Discuss: Agent Orange: A Chapter from History That Just Won’t End

The average US body dioxin level was about 75 parts per trillion in 1965. Levels were this high in the 60s because industries were dumping tons of dioxin into the atmosphere, lakes and landfills.

Most vets had high dioxin concentration in their bodies   before they went to Vietnam.

Today the safe level is 20 ppt and we are still exposed to it.

Studies mention dioxin “hot spots” at DaNang and Bien Hoa. THey cannot compare with the Vulcan Chemicals (Geismar, LA) which had 200,750 parts per billion of dioxin in a sample of heavy end waste or Formosa Plastics, (Point Comfort, TX) where 761 ppb dioxins were found in heavy end industral waste.  (1997).  Downstream of the Geon CO VCM facility in LaPorte, TX the dioxin levels were measured 2,911 ppt.

Dioxin is in our bodies all the time.  At high levels it can cause health problems. How high is your level and where/when were you exposed ?

Blaming all our medical problems on Vietnam dioxin exposure seems too convenient. 

http://dioxinfacts.org/dioxin_health/dioxin_tissues/bio_overview.html

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000025.htm

Tom:  You have brought several more locations of dioxin contamination to light that I was unaware of for having high dioxin levels in the USA.  More important EPA seems to be totally unaware of them or has been covering them up.  EPA apparently thinks its “Dioxins” book put out in 1981 is the gospel on the subject and has done little since then except to get after Dow for its mess in Michigan.  I have cited problems in previous comments here about other sites in USA, but the concerned “people” in various environmental groups making noise seem wrapped up with blaming the Federal govt. for the mess in Viet Nam with very little concern for the messes here.
  The step to make 2,4,5-trichlorophenol is the one in which 2,3,7,8-TCDD gets formed to be carried into the making of Agent Orange.  From the late 30s to the late 60s that phenol was the principle disinfecting chemical used in hospitals and food services, so it is no wonder that people in the early 60s had high levels of dioxin. 
  Tom:  Do you know if the sites that you mention have gotten cleaned up?  I am sending Ben an e-mail to see if he is still concerned to call for action.  If you know that not much has been done at the Vulcan site, perhaps a letter to the mayor of Geismer will stir up action. That’s what got me involved in the Newark, NJ mess, where EPA never found where badly contaminated wastes had gone.
Dr. J. Singmaster

I was stationed with the Army at Redstone Arsenal from 15 Nov 1968 to 14 Feb 1969.  My assignment and training was to dispose of Agent Orange.  I suffer with Diabetes and filed a claim with VA.  This was denied because I did not serve in VietNam. I know AO was there. I disposed of the 55-gal drums by burning them.  If anyone can help me with some form of proof that AO was at Red Stone besides my word, please email me.  I read Dr. Singmaster III comments and was wondering where his info on Redstone and AO was obtained.  Any help you can give me would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Mr. Willis;  The making of the final spray mix of AO was supposedly done at Redstone Arsenal so hundreds of US Army people besides yourself seem likely to have been involved and exposed.  If some of you can get together to make noise to your Congresspersons, I would think that the DD would be forced to recognize that exposures took place there. Certainly some tests for dioxin in the bodies of those, who handled AO there, ought to made. Several chemical cos. sent their 2,4,5-T products there, and the Army added some non-herbicide chemicals to get better spray coverage to make the finished AO spray mix.  I suspect that tests of soil may have been run there, but I can not find data as probably DD has them well covered up. Quite a lot of cleanup of soil is indicated in various recent reports about the Arsenal.  I would not be surprised if soil samples taken now at sites that you may remember as being where AO was mixed and stored will still show above normal levels of dioxin. 
  Nothing will get Army to admit your single case outside of Viet Nam, but several hundred people, who worked there with you, ought to be willing for their own sakes to join you to vouch that the Army was handling AO there.  And I think some health problems showed up with DD personnel at the Johnson Island storage site, and some people have gotten DD compensation. Dr. J. Singmaster

Tom : Can you cite where the data on those three sites are available?
Dr. J. Singmaster

Dear Jim,

Always glad to know you are active. Thanks for all you are doing.

Always,

Steve

Congratulations to Ben for a very moving article, he has a gift of writing that I hope he will continue with.
As a person who has travelled to Vietnam each year since 1989 and on each visit has met with many of the tragic victims of all ages suffering from Agent Orange, I was drawn back by Ben’s article, to some very painful memories seen in Vietnam.
With near to four million Vietnamese suffering from various illnesses and severe disabilities, reading Ben’s piece I can say there are four million Ben’s in Vietnam.  And like Ben and many US Veterans also affected, the Vietnamese need our help and support.

I would ask all who have written on Ben’s piece to raise the issue of injustice to the victims and also to remember the 36 US Chemical companies who manufactured Agent Orange, headed by Monsanto. 

If ever justice is to be served, Monsanto must be on trial for the crimes it and the other companies have committed by makiing Agent Orange.

And yet they continue their crimes by introducing GM into our food.  Can I appeal to all, we must boycott All Monsanto products, let us hit them where it hurts, in their pocket.

Good luck Ben in your future writings

Mr. Aldis:  Agent Orange and its use in Viet Nam were essentially DOD’s baby so it is kind of useless to blame the companies making the herbicide for what happened in Nam.  DOD had reports of health problems in the making and handling of some of the 2,4,5-T herbicide, but did not do anything to check about purity and went ahead using it to make AO. 
  Tom on Dec 03, 2010 mentions more problems adding to ones that I have cited previously here for high levels of dioxins in the USA, but no one gets concerned about them.  Several chemical Cos. may be quite happy with all the attention for Nam as it covers up the possible messes here from getting attention here by environmental groups.  Dow’s problems with dioxin wastes in Michigan are under EPA’s scope for cleanup. But several other companies including Monsanto mentioned by you seem not to have had any waste containing dioxins.  At least, EPA, unfortunately, appears unaware of such waste sites. Dr. J. Singmaster