83-year-old woman cares for Agent Orange patients for 30 years

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/vietnam-in-photos/116005/images--83-year-old-woman-cares-for-agent-orange-patients-for-30-years.html
VietNamNet Bridge – For the past three decades, Dr. Ta Thi Chung has been on the staff of the Hoa Binh (Peace) Village, teaching nearly 200 children who have been affected by Agent Orange.

Every day, Mrs. Chung goes to the Hoa Binh Village of the Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City at 6am to help prepare food for disadvantaged kids, to wake them up for breakfast and to go to school.
Mrs. Chung, 83, a native of Ben Tre province, was the vice director of Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital from 1975 to 1998.
She is also one of the founders of the Hoa Binh Village for AO child patients and disabled kids.
Currently, the village is the home to 60 children who are victims of Agent Orange; some of them were abandoned by parents.
"To me, the great joy is to see the kids – although with a disability - still striving to learn and training themselves to become useful citizens. I only wish that they can go to school and find a job in the future," Mrs. Chung said.
Chung has worked at the village for nearly 39 years.
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Agent Orange in Okinawa

http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/agent-orange-in-okinawa/
Determined citizens are working to uncover “one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War era.”
While the ongoing debate over the heavy presence of U.S. military forces in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa continues to make international headlines – including the decades-long struggle of residents to protect their island region from unsafe aircraft, sexual assaults, and the extinction of a local sea mammal – there is another story that until now has remained almost completely untold: the use of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants in Okinawa.
Determined to end this silence, a group of Japan-based citizens including journalists, professors, and environmental activists have been gathering evidence and speaking out regarding the existence of toxic substances, including Agent Orange, that were found to have been stored, sprayed, buried and dumped in and around Okinawa by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War era.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on October 30, 2014, just ahead of a November 1-2 symposium at Okinawa Christian University titled “Agent Orange and the Politics of Poisons,” three of the symposium’s presenters outlined the journey to begin telling this story – and to attain justice for those who have been impacted by its legacy.
“The usage of Agent Orange and military defoliants in Okinawa is one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War,” said symposium keynote speaker Jon Mitchell, a Tokyo-based journalist who has been covering the story since 2011, and who has recently published a book in Japanese exposing this history and its subsequent cover-up.

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Vietnam dismisses Taiwanese media reports on dioxin-tainted tea

http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/vietnam-dismisses-taiwanese-media-reports-on-dioxintainted-tea-34163.html

On Monday, officials in Da Lat dismissed Taiwanese media reports alleging a mass dioxin contamination among Lam Dong Province's tea plantations as part of a fallacious smear campaign.

Le Van Minh, director of Lam Dong’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said roughly 70 containers of Lam Dong's Oolong tea were flagged by Taiwanese customs agents following media reports about the alleged contamination.

“Since late September, seven TV channels, four newspapers and one news website in Taiwan have claimed that tea plantations in Lam Dong are contaminated with dioxin,” Minh said.

Based on maps of the US' war-era defoliation campaign and other related documents, Lam Dong’s Military Command has affirmed that the province's tea plantations couldn't possibly have been affected by the persistent organic pollutant, Minh said.

He further alleged that Taiwanese tea growers have spread the rumors in an effort to avoid honest competition with Lam Dong's low prices.

Ta Ling Wu, deputy head of the Taiwanese Trade Association in Vietnam, said his agency would hold a press conference in Taipei on November 24 to prove that Lam Dong’s tea plantations are dioxin-free.

The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is home to around 3,000 hectares of high-quality tea plantations whose tea leaves are processed for export to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Europe.

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EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: DOD Keeping Toxic Exposure to Veterans Hidden from Public

http://www.politichicks.tv/2014/11/exclusive-documents-dod-keeping-toxic-exposure-veterans-hidden-public/

Veterans and civilian workers who worked at Ft. McClellan, Alabama between 1935 and 1999 were exposed to a number of toxic chemicals. Ft. McClellan was used for a multitude of purposes, including Military Police Corps, Women’s Army Corps, Chemical Corps and Vietnam Training. At any given time, Ft. McClellan had a population of 10,000 people. 5,000 were permanently assigned and 1,500 civilians were employed.
The base closed in 1999 and the Military Police School and Army Chemical School were relocated to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Currently, the Alabama National Guard operates Ft. McClellan, where the National Guard Officer Candidate School takes place. The Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is also housed on base.
Those who were at Ft. McClellan from 1935-1999 experienced toxic exposure from: Agent Orange, Agent Blue, Sarin, VX, Uranium, Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) and Trichloroethylene (TCE). Army post
Here’s what these chemicals are used for:

