Addressing an open hearing in Washington on May 15, members of the Sub-committee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment under the House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs, said that Agent Orange/dioxin contained in the herbicides has had a serious impact on human health and the environment.

They maintained that Agent Orange/dioxin victims in the US and Vietnam should be treated equally, citing aid packages worth billions of US dollars committed by the governments of Japan, Germany and Iraq to war victims, including those exposed to toxic chemicals.

According to Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, head of the sub-committee, as Agent Orange is a humanitarian issue, the US Government and US chemical companies should both support the victims.

US aircraft sprayed herbicides over forests in South Vietnam (US.DOD)

The US chemical companies, which were sued for supplying the herbicides to the US Army during the Vietnam War, have so far refused to provide any compensation to the Vietnamese victims.

In her speech, M.D. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, who worked for Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for nearly 40 years, said about about 2 percent of approximately 45,000 newborns at the hospital every year were born with deformities. She said she has conducted a lot of research and found that the defects were the result of Agent Orange/dioxin.

According to M.D. Phuong, the US Army sprayed more than 20 million gallons of defoliant, including 366kg of dioxins, over jungles, rice fields and villages in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War. This explains why the number of deformed newborns and cancer patients in affected areas is much higher than in other places.

The Vietnamese doctor expressed hope that through this open hearing, the first of its kind, Congress and the American people will understand more about the plight of AO victims and provide more support for victims in both the US and Vietnam.

Mrs Phuong said that over the past few years the Vietnamese Government has spent more than US$50 million annually assisting its AO victims and many more millions of US dollars rehabilitating the environment in the affected areas, including the planting of mangrove forests. Campaigns launched in support of the victims have been supported by many organisations and individuals.

In his testimony, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel said that the US government has been substantively engaged in joint talks with the Vietnamese government on the issue of dioxin contamination since 2001. 

“With the support of additional funds from Congress, we are moving ahead in a multilateral effort with other donors to help Vietnam address environmental contamination and related health concerns at former dioxin storage sites,” said Mr Scot.

In May 2007, President George W. Bush signed a bill that included US$3 million to be used for “environmental remediation and health activities” at “hot spots” in Vietnam.

A mangrove forest in Ca Mau after spraying. (By Goro Nakamura)

According to him, the newly established USAID Mission in Vietnam is the lead agency to coordinate and implement efforts to utilise the US$3 million in supplemental funds. USAID Mission has already identified health-related projects in Da Nang for possible funding, and USAID and the US Embassy in Hanoi are consulting with their Vietnamese counterparts on the details.

“We will continue to pursue constructive ways to work with the Government of Vietnam and other donors to address concerns related to Agent Orange and dioxin,” he concluded.

Representatives of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) also asked the US government and US chemical companies to bear responsibility for AO victims.