http://www.nationofchange.org/judge-sides-monsanto-ridicules-farmers-right-grow-food-without-fear-contamination-and-economic-harm-
On February 24, Judge Naomi Buchwald handed down her ruling on a motion to dismiss in the case of Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn et al v. Monsanto after hearing oral argument on January 31st in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Her ruling to dismiss the case brought against Monsanto on behalf of organic farmers, seed growers and agricultural organizations representing farmers and citizens was met with great disappointment by the plaintiffs.
Plaintiff lead attorney Daniel Ravicher said, "While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world's foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing. Her belief that farmers are acting unreasonable when they stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement should their crops become contaminated maligns the intelligence and integrity of those farmers. Her failure to address the purpose of the Declaratory Judgment Act and her characterization of binding Supreme Court precedent that supports the farmers' standing as 'wholly inapposite' constitute legal error. In sum, her opinion is flawed on both the facts and the law. Thankfully, the plaintiffs have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals, which will review the matter without deference to her findings."
READ MORE: http://www.nationofchange.org/judge-sides-monsanto-ridicules-farmers-right-grow-food-without-fear-contamination-and-economic-harm-
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2012
No. 12-06
Contact: Mokie Porter
301-585-4000, Ext. 146
VVA to VA:Make Agent Orange Aircraft Crews Eligible for Care and Disability Compensation
(Washington , D.C. )—“Vietnam Veterans of America holds true that crews who flew the C-123K aircraft contaminated with Agent Orange should be acknowledged by your department to have been exposed to this herbicide, and that those crew members who are afflicted with any of the maladies the VA considers presumptive to service connection ought to be eligible for health care and, when warranted, disability compensation,” wrote John Rowan , National President of VVA, to General Eric K. Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Citing the strong language from Dr. Thomas Sinks, Deputy Director of the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, in acknowledging the contamination and the crews’ exposure, Rowan noted, “This directly challenges the VA’s contention that, although the aircraft ‘may’ have been contaminated by dioxin, there was little likelihood of any harmful exposure.”
Acknowledging that, far too often, the VA has taken an adversarial stance concerning invisible wounds of war suffered by too many of our veterans, rather than acting as an advocate on behalf of these men and women, Rowan stated, “It is time for the VA to acknowledge what the U.S. Air Force has already certified, that there is enough evidence these aircraft were, in fact, heavily contaminated, and that those crew members afflicted with illnesses the VA recognizes as service-connected presumptive ought to be eligible for health care as well as disability compensation.”
“We bring this to your attention,” stated Rowan in his letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, “because we hope your good offices might ask for a reevaluation of your department’s stance in this matter.”
http://thelastword.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/23/10488638-from-marine-to-activist-in-semper-fi
Earlier today (Saturday, 02/25), the USMC released the following statement about the MSNBC premier of our documentary “Semper Fi: Always Faithful. Please take the time to read over their statement and the emails Jerry and I forwarded to Colonel Vanopdorp who serves as a Marine Corps Congressional Liaison on Capitol Hill. I apologize for the length of the email but it is well worth the read.
Major General Kessler 's Statement
The Marine Corps takes very seriously the welfare of all of our Marines, family members, and employees. "Semper Fi: Always Faithful" does not fully address all of the complexities associated with the Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water issues. The Marine Corps was not a part of the production of this movie, but our priority remains working diligently and faithfully to resolve these important issues for our Marine Corps family, which includes those depicted in the film. We are committed to finding a responsible solution to this challenging and complex situation.
The Marine Corps continues to work with leading scientific organizations in an effort to provide comprehensive science-based answers to these health questions. We also continue our commitment to find and notify those who lived or worked aboard Camp Lejeune and we will continue to provide them information regarding the latest reliable scientific and medical findings. Information about Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water can be found at http://www.marines.mil/clwater. The Department of the Navy is supporting and working with both the Center for Disease Control's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the National Academy of Sciences (specifically, the National Research Council (NRC)), and plans to continue support of ATSDR's study of possible associations between Camp Lejeune water exposures and health effects. We have dedicated over $30 million to fund these scientific efforts and also are coordinating with the Department of Veterans Affairs. I would encourage those with questions about the current state of the science to contact ATSDR (www.atsdr.cdc.gov) and NRC (www.nationalacademies.org).
The Camp Lejeune Historic Drinking Water issue is a very important concern for our entire Marine Corps family and a deeply personal matter for me and the Commandant.
Please take the time to revisit Lawrence O'Donnell's Facebook page and leave a comment in thanks for their support for our cause.
http://www.facebook.com/thelastword
I have a son and he was diagnose with Kliensfelters Syndrome. There is absolutely no history of this problem in both my wife's and my families. Can this be caused by agent orange or the drinking water problem at Camp Lejeune . I was stationed at Lejeune December 1967 to Feburary 1969.
jorod5@sbcglobal.net
Long-running suit claims residents of Nitro, West Virginia were exposed to the carcinogenic Vietnam-era chemical weapon
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/24/monsanto-agent-orange-settlement-west-virginia?newsfeed=true
Chemicals giant Monsanto is believed to have reached a settlement with US residents who claim they were poisoned by chemicals used in the manufacturing of the Vietnam-era chemical weapon Agent Orange.