• Agent Orange: used by U.S. military as means of killing plants in a regional area (known as herbicidal warfare program during Vietnam War)
• Agent Blue: kills plants by drying them out
• VX: no known uses except in chemical warfare as a nerve agent
• Uranium: tinting and shading in early photography; ammunition, shielding material used to store and transport radioactive materials
• Polychlorinated Biphenyl: primarily used as dielectric and coolant fluids
• Trichloroethylene: drying out remainder of water for production of 100% ethanol; dry cleaning solvent; clean kerosene-fueled rocket engines

What does this mean for our veterans? It means they have been exposed to toxic chemicals without knowing it. They are beginning to have serious health issues without knowing the root cause of the problem.
Cancer. Tumors. Leukemia. Kidney failure. Malignant Melanoma. Fetal death and miscarriage. Problems with short-term memory. These are just a very few of the side effects. A website dedicated to helping Ft. McClellan Veterans has a page dedicated to the symptoms caused by each of the known toxins.
READ MORE

Call To Action!

HELP! We have a serious problem and need the help of all concerned veterans. Please share!

WE NEED YOU TO CALL YOUR TWO SENATORS ON MONDAY TO SUPPORT NAVY VETERANS DYING OF AGENT ORANGE RELATED DISEASES.

The ship bill is in jeopardy.  It was amended to the National Defense Act and will be worked on any day.  We cannot afford to let this die.  If passed it will reduce the cost of HR 543 to a passable bill.  The first and most important thing action you can take is on Monday morning to call your 2 senators to request they pass this amendment (Section 1062 of Senate Bill 2410, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015). 

Here is the story. Section 1062 of Senate Bill 2410, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 contains a requirement that the Navy pinpoint the closest approach to land for all ships deployed to Vietnam. This will allow the crew of any ship that entered the rivers or tied up to a pier to receive the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange and increase the chances of these who entered bays such as Da Nang Harbor to receive that presumption. This measure has passed the House of Representatives twice in two different bills.

The Navy is fighting back saying that they do not want to do the study because it would cost $5 million. Our experts disagree and notes that the Navy has inflated the number of log pages that would have to be reviewed.

In fact, 305 of the 713 ships that deployed have already been confirmed to have entered rivers or tied up to a pier. So almost half of the job has already been done for them. In addition to getting benefits to thousands of folks who are sick with Agent Orange related diseases, this study will allow the Congressional Budget Office to determine the cost of another bill, which will formally extend the presumption of exposure to the territorial seas. That bill has been held up for four years in Committee, because we cannot determine the actual cost.

So please call both of your Senators. You can google their names to get their phone numbers or google "U. S. Senate delegation" and the name of your State. They do listen to these messages and it will help. Don’t worry about your Member of Congress, the bill has passed the House. Please call your Senators. Then if you have time, call the offices of the Senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Their names are attached. Make sure you say this is Section 1062 of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act Senate Bill 2410.

Respiratory Cancers and Agent Orange

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp

Veterans who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.

About respiratory cancers

Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:

• Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
• Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
• Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
• Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood

- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp#sthash.IoCHCTvI.dpuf

Veterans who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation. - See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp#sthash.IoCHCTvI.dpuf

Veterans who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.
About respiratory cancers;                                                                                                                                         
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Visit Medline Plus to learn more about treatment of cancer and the latest research from the National Institutes of Health
Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp
VA assumes that certain diseases can be related to a Veteran’s qualifying military service. We call these "presumptive diseases." VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.

Veterans who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.

About respiratory cancers

Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:

• Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
• Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
• Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
• Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood

- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp#sthash.IoCHCTvI.dpuf

Veterans who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.

About respiratory cancers

Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:

• Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
• Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
• Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
• Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood

- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp#sthash.IoCHCTvI.dpuf

Veterans who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.

About respiratory cancers

Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:

• Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
• Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
• Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
• Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood

- See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp#sthash.IoCHCTvI.dpuf

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Vietnamese, US leaders meet

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/116489/vietnamese--us-leaders-meet-on-east-asia-summit-s-fringes.html
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and US President Barack Obama lauded encouraging progress made in the relations between the two countries, especially since they set up the comprehensive partnership in 2013, during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on November 13.

