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more_legal_areas agent_orangeAgent Orange was an herbicide used by the United States military in the Vietnam conflict. Between January 1965 and April of 1971, 20 million gallons of Agent Orange was dropped on more than six million acres of land in South Vietnam. Agent Orange is a reddish brown liquid “defoliator” comprised of several chemicals that was used to clear out forests in order to expose the enemy during conflict. Agent Orange exposure has subsequently been found to cause a variety of serious and life threatening health problems.
Agent Orange exposure is harmful because TCDD (a chemical component of dioxin) is produced during Agent Orange production. TCDD is a highly toxic chemical that can cause serious medical problems in people who have suffered from Agent Orange exposure. The latency period for disease development that is caused by Agent Orange exposure can be up to twenty years. The dangerous effects of Agent Orange exposure appeared almost immediately following its widespread military use, as Agent Orange was found to be a teratogen (a chemical that is harmful to a developing fetus) and a cancer-causing agent.
In 1984 a class action lawsuit was filed against the manufacturers of Agent Orange. This lawsuit is commonly referred to as Multidistrict Litigation 381 or Agent Orange Product Liability Litigation. The District court awarded a settlement of $180 million dollars to compensate individual victims and to develop social services and education programs to aid the victims of Agent Orange exposure. This settlement awarded 52,000 victims monetary compensation and assisted another 239,000 through programs and services. In 1997 all available assets had been distributed and the settlement fund was closed.
Though lawsuit awards are no longer available for persons who have developed serious health problems as a result of Agent Orange exposure, there are several other benefits that are available to victims. The Veterans'' Affairs division of the US military is responsible for providing services to victims of Agent Orange exposure. This includes the Agent Orange Registry health examination program, allowing people who suspect Agent Orange exposure to receive a comprehensive health exam. Hospital care, medical services and home care are also available for people who have developed serious diseases as a result of Agent Orange exposure. Some victims are eligible for disability compensation. Victims also benefit from extensive research conducted by several government and non-governmental agencies.
A health exam is not able to precisely determine Agent Orange exposure. Research, however, has proven that certain medical conditions are the result of Agent Orange exposure. Individuals who have developed one of the presumptive conditions of Agent Orange exposure are eligible to receive Veteran''s Affairs benefits. Current conditions considered presumptive to Agent Orange exposure include: Chloracne, Hodgkin''s disease, porphyria cutanea tarda, respiratory cancers, sarcomas, lymphoma, myeloma, birth defects and several other health problems. Agent Orange exposure has also been attributed to a whole host of health problems that can affect almost every bodily function.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay retroactive benefits to Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to » Read More
After following a report from Parliament''s health select committee released in October, New Zealand''s government has apologized to Vietnam veterans for their exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants from more than 30 years ago.
The ...
The Air Force recently conducted a study that found an increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma in Air Force veterans of the Vietnam War who were exposed to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. The study found a cancer incidence that was 1.46 to ...