The long-running suit was brought by residents living near a now defunct Monsanto plant in Nitro, West Virginia that between 1949 and 1971 produced the agricultural herbicide 2,4,5 trichlorophenoxyacidic acid, a key ingredient in Agent Orange.
The weapon was used extensively during the Vietnam war, killing and maiming an estimated 400,000 people and leading to 500,000 birth defects. In 2005 a US court rejected a case brought by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.
The suit – filed on behalf of tens of thousands of people who lived, worked and went to school in Nitro after 1949 – claims that Monsanto spread toxic substances including dioxins, which have been linked to cancer, all over the town.
The plaintiffs say they were exposed to levels of dioxins 100,000 times higher than acceptable levels. "Dioxin is a known human carcinogen and is so hazardous to human health that no "safe" level of exposure has been established," the suit claims.
It demands ongoing testing for at least 5,000 people who may have been affected by exposure to hazardous chemicals.
The settlement is expected to be announced as early as Friday afternoon. All parties are now under a tight gag order that was imposed in 2008 in order not to sway a local jury.
"Unfortunately, we cannot discuss the West Virginia lawsuit. A court order has been in place for quite some time which prohibits communications by the parties without prior court approval, and that order remains in force," Monsanto said in an emailed statement.
Nitro has a long history with warfare manufacturing. The town was given its explosive name when it was created in 1917 to service one of the US's main ammunition plants.
http://info.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10351686-msnbc-presents-semper-fi-always-faithful-friday-february-2410-pm-et
Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger was a devoted marine for nearly 25 years. As a drill instructor in the Marine Corps, he was responsible for training thousands of new recruits. But when Jerry’s nine-year-old daughter Janey passed away from a rare type of leukemia, his structured world began to collapse around him. As a grief-stricken father, he spent years struggling to make sense of what had happened—how could an otherwise healthy nine-year-old suddenly become so fatally ill? His search for answers led him to a shocking discovery: the Marine Corps base where his family had lived for years was the site of one of the largest incidents of water contamination in US history.
For thirty years, the drinking water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base was highly contaminated by toxic chemicals, with some chemical levels at nearly 280 times the legal amount. Years later, it is estimated that nearly one million Marines and their families may have been exposed to extremely high levels of carcinogens through the water. But even now, 25 years after the wells were finally closed, only a fraction of the former residents are even aware of their exposure to the toxic chemicals.
“Semper Fi: Always Faithful” unfolds like a detective novel, tracking the discovery of the contamination and taking viewers to the foreground of Jerry’s fight for justice. Viewers will get a moving personal look into the lives of those who have lost children or are sick themselves from the contaminated water.
TONIGHT!-------------->
http://info.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10351686-msnbc-presents-semper-fi-always-faithful-friday-february-2410-pm-et
Read the report
THE VIETNAM ASSOCIATION FOR VICTIMS
OF AGENT ORANGE/DIOXIN (VAVA)
To: The Olympic Organising Committee
and the London Paralympics Games 2012
Hanoi, November 30th 2011
Dear Olympics and Paralympics Organisers,
On behalf of more than 300,000 members of the Vietnam Association for the Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) and three millions of victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam, I write to ask that you drop Dow Chemical Company as a sponsor of the Games to be held in London in 2012.
READ MORE HERE
Reference--->http://agentorangezone.blogspot.com/2012/02/reprinted-by-popular-demand.html
A brief addition to Wayne's excellent comments on the US Embassy Vietnam statement of 2001 which I believe is now recognized to have many errors, some or which I described in previous communicatiions:
PPT levels of TCDD were described in the early 1970's by a Harvard university team of scientists from Vietnamese women's nursing milk from Agent Orange. The highest level ever reported in human milk was found in a Vietnamese woman who had 1350 ppr of TCDD in her milk. Others had lower levels. But ppt levels were reported in Environmental Health Perspectives, an NIH journal, at that time. Baughman and Meselson also reported elevated TCDD in seafood from Vietnam from Agent Orange. Beginning in the 198's, we published findings of congeners of dioxins from blood, fat and milk in the parts per trillion range in peer reviewed scientific publications, showing elevation of TCDD in Vietnamese from Agent Orange and also other dioxins in Americans from electrical transformer fires and then other sources.
This established, beginning in the 1970's that TCDD from Agent Orange was contaminating some Vietnamese (and others including US Vietnam veterams as well.
We later reported elevated TCDD from Agent Orange in wildlife, others throughout Vietnam in certain locations, food, and soil with levels as high as over 1,000,000 ppt decades after spraying. We also reported blood TCDD levels over 400 ppt in some from eating food contaminated from Agent Orange stored and sprayed decades previous to these findings.
Parts per trillion may seem small but thiis can mask the fact that very many molecultes of dioxins are present and can act to alter biological systems. Neurotransmitters and endocrine disruptors can act with a small number of molecules,
I hope this contributes some historical information of value.