At the event held on the sidelines of the ninth East Asia Summit and other summits, the two leaders highlighted bilateral co-operation in economy, trade, investment, education, health care, humanitarian activities and clean energy, regular dialogues on security-defence and human rights, and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations.
Dung suggested the US increase funding for cleaning up dioxin and support Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims and the clearance of war-era unexploded ordnances. He also asked the US to completely lift the ban on the sale of lethal arms to Viet Nam.
He said Viet Nam's resolve to work closely with the US and other countries to accelerate the TPP negotiation on the basis of balancing interests of all participating parties and giving developing members, including Viet Nam, an appropriate transitional period to realise the treaty. He spoke highly of the role of President Obama in the work.
Obama renewed his commitment to enhancing relations with a focus on areas benefiting the two peoples.
He applauded the two countries' signing of the agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy and said ties would be fostered in economy, security-defence, education-training, people-to-people exchange, and clean energy.
He pledged to continue assisting Viet Nam with dioxin detoxification and bomb and mine clearance while welcoming the country's joining of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the other Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Regarding TPP negotiations, President Obama said he would consider flexibilities for Viet Nam that served both sides.
He said saw the Mekong Sub-region as important, including the effective and sustainable use of water resources, adding that the US would expand assistance to Viet Nam and other countries within the Lower Mekong Initiative.
The two sides also exchanged views on important regional and international issues with a view to bolstering bilateral affiliation within relevant ASEAN forums and contributing to regional peace, stability, security and co-operation.

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Dioxin Case: International Paper Cleared, Waste Management Settles

Dioxin Case: International Paper Cleared, Waste Management Settles
International Paper corporation has been cleared of responsibility by a jury after being accused by Harris County of polluting the San Jacinto River with Dioxin.
Co-defendant Waste Management agreed to a $29.2 million settlement in an agreement negotiated before the verdict was reached.
Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan was asking the jury to assess billions of dollars in fines against the two companies.
Waste Management and International Paper absorbed two operations responsible for dumping Dioxin laced material in the San Jacinto Waste Pits back in the mid 1960's.
The County claims much of that poisonous material has leaked into the river and the companies responsible did nothing to stop it.
Environmental activists called the settlement a win for residents of surrounding neighborhoods.
"I think for the community members this is a victory along our journey. The fight over the waste pits and the San Jacinto River is far from over, but the company that created the site now settling I think it is a victory along our way," said Jackie Young of the San Jacinto River Coalition.
Houston based Waste Management says it's pleased with the settlement.
" Our focus remains, as it always has, on fully participating in the very structured and well-defined EPA process, established to evaluate and determine the appropriate remedy for the site. We're fully committed to a final cleanup plan that rigorously protects public health and the environment," said Toni Beck, Waste Management's VP of Corporate Communication.
The Environmental Protection Agency is deterring the future of the San Jacinto Waste Pits.
The EPA may leave the waste stored where it is or could require Waste Management and International Paper to pay for complete removal of the toxic material.
The Harris County Attorney's Office says the settlement proceeds will be split equally with the State of Texas.

Seoul court rules against Vietnam War defoliant victims in retrial

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141114000832
A Seoul appellate court, in a retrial, ruled Friday against South Korean Vietnam War veterans demanding compensation for their exposure to defoliant.
Ruling in favor of two U.S. producers of toxic chemicals, the Seoul High Court did not recognize epidemiological correlations between the defoliant and diseases such as lymphoma suffered by the more than 5,000 plaintiffs.
"Agent Orange producers did not thoroughly verify harmful effects of dioxin on human beings," the court said in its ruling.
The court, however, said it cannot be concluded that the exposure to the defoliant directly caused such diseases. "The causes of these diseases are very complicated," the court said.
A total of 16,579 South Korean veterans and their families filed two separate lawsuits in 1999 against Dow Chemical Co. and Monsanto, seeking more than 5 trillion won ($4.9 billion) in damages, but a district court ruled against the plaintiffs.
In 2006, the Seoul High Court, in a landmark ruling, overturned the decision and ordered the two firms to pay compensation ranging from 6 million won to 46 million won to the veterans for physical handicaps they sustained from the defoliant.
It marked the first time for a South Korean court to rule against the U.S. defoliant manufacturers responsible for using Agent Orange in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s in order to deny the People's Army of Vietnam refuge in the jungle terrain.
The Supreme Court, however, in 2013 reversed the lower court ruling and sent the case back for review, excluding a favorable ruling on 39 soldiers who have suffered from chemical acne.
Upholding the lower court's decision for compensation, the Supreme Court recognized the link between their exposure to the defoliant and the disease for the first time in the world.
More than 4.7 million Vietnamese are said to continue to suffer from a range of illnesses, including birth defects, cardiovascular disease, cancer and nervous disorders because of the chemical defoliant dropped during the war. South Korea fought alongside the U.S against communist North Vietnam in the war.
South Korea dispatched about 320,000 soldiers to Vietnam to become the largest foreign contingent of U.S. allies fighting in the war, with 5,000 killed in action and nearly 11,000 others wounded, according to official government data.
South Korean activists estimate the number of Korean victims of the chemicals at around 150,000.  (Yonhap)

