Archive Report
Archive Report
Effects on Health
Exposure and Serious Veteran's Illnesses
The United States stopped spraying the defoliant Agent Orange in Vietnam in 1970. Yet today, 14 years later, bitter controversy still rages over whether Agent Orange and other dioxin-contaminated herbicides used in Vietnam are responsible for any of the severe health problems that afflict thousands of veterans who served there.
The controversy persists despite an out-of-court settlement May 7 in which the manufacturers of Agent Orange agreed to set up a $180 million fund to pay claims to veterans and their children for health problems caused by Agent Orange. Despite the settlement, the companies, the Veterans Administration and other government health officials say it has yet to be proved that Agent Orange caused any health problems—with the exception of ...