Arnold Schecter, MD, MPH, Professor
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Univ. of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, Texas
READ Dr. Dwernychuk's full article: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022012/ao-controversy-wd.php
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/22/epa-dioxin-assessment-raises-red-flag-for-some/ Nearly three decades in the making, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced its landmark dioxin assessment with the conclusion: “Generally, over a person’s lifetime, current exposure to dioxins does not pose a significant health risk.”
But Dr. Arnold J. Schecter, a University of Texas professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, says dioxins pose a risk for fetuses, newborns and people with immune deficiencies such as AIDS patients.
“Some people are going to be more susceptible because they receive a higher dose or they’re more sensitive,” says Dr. Schecter, who served on an EPA advisory panel on dioxins.
Dioxins are a class of highly toxic chemicals released into the environment by industrial production, waste incineration and forest fires. The chemicals get into the food chain and accumulate in animal fat.
Air emissions of dioxins in the United States have decreased 90% since 1987, thanks to the EPA, state and industry efforts, the agency said Friday. Even so, some dioxins are now present in every man, woman and child on the planet.
The EPA characterizes dioxins as “likely” carcinogens. They are also linked to developmental and reproductive problems, damage to the immune system, hormone disruption, skin rashes and discoloration, and mild liver damage.
Fetuses and newborns have diets relatively high in fat and their bodies are still developing, putting them at greater risk for health problems related to dioxins, Schecter says, as are people whose immune systems are already compromised.
READ MORE: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/22/epa-dioxin-assessment-raises-red-flag-for-some/
http://www.vva.org/archive/TheVeteran/2001_11/sandie.htm
“I was an OR nurse my entire tour. The guys put me up on a pedestal and I liked that."
Sandie Wilson pauses, searching for the words to describe the wounded soldier-nurse relationship. Then she says, "You would always protect me, because if you didn't, no one would be there to help you when you were hurt."
Of her tour in Vietnam, Sandie Wilson says she worked harder than she ever has before or since. During the first 24 hours she spent at the 8th Field Hospital in Nha Trang, 22 of them were spent on her feet in the operating room, where she experienced her first and only rocket attack.
Aside from that, she says, "Nha Trang wasn't a bad place. We were two blocks from the beach and could hitchhike to town.'' On her one day off every two weeks, Wilson was able to exercise that option. She ate with the locals and felt, she says, like a tourist.
During her first two weeks on duty, the husband of an old friend from Michigan showed up unannounced at the 8th Field Hospital.
"I never even knew he was in Vietnam until he came into the OR and died,'' Wilson says with practiced detachment. She never contacted the man's wife because, in part, "I certainly didn't know what to say." Wilson says the widow moved out of state, and they have never contacted each other.
After five months in Nha Trang, Wilson was transferred to Xuan Loc where she cared for the troops of Blackhorse Regiment, the 11th Armored Cavalry, for four months. She finished her tour with three months at the 36th Evac in Vung Tau.
Sandie Wilson was born in the Detroit suburb of Eastpoint, the third of four children. Along with her two older brothers and younger sister, Wilson attended local public schools. After graduating from high school, she went to the Louisville Nursing School at Kentucky Baptist Hospital.
Following graduation in 1964, Wilson says she "played nurse'' until 1965 when her brother, a U.S. Army Engineer officer, told her she would love the Army. While working at the University of Michigan Hospital, Wilson joined.
"I went to school part time at Wayne State University and worked as a nurse. In 1967, I went to Ft. Sam Houston where I spent a year mostly training, and then to Vietnam.''
Returning home in June 1969, Wilson went back to Wayne State. She then re-enlisted in the Army with the idea that the military would pay for her schooling. After graduating in 1971, she was sent to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky--again as an OR nurse.
In December 1974, Capt. Sandie Wilson left the service for good. Sort of.
In mid-1976, she joined the U.S. Army Reserve. In 1991, after 15 years of faithful service, she received a letter informing her that her services were no longer required.
During Operation Desert Shield in 1990 -- the buildup phase of Operation Desert Storm -- Lt. Col. Wilson trained junior officers at the 323rd General Hospital. Too many volunteers scuttled the chances of Wilson's charges to go to Saudi Arabia in the fall and winter of 1990.
READ MORE: http://www.vva.org/archive/TheVeteran/2001_11/sandie.htm
http://info.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10351686-msnbc-presents-semper-fi-always-faithful-friday-february-2410-pm-et
Watch video promo
http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/semper-fi-always-faithful-premiers/17yf8ij4e
Marine Corps Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger was a devoted marine for nearly 25 years. As a drill instructor in the Marine Corps, he was responsible for training thousands of new recruits. But when Jerry’s nine-year-old daughter Janey passed away from a rare type of leukemia, his structured world began to collapse around him. As a grief-stricken father, he spent years struggling to make sense of what had happened—how could an otherwise healthy nine-year-old suddenly become so fatally ill? His search for answers led him to a shocking discovery: the Marine Corps base where his family had lived for years was the site of one of the largest incidents of water contamination in US history.