Hatfield Partners with CDM International to Conduct Environmental Assessment and Planning for Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase

http://www.hatfieldgroup.com/news/news-releases/hatfield-partners-with-cdm-international-to-conduct-environmental-assessment-and-planning-for-dioxin-remediation-at-bien-hoa-airbase/

Hatfield is partnering with CDM Smith International to provide technical support services to The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Viet Nam to assess dioxin remediation alternatives at the Bien Hoa Airbase. The study will determine the nature and extent of dioxin contamination at the Airbase as well as assess the effectiveness, implementability, cost, and environmental impact of a number of dioxin remediation alternatives for the Airbase.

Hatfield and CDM Smith are consulting with government agencies, and surveying local institutions and community groups to obtain feedback on the Environmental Assessment (EA), which also includes a Gender Assessment. Hatfield will develop responses to feedback received from the U.S. State Department and other U.S. Government partners, the Government of Viet Nam, Vietnamese citizens, NGOs and the government of Dong Nai Province.

The Airbases and Airports at Da Nang, Bien Hoa, and Phu Cat have been referred to as dioxin “hot spots” due to high dioxin concentrations remaining decades after large volumes of Agent Orange and other defoliants were handled at these sites during the US-Viet Nam War. The Government of Viet Nam has requested foreign assistance to support dioxin remediation efforts.  Hatfield and CDM Smith are also currently working with the U.S. Government to support dioxin clean-up efforts at the Da Nang Airport site.  Hatfield has been involved in the Agent Orange dioxin issue in Viet Nam since 1994.  READ MORE

A haunted legacy: The multi-generational effects of Agent Orange

http://mountainx.com/living/a-haunted-legacy-the-multi-generational-effects-of-agent-orange/
Ted Minnick has been a military man all his life. You can see it in his disciplined posture, his purposeful gait, his even gaze. What you cannot see, however, are the wounds he suffered as a result of his service — not from gunfire or shrapnel, but from exposure to a deadly, now-infamous herbicide known as Agent Orange.
Minnick served as an artillery battery commander in Vietnam and now suffers from leukemia — one of many illnesses linked to exposure to the dioxin-based chemical. But during an Oct. 25 Agent Orange Town Hall held in Asheville, he spoke not for himself but for his daughter and the many other children of veterans who illnesses might be linked to what happened to him in Vietnam. Minnick addressed a room filled with other veterans and their families: “I don’t hold any grudge against the U.S. government,” he said. “What I hold is guilt for bringing it back.”
While his illness has been covered by the VA, Minnick’s had no success getting help for his youngest daughter, Sarah, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1997. “I’m scared – I’m not mad,” Sarah said. “I want the government to realize that we need centers to do research to find where these conditions come from.”
Joining more than 400 Vietnam veterans and their families at the Enka Campus of A-B Tech, the Minnicks urged passage of the Toxic Research Act of 2014, which would, among other actions, call for researching the health effects caused by exposure to toxic substances like Agent Orange.
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The 40-year war Agent Orange casualties keep mounting

http://www.pennlive.com/projects/2014/agent-orange/
In 1967, about to graduate from Steelton High School, John Galinac wanted more than just a job at the steel mill. He wanted to go to college.
The 19-year-old, second-generation Croatian-American enlisted in the Air Force with his sights on the G.I. Bill.
Within months, he became a military police officer, patrolling the perimeter of Phu Cat Air Base in the Binh Dinh Province in what was then South Vietnam. The jungle around the coastal air base, like much of the Southeast Asian country, was a dense, canopied world that provided a safe haven for the enemy.

But fate put Galinac — and thousands of others — in the path of a killer as deadly but far more stealthy than their North Vietnamese foe. And more than 40 years later, the strategy the U.S. military deployed to decimate that jungle has leveled a lethal legacy.
Galinac is among the roughly 2.8 million U.S. military personnel — out of 7.4 million total — who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 and were exposed to Agent Orange, one of several potent defoliants deployed by the military to destroy the Vietnamese jungle and, along with it, the enemy's hiding place.
Galinac died at the age of 64 on April 24, 2013, almost two years after being diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, common among Vietnam veterans.
His story — and that of the other men profiled in this account and thousands of others with untold stories — traces the trajectory of Vietnam veterans, who contend with deadly maladies caused by exposure to Agent Orange and a U.S. government that has, at times, been unresponsive to their needs.


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