LEWISTON – The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War ended roughly 30 years ago.
However, the effects of the conflict are still being felt by those who live in the South Asian nation.
In a lecture this week at Bates College, Vietnamese-born Dr. Phan Thi Phi Phi and her colleague, Susan Hammond, explained the harmful consequences of the United States’ decision to use the herbicide known as Agent Orange to clear the dense forests of Vietnam.
Phi Phi, speaking through a translator, said that while the herbicide was useful in killing the vegetation, it also had an unwarranted and unintended side effect.
The process used to create Agent Orange also created dioxin, a toxic chemical that was released into the environment when warplanes sprayed the herbicide.
Dioxin, which was banned for use in the United States in 1970, is linked to “direct and long-lasting effects on human reproduction and the proliferation of cancer.”
In 1984, U.S. courts awarded $180 million to survivors of the Vietnam War who were adversely affected by dioxin.
The money went only to U.S. military personal, not to citizens of Vietnam.
Phi Phi is trying to change that. She is the plaintiff in a suit filed last year in Brooklyn federal court.
The suit alleges that the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange knew about its harmful side effects, yet did not inform the government.
Phi Phi said that because of this negligence, she believes that the chemical companies should help compensate Vietnamese citizens who were affected.
The chemical companies argue that because they were defense contractors, they should have immunity from prosecution.
One obstacle in the fight for compensation is that many people do not believe that dioxin is harmful.
Since studies cannot be done on humans, Phi Phi said it is difficult to show direct consequences of dioxin contact.
Still, “We tried to have statistics to show that something is not right,” she remarked. “We have been very careful before pointing the finger.”
Phi Phi ended her talk with a heartfelt plea for help.
“I ask for your understanding of the situation and your ideas,” she said. “We can make life bearable for those who survived.”
Comments are no longer available on this story