Part III of our veterans’ exposure to herbicides during the
Vietnam War
AIR FORCE KNEW OF HEALTH DANGER
Scientists involved in Operation Ranch Hand and documents
uncovered in the late 1980’s in the
National Archives present a troubling picture. There are strong indications
that military officials were aware as early as 1967 of the limited
effectiveness of chemical defoliation and they knew of potential long-term
health risks of frequent spraying.
Dr. James Clary
was an Air Force scientist in Vietnam
who helped write the history of Operation Ranch Hand. Clary says the Air Force
knew Agent Orange was far more hazardous to the health of humans than anyone
would admit at the time. "When we
(military scientists) initiated the herbicide program in the 1960s," Clary
wrote in a 1988 letter to a member of Congress investigating Agent Orange,
"we were aware of the potential for damage due to dioxin contamination in
the herbicide. We were even aware that the `military' formulation had a higher
dioxin concentration than the `civilian' version, due to the lower cost and
speed of manufacture. However, because the material was to be used on the
`enemy,' none of us were overly concerned. We never considered a scenario in
which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide. And, if
we had, we would have expected our own
government to give assistance to veterans so contaminated."
MIST DRIFT
One of the first defoliation efforts of Operation Ranch Hand
was near a rubber plantation in January, 1962.
According to an unsigned U.S. Army memorandum dated January 24, 1966,
titled "Use of Herbicides in Vietnam," studies showed that
within a week of spraying, the trees in the plantation "showed considerable
leaf fall."
"The injury
to the young rubber trees occurred even though the plantation was located some
500 yards away and upwind of the target at the time of the spray
delivery." The memo went on to say
that "vapors of the chemical were strong enough in concentration to cause
this injury to the rubber." These vapors, "appear to come from `mist
drift' or from vaporization either in the atmosphere or after the spray has
settled on the vegetation." The issue of "mist drift" continued
to plague the defoliation program. How far would it drift? How fast? Wind speed
and direction were of major concerns in answering these questions. Yet, there
were other questions, many of which could not be answered.
What happened in
humid weather?
How quickly did
the chemicals diffuse in the atmosphere or were they carried into the clouds
and dropped dozens of miles away? How long would the rainbow herbicides linger
in the air or on the ground once they were sprayed? It developed that the
distance was ten kilometers and more, more than six miles. In essence, troops
operating more than six miles from defoliation operations could find
themselves, their water and their food doused with chemical agents, including
dioxin-laced Agent Orange.
Paul Sutton
Veteran Advocate
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