See also: orange Agent (homonymy), Orange

The orange Agent is the nickname given to more used Herbicide S employed by the army of the the United States at the time of the Guerre of Vietnam, in particular between 1961 and 1971. In particular because of the presence of Dioxane, this chemical defoliant is responsible for several diseases at the people having dealt with this weedkiller. Because of the stability of dioxane, the following generations in Vietnam still live in the presence of this product Cancérogène and Tératogène, causing various diseases, cancers and malformations with the birth.

Description

The orange Agent is at the base a mixture of two molecules weedkillers: acid 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4-D) and acid 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4,5-T). These weedkillers were discovered in the years 1940 by English and American research teams. These molecules act by mimant a Hormone of vegetable growth of type Auxine: the Acid 3-acetic indol. Pulverized on plants, they induce an uncontrolled growth, driving with died of the plant. They are selective weedkillers: when they are pulverized on cultures of Graminée S (Blé, Maïs…), only the Adventice S are eliminated. Marketed in 1946, these weedkillers were largely used as from the years 1950.

One discovered later that the Dioxine of Seveso, 2,3,7,8-tétrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxane (TCDD), was present among the impurities deriving from the manufacture of the 2,4,5-T, and thus presents in this weedkiller. This poison can be at the origin of several kinds of Cancer S, like the Lymphome non-hodgkinien, the Maladie of Hodgkin and the Leucémie lymphoid chronicle. Consequently, the 2,4,5-T was interdict in many countries.

The 2,4-D does not contain dioxane and remains one of the weedkillers most used in the world.

History

The Orange Agent, created by the multinational Monsanto, is in fact pink and brownish, and owes its name with the bands of orange color registered on the barrels in which it was stored. In the same way were baptized the White Agent , Bleu , Rose , Vert and Pourpre .

This product was of everyday usage and used in the Agriculture as well in the United States as in the USSR, in the years 1960, one did not think whereas it was toxic for the human being.

These weedkillers were used for défolier the forests and thus to prevent Vietnamese to hide, to destroy their harvests, but also to release the accesses of the American military installations and to prevent the attacks there.

These operations of chemical war began in 1961 with green light from the president John F. Kennedy, and were gradually intensified until reaching their apogee in 1965. They fell then gradually and finally ceased in 1971, following many protests in the world and in the United States even, on behalf of scientists, of a certain number of members of Parliament and especially of American war veterans.

The national Academy of sciences of the United States estimates today that nearly 80 million liters of this defoliant were poured.

The December 8th 2006, the daily newspaper The Guardian reveals that Sir Richard Doll, epidemiologist and toxicologist English famous and celebrates to have established the bond between the use of Tabac and the Lung cancer was under contract of May 1979 at May 1986 (period during which it would have received according to The Guardian 1.500 dollars per day of Monsanto and that during one year). It is during this time which he affirmed at an Australian commission that there was no relation between the orange cancer and agent. Richard Doll would have also received money of Chemical industry lasting more than twenty years according to the daily newspaper. He had, with his colleague Sir Richard Peto, produced in 1981 a conclusive article that only 1 to 3% of cancers had an environmental cause.

Legal proceedings

The United States

The American Federal state was the first entity blamed by the victims of the orange Agent, but this last profits from the Immunité for any act made in time of war. The American veterans victims of the orange Agent were then turned over towards the manufacturers of the weedkiller.

In 1984, the seven marked companies signed an out-of-court settlement with associations of veterans in exchange of the stop of any continuation. The manufacturers then paid the sum of 180 million dollars to a compensation fund. Thus, on the 68  000 plaintiffs, almost 40  000 received between 256 and 12  800 dollars according to the gravity of the cases.

January 31st, 2004, Association Vietnamese of the victims of the Orange Agent/dioxane, presented an collective appeal in the United States against eleven manufacturers of weedkiller (of which Dow Chemical and Monsanto) for Crimes against humanity and War crimes. The first meeting of this lawsuit took place on March 1st, 2005 with New York. March 10th, the court rejected the complaint, because the judge concluded that the orange Agent was not a poison taking into consideration International law, it thus did not have there prohibition to use a weedkiller. Association Vietnamese of the victims deposited a recourse to the Court of Appeal of New York on April 8th, 2005 and its file of arguments on October 30th, 2005. Andre Bouny, father of Vietnamese children, is the president of the " International committee of Support for the victims Vietnameses of the Orange" Agent; (CIS). Its articles are numerous, it is some which summarize what is the Orange Agent with Vietnam and her consequences.

South Korea

In 1999, approximately 20  000 South Korean carries two complaints separated against the manufacturers from weedkiller, claiming five billion dollars. Having lost in first authority in 2002, they appeal and gain the January 26th 2006. Justice condemns Dow Chemical and Monsanto to pour 62 million dollars with 6  800 people (each one should receive between 6  200 with 47  500 dollars).

Epidemiology

According to the last estimates, from 2,1 to 4,8 million Vietnamese to the weedkillers between 1961 and 1971 were directly exposed, for which it is necessary to add an unknown number of Kampuchean, of Laotian, American civilians and military, and their various allies Australia NS, Canadian, New Zealand, South Korean.

The dioxane being a stable molecule very , it tends to remain in the environment. The concentrations thus appear extremely important in animal greases, thus contaminating the Food chain. The dioxane is also present in great quantities in the grounds and the Sédiment S.

Thus even of the Vietnamese children born several years after the end of spreading have of them high rates in the organization. The consequences of this accumulation are numerous: Blindness, diabetes, Cancer S of the Prostate and the Lung, congenital malformations.

Environment

The use of such a quantity of weedkiller had an significant impact on the environment. In the Mail of UNESCO , dating from the month of May 2000, the organization related to UNO estimates that the fifth of the South Vietnamese forests was destroyed by the American weedkillers.

Manufacturers

See too

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