For thirty years, the drinking water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base was highly contaminated by toxic chemicals, with some chemical levels at nearly 280 times the legal amount. Years later, it is estimated that nearly one million Marines and their families may have been exposed to extremely high levels of carcinogens through the water. But even now, 25 years after the wells were finally closed, only a fraction of the former residents are even aware of their exposure to the toxic chemicals.
“Semper Fi: Always Faithful” unfolds like a detective novel, tracking the discovery of the contamination and taking viewers to the foreground of Jerry’s fight for justice. Viewers will get a moving personal look into the lives of those who have lost children or are sick themselves from the contaminated water.
For a copy of EPA’s new dioxin report, visit http://www.epa.gov/dioxin
For immediate release: February 17, 2012
Contact: Mike Schade, CHEJ, 212-964-3680, mike@chej.org
EPA Health Report on Dioxin Released After Twenty Seven Years of Delays: Toxic Dioxin Linked to Many Serious Chronic Health Hazards Including Learning Disabilities, Infertility, Birth Defects, and Diabetes
Advocates Applaud EPA Administrator Jackson for Releasing Dioxin Health Report, and Urge EPA to Now Develop Comprehensive Plan of Action to Protect Americans from Dioxin Exposure
(Falls Church, VA) Today the US EPA has finally released their major report on the noncancer health effects of dioxin, which for the past twenty seven years has been delayed due to interference from the chemical industry. Environmental and health groups across the country celebrated this important milestone.
“We applaud EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and the Obama Administration for finalizing this important health report on dioxin, one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet,” said Lois Marie Gibbs, Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ). “After twenty seven years of delays, I quite honestly never thought this report would ever see the light of day. Today the American people won a major victory against the chemical industry, who has been working behind closed doors for decades to hide and distort the truth about the dangers of dioxin. The science is clear: dioxin is toxic to our children’s health and development. We strongly urge the EPA to now finish the job by finishing their review on dioxin and cancer, and to develop a comprehensive action plan to further reduce dioxin emissions and exposures. To start, the EPA should finalize the EPA’s proposed cleanup standards for dioxin at toxic sites, which have been languishing at the White House OMB since 2010. We call on the Obama Administration to dust off the prestigious National Academy of Sciences report on dioxin in food to explore innovative policies to reduce the levels of dioxin in the food supply.”
Dioxin is building up in our bodies as a result of the food we eat. According to EPA over 90% of human exposure to dioxin occurs through our diet. Dioxin is most prevalent in meat, fish, dairy, and other fatty foods.
EPA has been under enormous pressure by environmental health, environmental justice, labor, health-impacted, and Vietnam Veterans organizations to release the non-cancer health assessment in recent weeks and ever since President Obama entered office. In January a letter was delivered to EPA Administrator Jackson signed by over 2,000 organizations and individuals. Over the past month a broad coalition of organizations have written to EPA urging the agency to finalize this report. This includes the Breast Cancer Fund, Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), Endometriosis Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, National Medical Association, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Sierra Club, Vietnam Veterans of America, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Canadian Environmental Law Association, , Clean Water Action, Ecology Center, Edison Wetlands Association, Environmental Working Group, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Healthy Child Healthy World, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, International POPS Elimination Network (IPEN), Ironbound Community Corporation, Kentucky Environmental Foundation, the Lone Tree Council, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Reproductive Health Technologies Project, Science & Environmental Health Network, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Union of Concerned Scientists, Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign, and Women’s Voices for the Earth.
In January, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Committee and senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, sent EPA a letter urging the agency to finalize this dioxin assessment. In April, Rep. Markey and 72 members of Congress sent a letter to EPA calling on the agency to release the report.
Dioxin is a known human carcinogen. Dioxin also causes a wide range of adverse non-cancer effects including reproductive, developmental, immunological, and endocrine effects in both animals and humans. Animal studies show that dioxin exposure is associated with endometriosis, decreased fertility, the inability to carry pregnancies to term, lowered testosterone levels, decreased sperm counts, birth defects, and learning disabilities. In children, dioxin exposure has been associated with IQ deficits, delays in psychomotor and neurodevelopment, and altered behavior including hyperactivity. Studies in workers have found lowered testosterone levels, decreased testis size, and birth defects in offspring of Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
Dioxin’s effects on the immune system of the developing organism appear to be among the most sensitive endpoints studied. Animal studies show decreased immune response and increased susceptibility to infectious disease. In human studies, dioxin was associated with immune system depression and alterations in immune status leading to increased infections. Dioxin can also disrupt the normal function of hormones—chemical messengers that the body uses for growth and regulation. Dioxin interferes with thyroid levels in infants and adults, alters glucose tolerance, and has been linked to diabetes.
In response to anticipated concerns about dioxin in food, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) has prepared these top six tips for reducing exposure to dioxin in food:
1.Eat less animal fat --- buy lean meats and poultry – and cut off the fat before cooking.
2.Eat fat free dairy products - or as low as you can – for dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt.
3.Fish is a healthy food choice - but fish are also affected, so avoid fatty fish (such as salmon) and cut the fat off before cooking and eating.
4.Purchase food products that have been grain or grass fed. Farm animals fed food with animal products that includes other animal’s fat increases the amount of dioxin ingested by livestock and increases the amount of dioxin that is in the consumer meat product.
