Edouard Bastarache on mon 11 aug 03
For those interested in this issue,
Study: Agent Orange Lingers in Vietnam Food=20
Mon August 11, 2003 08:34 AM ET=20
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam War-era defoliant Agent Orange continues to =
contaminate livestock and fish eaten by Vietnamese decades after it was =
used, a study released on Monday showed.=20
A 2002 study in Bien Hoa city, about 20 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, =
formerly Saigon, showed residents and food had high levels of dioxin, =
the August issue of The Journal of Occupational and Environmental =
Medicine said.=20
The report said about 95 percent of blood samples taken from 43 people =
in Bien Hoa "were found to have elevated TCDD levels," referring to the =
most toxic of the dioxins.=20
"Although the spraying ended over three decades ago, in certain areas of =
Vietnam food is clearly a present-day route of intake of dioxin from =
Agent Orange," the study said.=20
Tests on 16 food samples of chickens, ducks, pork, beef, fish and a toad =
from the city's markets, a lake and a nearby air base where Agent Orange =
had been stored found "markedly elevated" dioxin levels in six samples.=20
Vietnam estimates more than one million of its people have been exposed =
to Agent Orange, used from 1962 to 1971 to strip trees and plants and =
deny communist fighters cover and food.=20
The dioxin-containing Agent Orange, the spraying of which was stopped in =
1971, got its name because of the colored stripes on its containers.=20
The United States has said more studies are needed on the effects of =
Agent Orange.=20
The authors of the study said the presence of other toxic chemicals =
should be considered when weighing the data.=20
U.S. embassy officials in Hanoi did not immediately have a comment on =
the report.
Later,
"Ils sont fous ces Quebecois"
Edouard Bastarache
Irreductible Quebecois
Indomitable Quebeker
Sorel-Tracy
Quebec
edouardb@sorel-tracy.qc.ca
http://sorel-tracy.qc.ca/~edouardb/
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/smart2000/index.htm
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