement of the harmful effects Agent Orange can have on the
children of persons exposed to the defoliant, the United States
government provides benefits for U.S. veterans who were exposed to Agent
Orange in Viet Nam, and whose children suffer from spina bifida, a
debilitating spinal disease. However, the United States has not offered
any such aid to disabled children in Viet Nam."

The major risk of believing alarmist "science" is that it is often wrong.

In this case, dioxins are produced as a byproduct of the manufacture
of chlorinated biphenols such as 245T (Agent Orange is a mixture of
24D, weed killer, and 245T, brush killer), transformer oils, etc. It is
present in parts per billion concentrations in these products. It was
once thought to be persistent in the environment, but better science
has demonstrated that it rapidly breaks down in soil when exposed
to sunlight (see follow up reports on Times Beach).

Of course there's also the minor problem of the use of depleted uranium
shells in both Iraq and the former state of Yugoslavia and it's long term
consequences for both vetrans and the civilian population.

Depeleted uranium can be hazardous (heavy metal poison) if it is ingested.
So eating depleted uranium is not recommended. (Eating lead, tungsten or
any other heavy metal is also not recommended for the same reason.) But
it is no more radioactive than granite. It is called depleted because the fissile
U235 has been removed from it.

Gary

I'll take the word of an internationally respected organisation such as
UNESCO, whom while not perfect is at least an in a position to speak with
some degree of proved authority on such matters as the long term effects
of exposure to the human body of likes of Dioxin and other highly toxic
defoliants used by the US military in both Vietnam and Thailand.

Care to explain away the massive increase in cancer amongst Gulf War (Mk-
1) vetrans and amongst the iraqi population then?

This doesn't mean that I don't have a degree of agreeance with your
statements, however at this point in time it's merely the word of someone
who has not cited any references nor who has appended any professional
qualifications that can form the basis for judging if your comments are
valid or a waste of space.

Ian