Agent Orange

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Landmark Agent Orange Case Is Dismissed

Vietnamese woman sued chemical companies, but French court says it has no authority to rule

(Newser) - She would have been the first Vietnamese civilian to win a judgment against the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange, notes the Washington Post . But a court in France on Monday dismissed the case brought by Tran To Nga against companies including Dow Chemical and Monsanto, now owned by Bayer....

It's 'One of the Last Untold Stories' of the Vietnam War

Secret spraying of Agent Orange in Laos continues to take a heavy toll

(Newser) - It is, writes George Black in the New York Times , "one of the last untold stories of the American war in Southeast Asia." He's referring to the scope of the United States' secret and illegal spraying of Agent Orange—and the even more toxic Agent Purple—on...

Vet Riding Horse Across US Over Dad's Agent Orange Death

Colt Romberger wants to call attention to chemical blamed in father's death

(Newser) - The two things Colt Romberger and his father had most in common, the ones that made them best friends as well as father and son, were a deep affection for horses and an equally deep pride in having served their country in times of war. So when Cliff Romberger, a...

Feds to Help Vets Exposed to Contaminated Planes

They'll provide disability benefits for those exposed to Agent Orange residue

(Newser) - Ending years of wait, the government has agreed to provide disability benefits to as many as 2,100 Air Force reservists and active-duty forces exposed to Agent Orange residue on airplanes used in the Vietnam War. The new federal rule, approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget,...

Vietnam's Agent Orange Victims Get Scientology Detox

But doctors skeptical about detoxification program

(Newser) - In an attempt to detoxify people exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese government is relying on … L. Ron Hubbard. The Church of Scientology founder developed a detoxification method espoused by Tom Cruise and other bigwig Scientologists. The "Purification Rundown" or "Hubbard method" involves...

US Starts Scrubbing Agent Orange From Vietnam

First direct contribution 'a little late': activist

(Newser) - For the first time since the Vietnam War ended, the US is getting its hands dirty in the effort to clear Agent Orange out of Vietnam. Washington is forking over $41 million to support the removal of the herbicide that caused, by Vietnam's count, 150,000 kids to be...

Agent Orange Cleanup Begins in Vietnam

US will join decontamination effort early next year

(Newser) - Vietnam today started the first phase of a joint plan with former enemy the United States to clean up environmental damage leftover from the chemical defoliant Agent Orange, a lasting legacy from the Vietnam War. Vietnam's Ministry of Defense will begin sweeping areas around the Danang airport, a former...

US Vets Unveil Agent Orange Dumping Ground in Korea

Deadly defoliant could be wreaking damage on Southern Korean health

(Newser) - Some 33 years after they buried up to 250 rusting 55-gallon barrels stamped "Agent Compound Orange" in a South Korean ditch, three American soldiers are pointing US and South Korean authorities to the location of the dumping ground. Their story has set off a media firestorm in South Korea,...

Canada Used Agent Orange on Roads Until 1980

Government promises inquiry after newspaper's probe

(Newser) - Canada used Agent Orange, the Vietnam War-era chemical linked to genetic defects, as a means of clearing roadside brush until about 1980. A Toronto Star investigation found that Canada’s forestry workers faced exposure to the chemical, poured from planes, starting in the 1950s; the government promises an inquiry, amid...

Agent Orange Linked to Risk of Parkinson's, Heart Disease

(Newser) - Exposure to Agent Orange appears to increase the risk of developing heart disease and Parkinson’s, a congressionally mandated report says. The carcinogenic defoliant has not been definitively linked with the illnesses, but a professor who led the report says there is “limited or suggestive evidence of an association....

Border Patrol Destroys Foliage With Chemicals

Killing plants will cut hiding places for immigrants, smugglers

(Newser) - In an effort to keep smugglers and illegal immigrants from hiding in heavy vegetation as they attempt to cross the Mexican border, the US Border Patrol is looking to Agent Orange for inspiration. One plan for cutting down on possible hiding places on riverbanks is to use an herbicide that...

Court Scraps Agent Orange Suit
Court Scraps Agent Orange Suit
Feb 22, 2008 3:17 PM CST

Court Scraps Agent Orange Suit

Judge says chemical was used as a defoliant, not a weapon

(Newser) - Vietnamese plaintiffs who say Agent Orange caused them serious health problems ran into a judicial dead end today. A federal appeals court upheld the dismissal of a civil lawsuit over use of the defoliant in the Vietnam War. The suit claimed that Dow Chemical and other companies violated a ban...

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