Agent Orange had been known and employ in the United States since the mid-1940s. It became the result of fairly extensive test because of the high incidence of wellness problems among workers who produced and employed it. As a result of these studies, the active ingredient in the compound was maro geniusd in 1957, and identified as dioxin. Subsequent research has indicated that dioxin is one of the most toxic substances ever created by man. At least(prenominal) 170 kilograms of dioxin were amaze in the substances used to defoliate aras of atomic number 16 Vietnam (Science 1197). The major producer of Agent Orange was the Dow Chemical Company, although the weed killer was also manufactured by Thomp-son Hayward Co., Uniroyal Inc., Diamond Shamrock Inc., and Monsanto (Los Angeles Times, part 1, 15).
The wellness hazards posed by the phenoxy herbicides has
been understood for many years, and was adjudge by officials of Dow Chemical company before and during the period when Agent Orange was being supplied to the U.S. Military.
In confidential memos written by toxicology experts working with Dow, the harmful effects of dioxin to humans and animals were sketched out. A cosmic spill of dioxin at Dow's Midland, Michigan plant caused severe health problems for employees causing Dow to hold
an inter-company seminar on the toxicity of the chemical substance. In 1965, Dow's head of toxicology wrote a confidential letter to his superiors describing dioxin as "exceptionally toxic," but instead of recommending safeguards or further research, he went on simply to urge that the fact be unploughed in strict confidence (Time 17). Specifically, Dow had discovered that dioxin was ten multiplication as toxic in humans as the case gas employed during World War I, and it was recommended that the level of dioxin present in Agent Orange be kept to no more than one part per million. There is some repugn as to whether the military was aware of the high toxicity of the chemical it was using in Vietnam.
Dow maintained that the Defense Department knew of dioxin's health hazards, despite the fact that it kept its own findings secret. The Pentagon, however, claims that it bought Agent Orange on the grounds that it was supposed to be harmless to humans, and that it did non know of its toxicity until 1970, when hearings into withdrawing the substance began in Congress. There is some evidence that as early as 1967 the Joint Chiefs of stave had received data from the Rand Corporation detailing dioxin's effects, but chose to give the axe it in order to continue the successful Operation cattle ranch Hand spraying. What is established, however, is that almost all of the 2.4 million U.S. personnel who served in Vietnam were exposed to some level of dioxin
of the presidential term to deny harm claims based on dioxin picture show. Under the law, the decisions of the VA medical board are final, and not subject to appeal in the courts. Veterans are consequently denied their basic legal rights in regard to their claims, since they are interdict from suing the government to demand satisfactory treatment by the Veterans Administration (Strum 138).
"Insufficient Evidence Cited on Agent Orange." Los Angeles
related to dioxin exposure was a series of suits against the government and the makers of Agent Orange demanding d
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