5.Eat more fruits and vegetables.
6.Breast feed your babies – breast milk is still the healthiest food for your baby.
According to EPA, dioxin releases increased by 18% from 2009-2010 nationally. Dioxin air releases increased by 10%. Some of the top U.S. companies that reported releasing dioxin into the environment in 2010 were Dow Chemical, Missouri Chemical Works, Gerdau Ameristeel, Lehigh Southwest Cement, Formosa Plastics Corporation, Temple-Inland, Cahaba Pressure Treated Forest Products, and Clean Harbors Aragonite. Three of these facilities make chemicals to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. Municipal waste incinerators, medical waste incinerators, landfill fires, and backyard burn barrels are some of the other top sources of dioxin in America.
For a fact-sheet on the hazards of dioxin, visit http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Dioxin%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
For frequently asked questions about dioxin in food, visit http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/Frequently-Asked-Questions-About-Dioxin-and-Food.pdf
For a detailed history of dioxin delays, visit: http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/DioxinTimeframeFebruary2012.pdf
http://www.facebook.com/lisapjackson The head of EPA, Lisa Jackson, is on Facebook. If you're on Facebook, can you post a brief message on her Facebook "wall" urging EPA to finalize their health report on dioxin and it only takes a minute.
Here's how it's done:
Go to Lisa Jackson’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/lisapjackson Click “like” if you don’t already "like" her on Facebook. This is the professional account she uses at EPA.
Now at the top of her page, where it says “share: Post” write a short message to Lisa Jackson about why you want EPA to release their health report on dioxin.
It doesn’t have to be long – just a brief sentence or two would be perfect! Here's a few examples of statements you could post or modify below. After you finish, click “share” to have your message posted to EPA Administrator Jackson's wall.
http://www.facebook.com/lisapjackson
http://chej.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me-irOWA83k&feature=player_embedded#t=18s
Mokie Porter of Vietnam Veterans of America and US veteran families discuss the ongoing effects of agent orange on their children, and the impact on their progeny.
http://vimeo.com/19506716 During the Vietnam War, more than 20 million gallons of the dioxin-contaminated defoliant were dumped on Vietnam jungles, affecting its people and the soldiers who fought alongside American troops. The Vietnamese suspect the toxin is responsible for cancers, deformities and disabilities. While American soldiers have received health care for their Agent Orange related issues, the Vietnamese feel they’ve been abandoned by the US government.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2012
No. 12-03
Contact: Mokie Porter
301-585-4000, Ext. 146
VVA Attorneys File for Class Certification In Chemical-Biological Weapons Testing Case
(Washington, D.C.)–“Tens of thousands of service personnel participated in chemical, biological, and radiological experiments,” said John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America. “Years later, many of these veterans are afflicted with health conditions that may have originated from exposures during these tests.
“Efforts to prove the connection between past exposures and current health conditions have been stymied by the very agencies of government that ought to be advocating for these veterans rather than taking an adversarial stance against them.
“VVA is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit we hope will shed light on what has been secret for far too long,” Rowan said. “On behalf of VVA, Morrison & Foerster LLP has filed a petition for class certification for these veterans and their survivors.”
For over five decades, the testing of more than 400 different chemical and biological agents--among them LSD, mescaline, mustard gas, and sarin--was concentrated at Edgewood Arsenal and Fort Detrick, Maryland. However, tests were also conducted at military installations across the continental United States, in Alaska, in Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. As many as 100,000 active-duty military personnel were involved in these experiments, and most were unaware of the substances to which they were exposed.
“If the courts rule in our favor,” Rowan said, “this will be a huge step in the right direction in obtaining justice for veterans whose claims for disability compensation have long been denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs.”
For more information on the lawsuit, http://www.edgewoodtestvets.org/
-- 30 --
http://chej.org/
We still can’t believe it. For twenty-seven years, the American public has been kept in the dark about the health impacts of dioxin. On February 1st, EPA once again missed yet another deadline to release their report on the health impacts of dioxin. In recent months, the chemical industry has been working behind closed doors to hide and distort the truth about the dangers of dioxin. At the same time, CHEJ and a coalition of Vietnam Veterans, breast cancer advocates, public health organizations, and environmental justice leaders have stood shoulder to shoulder and urged EPA to do what’s right for the health of American children and families. This has generated a wave of media coverage around the country, from the Wall Street Journal and CNN, to Michigan Public Radio, and Good Magazine.
We know dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet, but without a final report from EPA on the health impacts of dioxin, the EPA’s and state governments’ hands are tied to meaningfully protect us from this unnecessary, poisonous chemical.
We still can’t believe it. Where is EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson? Paging Lisa Jackson, the American people are waiting for you.
Help us send a photo message to EPA and tell her we can't wait any longer!
READ MORE: http://chej.org/2012/02/paging-lisa-jackson/
By Jim Belshaw
“I never put two and two together,” Joe Ingino said.
It took a long time before he could do the math, and even after the metaphorical numbers in his Agent Orange equation added up, he still had difficulty talking about it. He does to this day.
