HOW DID HATFIELD CONSULTANTS GET INVOLVED IN AGENT ORANGE/DIOXIN IN VIET NAM?

http://vfp-vn.ning.com/profiles/blogs/how-did-hatfield-consultants-get-involved-in-agent-orange-dioxin-?xg_source=activity
In the late 1980’s in British Columbia, Canada it was determined by government authorities that Kraft pulp mill waste-water effluents contained dangerously high levels of dioxin stemming from the use of chlorine in their bleaching process. Dioxin was found in marine/freshwater sediments and biological organisms inhabiting waterways associated with these pulp mills. Health Canada, as a result of potential health hazards, closed vast areas of the marine environment to fishing and human consumption of biological tissues contaminated with dioxin.
Hatfield Consultants (Hatfield) was initially contracted by the pulp mills in 1989 to monitor the levels of dioxin contamination in marine and freshwater environments supporting these industries as major changes were mandated by the Canadian government to terminate the use of chlorine as a bleaching agent. Alternate bleaching chemicals were implemented … such as chlorine dioxide. Hatfield has continued to monitor specific mills from that date to the present.
In the early 1990’s, the two principals of Hatfield (Mr. Chris Hatfield and Dr. Wayne Dwernychuk) received support from the Canadian government to open a Hatfield office in Bangkok, Thailand. An initiating project was selected wherein sampling of a select area in Viet Nam was targeted. With Hatfield’s experience in dioxin research in Canada, it was a natural transition to address the Agent Orange/dioxin issue in Viet Nam.
In October 1994, Mr. Hatfield and Dr. Dwernychuk visited Ha Noi and met with Professor Hoang Dinh Cau, Chairman of the 10-80 Committee, the government body at that time in charge of Agent Orange/dioxin research in Viet Nam. Hatfield representatives and Professor Cau developed a close working relationship and sincere friendship that fostered many successes in collaborative Agent Orange research, which continued until his death a few years ago. The early successes of Hatfield can be attributed to the hard work and dedicated efforts of other Vietnamese working closely with Professor Cau in the 10-80 Committee, including Dr. Le Cau Dai, Dr. Hoang Trong Quynh, Dr. Tran Manh Hung, and Dr. Phung Tri Dung.
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