NOVANEWS
As the US government prepares for war in Syria it is important to remember that they themselves used chemical weapons on civilians during the Vietnam war, and have since refused to compensate them.
BA VI, VIETNAM -MARCH 15: Handicapped orphans sit in their cribs at the Ba Vi orphanage March 15, in Ba Vi, Vietnam. There are around 125 children who are cared for by medical staff after being abandoned by their parents who cannot afford a severely handicapped child. These young children represent the 3rd generation of Agent Orange victims although many don’t ever get the costly tests to prove it. More than 30 years after the war in Vietnam, a battle is still being fought to help people suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Many of the families living in the remote villages have little access to medical care and don’t even understand the medical term for the disability that their children have had since birth. They only know that the herbicide used by the US military during the Vietnam war called Agent orange caused this and the government gives monthly support of about $8 dollars per handicapped individual . Between 1961 and 1971, the U.S military sprayed nearly 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides across Vietnam in an attempt to kill vegetation that hid the enemy. Much of it contained the toxic nerve gas called dioxin. After so many years has past, studies have stated that lingering health and environmental problems effected an estimated 3 million Vietnamese, including 150,000 children. As a result an increased number of Vietnamese children have been born with severe birth defects and Down syndrome since the war ended in 1975. Recently, Vietnamese and U.S policymakers have finally started the first phase to clean up environmental damage leftover from the chemical defoliant. The action plan urges the U.S government to provide an estimated $30 million annually over 10 years to clean up sites still contaminated by dioxin. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
By JG Vibes
From 1961 to 1971, approximately 19 million gallons of chemical agents including Agent Orange, were sprayed over the southern region of Vietnam. Much of it was contaminated with dioxin, a deadly chemical. Dioxin causes various forms of cancers, reproductive illnesses, immune deficiencies, endocrine deficiencies, nervous system damage, and physical and developmental disabilities.[1]
So while the US government is attempting to “police the world” in search of chemicalweapons, it is important to remember the long history that they have of using these weapons themselves.
Just this week BBC reported that:
The Vietnam War ended nearly 40 years ago, but the casualties continue as birth defects plague the country. There are claims that thousands of children continue to be born with horrific facial deformities due to the 20 million gallons of Agent Orange chemical sprayed by the United States. The Vietnamese call the disfigured youngsters ‘the children of Agent Orange’. Da Nang in central Vietnam is thought to have the highest level of congenital deformity in the world.[2]
There are also many US veterans who suffer from agent orange poisoning, causing thousands of birth defects in America as well. Just recently the veterans began to receive compensation for their suffering, however the millions in Vietnam who are effected will likely never see any kind of real help from the agencies responsible.
Sources:
[1] London surgeons help ‘children of Agent Orange’
[2] Compensate Victims of U.S. Chemical Warfare in Vietnam – Nachirichten Heute