“Talking about it now, you just get choked up,” he said. “Sometimes you want to punch something, you know? You just keep blaming yourself. I went to two Agent Orange town hall meetings and listened to other fathers talking about their children, and it just gets very emotional. It’s very difficult to listen to them and then to speak about your own children. It’s very hard.”
Joe served with the First Infantry Division in 1969-70. In 1971, he met the woman who was to be his wife. In 1972, they married. His wife would suffer through several miscarriages, but eventually they had six children, one of whom lived for only a brief time.
“My wife carried our daughter for seven months, and something happened that caused the baby to break away from her,” he said. “She lived for a day and a half, maybe two days. Then she died.”
READ ALL FACES stories: http://vva.org/Committees/AgentOrange/index.html#FAO
A fishpond in the A Luoi Valley. Recent tests by the Canadian Hatfield Consultants have shown that these are the most contaminated ponds in Viet Nam (and possibly the world), spawning fish deadly with dioxin.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/12/dow-agrosciences-developed-new-genetically-modified-crops.aspx
By Dr. Mercola
Agent Orange, produced by both Monsanto and Dow Chemicals, was used to defoliate jungles during the Vietnam War.
During that time, millions of gallons of the toxic chemical mixture were sprayed on trees and vegetation, and the aftermath left hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese sick, with countless numbers of their children suffering birth defects, and a still growing group of U.S. veterans with related diseases ranging from cancer to Parkinson's disease.
Agent Orange was a horrific chemical concoction that never should have been used, and if you want to see some of its effects on children who were exposed in the womb, you can do so here -- but I warn you the photos are very graphic and upsetting.
Agent Orange is no longer produced -- so why am I bringing it up now?
Because Dow AgroSciences (a subsidiary of Dow Chemicals), who was one of the original manufacturers of Agent Orange (AO), has developed a new generation of genetically modified (GM) crops -- soybeans, corn and cotton -- that are designed to resist a major ingredient in AO: the herbicide called 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D).
The use of 2,4-D, however, is not new, as it is actually one of the most widely used herbicides in the world.
READ MORE: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/12/dow-agrosciences-developed-new-genetically-modified-crops.aspx
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2012
No. 12-03
Contact: Mokie Porter
301-585-4000, Ext. 146
Vietnam Veterans of America to EPA:
Release the Dioxin Document Now
(Washington, D.C.) Adding Vietnam Veterans of America’s voice to the chorus clamoring for the long-delayed release of the non-cancer segment of the Dioxin Reassessment document by the Environmental Protection Agency, John Rowan, National President of VVA, made VVA’s position crystal clear.
In a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Rowan wrote, “Any further delay would constitute an injustice to the American people, who have a right to know the truth about dioxin.
“As Vietnam veterans, we know only too well the insidious, long-term health impacts of this highly toxic compound on the health of our brother and sister veterans, and now on the health of their children and grandchildren. We have lost too many, too soon, from the effects of our wartime exposures to dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. We will not stand for the same to happen to our fellow citizens.
“We urge the EPA to ignore the pressures of those industry groups who are deliberately indifferent to the health impact of these poisons,” Rowan said, citing in particular the American Chemistry Council that is lobbying to delay the release of the non-cancer Dioxin Reassessment. “Clearly, the profits of one irresponsible part of one industry must not take precedence over the health and welfare of the citizens of our nation,” Rowan wrote.
-- 30 --
Friday, February 3, 2012
Hypocrisy and Intransigence- Mainstays of the Agent Orange Controversy
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022012/ao-controversy-wd.php
Dr. Wayne Dwernychuk Special to Salem-News.com
Suspicions continue to exist between the US and Viet Nam, although the deep freeze appears to be thawing...
(BRITISH COLUMBIA) - From 1961 to 1971 over 77 million litres of herbicide were dispensed over southern Viet Nam by the US military through the code-named ‘Operation Ranch Hand’. The Vietnamese reported early on during the operation that human health was being adversely affected by widespread dispersal of defoliants. Agent Orange, a 1:1 mixture of 2,4,-D and 2,4,5-T, was the most prevalent herbicide used.
The US government maintains their decades-old mantra that there is no unequivocal scientific evidence that use of Agent Orange has caused an increase in either birth defects in Viet Nam, or is related to other human health issues in Viet Nam. US government officials remain reluctant to accept Vietnamese studies/observations as sufficiently rigorous to definitively link US deployed herbicides to human health impacts, primarily in view of liability/compensation concerns.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (US DVA) presently compensates US Viet Nam Veterans for health conditions that may have resulted from Agent Orange exposure while serving in Viet Nam. At least one of the health conditions for which compensation is paid has a genetic component, that is, spina bifida. It appears contradictory that the US ignores the health issues of Vietnamese citizens exposed to Agent Orange, but pays compensation to its Viet Nam Veterans for a number of illnesses related to their exposure to the herbicide … illnesses that the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) has categorized as being ‘presumed’ to be related to Agent Orange exposure, and subsequently adopted by the US DVA for veteran compensation purposes. As I understand it, compensation is awarded to a veteran if: 1) the person can prove that he or she was in the US armed forces during the time of the Viet Nam War; 2) the person can prove being in Viet Nam at the time of the Viet Nam War; 3) the person can prove the onset of the compensable disease after service in Viet Nam; and 4) the person possesses an honorable discharge from the military.
