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The article presents information on the U.S. herbicide program which was implemented during the Vietnam War. It is stated that the program aroused several controversies over the usage of herbicides in military operations. The health hazards caused due to herbicides, specially the effect of Agent Orange on the U.S. veterans of Vietnam was the matter of concern. It is reported that recently the U.S. Air Force declassified few pages of the book "Operation Ranch Hand: The Air Force and Herbicides in Southeast Asia 1961-71," written by Major William A. Buckingham. more...

In 1979, the U.S. Air Force announced that an epidemiologic study would be undertaken to determine whether the Air Force personnel involved in Operation Ranch Hand–the program responsible for herbicide spraying in Vietnam–had experienced adverse health effects as a result of that service. In January 1982 the Air Force Health Study (AFHS) protocol was approved and the 20 year matched cohort study consisting of independent mortality, morbidity and reproductive health components was initiated. This controversial study has been criticized regarding the study''s potential scientific limitations as well as some of the administrative aspects of its conduct. Now, almost 30 years since the implementation of the AFHS and nearly a decade since the final follow up examinations, an appraisal of the study indicates that the results of the AFHS do not provide evidence of disease in the Ranch Hand veterans caused by their elevated levels of exposure to Agent Orange. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...

The article discusses the chemical warfare used by U.S. armed forces and their allies during the Vietnam War between 1961 and 1975 in Vietnam. The author reports on twentieth century American military strategies regarding the use of herbicides and chemicals in war. Chemicals used by the U.S. included DDT, Malation, tear gases, and Agent Orange, especially during Operation Ranch Hand from 1962 to 1971. The chemicals were used to target food-producing areas, forested areas abutting strategic military areas, and communications routes. more...

The article focuses on the link between birth defects in Vietnamese children and the herbicide Agent Orange, which was sprayed by the U.S. military on crops in Vietnam during the Vietnam War in the 1960s-1970s. Vietnam claims that parental exposure at the time of spraying of the herbicide is resulting in children being born with defects. Meanwhile, scientists are planning to revive the health study of the U.S. veterans involved in Operation Ranch Hand, in which 95% of the herbicide was sprayed on Vietnam. The Vietnamese are claiming compensation for the injuries caused due to the herbicide, asking the U.S. to sue the companies that supplied the herbicide to the U.S. military. The U.S. on its part has agreed to clear the areas affected by the agent. more...

The article offers information on the 30-day delay of the Agent Orange study in the U.S. Despite the government standards at hand, researchers found it difficult to get the study approved thus it is already in its 30-day delay. The research is geared in studying the possible effects of the defoliant Agent Orange and other combat factors on U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War. It is suggested that the present or the incoming administration should heed that advice by the National Academy of Sciences wherein they should go ahead with a much-delayed study of Agent Orange. With the new data and advances in geographical information systems, researchers could plug a significant gap in earlier epidemiological studies. more...

The article focuses on the exposure of 67-year-old former infantryman Larry Carlson regarding the use and storage of thousands of barrels of Agent Orange in Okinawa Island, Japan between 1965 and 1966. It says that the statement of Carlson has challenged the consistent denial of the U.S. government on the presence of Agent Orange in the area. It mentions that the chemicals are transported from Okinawa to South Vietnam to be sprayed over jungles and crops during the herbicidal warfare campaign against Viet Cong called "Operation Ranch Hand." Meanwhile, the Vietnam Red Cross has estimated that three million Vietnamese are affected by the dioxins contained in the herbicide after the war ended. more...