READ MORE: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022012/ao-controversy-wd.php
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/southeast-asia/agent-orange-maker-monsanto-returns-vietnam
Monsanto, the U.S. corporation controlling an estimated 90 percent of the world's seed genetics, is gearing up for a return to Vietnam.
Monsanto isn't a household name in Vietnam. But one of its former products, the killer Vietnam War-era military defoliant Agent Orange, remains infamous.
According to this impressive report by Vietnam's Thanh Nien news outlet, a contingency of activists feel the firm has no right doing business in the country, where the chemical is estimated to have killed 400,000, deformed another 500,000 and stricken another 2 million with various diseases.
These days, Monsanto's interests in Vietnam are strictly agricultural. The Vietnamese government, according to Thanh Nien's magazine Vietweek, is courting Monsanto to bring in genetically modified seeds that could boost crop yields.
Monsanto is, of course, highly aware of Agent Orange's reputation and has fought numerous lawsuits filed by chemical's victims both Vietnamese and American. The chemical, commissioned by the U.S. military, was dumped over jungles to kill vegetation and rout communist forces.
In Monsanto's own primer on the Agent Orange era, it casts the chemical as patriotic -- it was meant "to save the lives of U.S. and allied soldiers," Monsanto says -- and contends that the matter "should be resolved by the governments that were involved."
Keeping Monsanto out of Vietnam already appears to be an uphill fight.
A Vietnamese legislator and former deputy defense minister has, according to Thanh Nien, faced evasion when he tried to raise the issue with the ruling communist government.
EPA’s Continued Failure to Address Concerns Leads to Delayed Dioxin Reassessment
FLAWS IN THE DIOXIN REASSESSMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 1, 2012) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) missing its deadline to publish the first half of the dioxin reassessment. After receiving another round of criticism from an expert panel, the EPA split the reassessment into two, saying the other half would be published later in 2012.
“ACC supports the strong regulation of dioxin based on sound science and urges the EPA to work with the Administration and other agencies to publish a complete dioxin reassessment that addresses the multiple concerns outlined by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and other reputable scientists. While we would like to see EPA complete the dioxin reassessment, it is clear that the EPA has more work to do in order for the Agency to release a complete and scientifically defensible assessment.
“For years, a broad and consistent chorus of scientists, experts, other federal agencies and stakeholders has expressed strong concerns that the draft dioxin reassessment is significantly flawed and at odds with international standards developed by the European Union and World Health Organization..."
READ MORE: http://www.americanchemistry.com/Media/PressReleasesTranscripts/ACC-news-releases/EPA-Must-Correct-the-Flaws-in-the-Dioxin-Reassessment-and-Inform-Stakeholders-on-its-Science.html
The Best Measure of Future Performance Is In Their Past
http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2012/02/03/monsanto-accused-in-suit-tied-to-agent-orange.aspx
For a period spanning 20 years, a Monsanto chemical plant in West Virginia produced the herbicide 2,4,5-T. 2,4,5-T is a component of Agent Orange, the defoliant sprayed over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Monsanto now faces a class-action lawsuit, filed on behalf of people living where the herbicide was manufactured.
The suit was filed on behalf of tens of thousands of people who lived, worked and went to school in Nitro, West Virginia after 1949. It alleges the company spread toxic substances all over town, primarily carcinogenic dioxins.
According to NPR:
“At issue in this case: whether Monsanto will have to pay millions of dollars to monitor the health of everyone included in the case ... This is not the first time lawyers have sued Monsanto over health effects in Nitro. In the 1980s a lawsuit was brought on behalf of seven former employees ... The cleanup issue is still being appealed. Meanwhile the medical monitoring case is headed to trial after settlement negotiations failed.”
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022012/ao-controversy-wd.php
Dr. Wayne Dwernychuk Special to Salem-News.com
Suspicions continue to exist between the US and Viet Nam, although the deep freeze appears to be thawing...
(BRITISH COLUMBIA) - From 1961 to 1971 over 77 million litres of herbicide were dispensed over southern Viet Nam by the US military through the code-named ‘Operation Ranch Hand’. The Vietnamese reported early on during the operation that human health was being adversely affected by widespread dispersal of defoliants. Agent Orange, a 1:1 mixture of 2,4,-D and 2,4,5-T, was the most prevalent herbicide used.
The US government maintains their decades-old mantra that there is no unequivocal scientific evidence that use of Agent Orange has caused an increase in either birth defects in Viet Nam, or is related to other human health issues in Viet Nam. US government officials remain reluctant to accept Vietnamese studies/observations as sufficiently rigorous to definitively link US deployed herbicides to human health impacts, primarily in view of liability/compensation concerns.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (US DVA) presently compensates US Viet Nam Veterans for health conditions that may have resulted from Agent Orange exposure while serving in Viet Nam. At least one of the health conditions for which compensation is paid has a genetic component, that is, spina bifida. It appears contradictory that the US ignores the health issues of Vietnamese citizens exposed to Agent Orange, but pays compensation to its Viet Nam Veterans for a number of illnesses related to their exposure to the herbicide … illnesses that the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) has categorized as being ‘presumed’ to be related to Agent Orange exposure, and subsequently adopted by the US DVA for veteran compensation purposes. As I understand it, compensation is awarded to a veteran if: 1) the person can prove that he or she was in the US armed forces during the time of the Viet Nam War; 2) the person can prove being in Viet Nam at the time of the Viet Nam War; 3) the person can prove the onset of the compensable disease after service in Viet Nam; and 4) the person possesses an honorable discharge from the military.
READ MORE: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022012/ao-controversy-wd.php
Vietnam War Veterans: Burden of Proof
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february022012/agent-orane-jb.php
Feb-02-2012 21:53
John J. Bury Salem-News.com
(MEDIA, Pa.) - Vietnam veterans who never had boots-on-ground Vietnam, who are sick from presumptive exposure to agent orange dioxin poisoning are tied up in paperwork. The burden of proof is placed solely upon the veteran. Burden of proof is mainly directed to those service members who never had boots-on-ground. Presumptive exposure for these service members is most difficult of all to provide evidence for.
In nearly all cases, the Veterans Affairs (VA) requires evidence relative to exposure to this deadly herbicide. The mere fact that the service member without boots-on-ground can show proof of military service, and proof of having been awarded the Vietnam Service Medal and medical proof of illness is in nearly all cases, not evidence enough for VA disability. Except for those who had boots-on-ground.
The herbicide was sprayed on the lands of the Republic of Vietnam. Consequently, much of this herbicide found its way miles out into the South China Sea because of run-off. This spraying was authorized by the Department of Defense and our Federal Government. The governing authorities knew the use of this deadly herbicide could be harmful to members of the U.S. Armed Forces engaged in the Vietnam War on land, at sea and in the air. The Institute Of Medicine (IOM) report has proven the toxicity of Agent Orange Dioxin. This was an irresponsible action on the part of our Government to poison we who served. That authority should be held accountable.
In 1991, the Congress passed a Bill that authorized the VA to approve all agent orange exposure claims for disability. In 2002, The Bush administration took away authorized disability claims from those service members who did not have boots-on-ground Vietnam.
Ask why do we who served and fought in this war need insurmountable evidence of proof? Evidence other then the above evidence provided by the veteran? Is the afore mentioned evidence not enough that we were there? No matter if we were on land, at sea or in the air?
Is this just another way our Government has authorized the VA to make disability claims impossible to get, by creating unnecessary paperwork placed upon the service member?
The reality is, we were there and we were poisoned.
If more evidence is required by the VA, then that burden of proof should be on the VA, other then evidence the veteran has submitted for disability health care claim for dioxin poisoning, to include due compensation. Our Legislators must be urged to do what is right and correct the errors made in times past. The Senate and Congress Veterans Affairs Committees need to approve Senate Bill S-1629 and House Bill HR-3612. These Bills then need to be sent to the Floor of both Houses and swiftly passed.
* Note from Sale-News.com editor: Please feel free to redistribute this article.
http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16142462
Lisa Dowd, Sky News correspondent
Wednesday January 04, 2012
Researchers at Oxford University developing a vaccine for Hepatitis C say they have had promising results from the first human trials.
They revealed a cousin of the common cold virus offered the first hope of an effective vaccine against the chronic liver infection.
Early trial results mirror responses seen in the minority of people with natural immunity to the disease.
Although sufferers can currently be treated for the chronic liver disease, not everyone responds.
"We've shown the vaccine can generate the kind of immune responses we wanted but we need to show they are protective in the next phase of the trial, so there's still a lot of work to do." Professor Paul Klenerman, senior researcher
But researchers hope a vaccine could protect those at risk and potentially those who already have the virus.
Brenda Deeley suffers from Hepatitis C and does not know how she contracted the disease.
She said: "I was tired. I used to get on the bus and go to work and literally fall asleep. You know when you're so tired you could cry and I thought there is something wrong."
"I went to the doctor, he did a blood test and couldn't find anything and I said to them something is wrong, then my liver test came back and it wasn't quite right and he said let's try Hepatitis C and he did a test and I was positive".
Brenda, 61, a staff secretary from Bicester, was born in South Africa.
It is thought dirty needles used during operations decades ago could be to blame for her contracting the disease, which is transmitted through the blood.
READ MORE: http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16142462
Plaintiff lead attorney Daniel Ravicher said, "While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world's foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing. Her belief that farmers are acting unreasonable when they stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement should their crops become contaminated maligns the intelligence and integrity of those farmers. Her failure to address the purpose of the Declaratory Judgment Act and her characterization of binding Supreme Court precedent that supports the farmers' standing as 'wholly inapposite' constitute legal error. In sum, her opinion is flawed on both the facts and the law. Thankfully, the plaintiffs have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals, which will review the matter without deference to her findings."
