Agent Orange and the children of Hoi An Orphanage

We are unable to say with absolute certainty that the disabilities of some of the children at Hoi An Orphanage are as a result of Agent Orange dioxin poisoning. However, 2 badly-disabled children who came to the Orphanage in 2005 were strongly believed to have been affected by dioxins.

Anh and Trang are 16 and 19 year old boys with immense physical disability. In late 2005, the Government, quite unusually, gave their father, Mr Nhan, permission to live at the Orphanage with his 2 boys. They have no mental or intellectual disability and living at the Orphanage allows them to continue their education in Hoi An (there is no high school in their small village).

Mr Nhan has left his wife at home, with their youngest son, who has extreme learning difficulties, and their adopted son. He is tireless in his efforts for his sons; he takes them to and from school, carries them to the toilet, showers and dresses them etc.

Because he must always be on hand to help his sons, Mr Nhan is not able to have a regular job and is extremely poor. Despite their circumstances, the family remain positive, are always friendly, chatty and interested in other people. The boys have been immediately adopted into the Orphanage family, and the children here spend hours in their room, talking to them, helping them and pushing them around in their wheelchairs.

In the 2006 school summer holidays, the family returned to their home in the remote countryside to stay with their mother and 2 younger brothers (1 of whom has learning difficulties). Trang caught a cold; this quickly developed into pneumonia. The local doctor was unable to treat him so Mr Nhan brought his son to the hospital in Hoi An.

Unfortunately, it was too late; Trang died on 31st August 2006, 2 days before his 17th birthday.

The family were devastated; they now live in a perpetual state of fear that their eldest son, Anh, who has the same disabilities and fragile health, will soon die the same way.

Young people with severe curvatures of the spine like Anh, Trang (and Luu Mai, a former Hoi An Orphanage child who died in December 2005) have a poor cough reflex. They cannot easily clear their lungs from infections, and therefore find it difficult to fight off minor infections, which escalate rapidly.

Sadly, the family's worst fears came true when Anh (now 20 yers old) became ill on 31 March 2008; he died early the next day.

What is Agent Orange?

Agent Orange is the name given to a herbicide and defoliants used by the American Army during the Vietnam War. It is named after the 55 US gallon orange-striped barrels that it was transported and stored in. The American Army also used other herbicides and defoliants called Agents Purple, Pink, Green, Blue and White. Agents Blue and White did not contain any dioxins.

Why was it used?

Herbicides were used to defoliate forests (remove all plant growth and cover to prevent the Viet Cong from hiding), to clear military areas such as fire bases and airstrips, and to destroy enemy crops and food sources.

Why was its use dangerous?

One of the herbicides used to produce Agent Orange was known as 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). At the time of its manufacture by companies including Monsanto and Dow Chemical, internal company memos revealed that it was known that a dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), was produced as a by-product of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T. This dioxin was extremely toxic.

The effects of dioxins

There are numerous studies into the effects of exposure to dioxins, such as those found in Agent Orange, on health and the environment. These studies indicate increased risks of genetic disorders and various types of cancer. It is also believed that amongst other conditions, skin diseases, Spina Bifida, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, diabetes, birth defects, low birth weight and damage to reproductive systems can result from prolonged dioxin exposure.

How much dioxin has been sprayed in Vietnam?

Approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971.

Further Information on Agent Orange, its use and effects

The following links are provided for general information purposes only. The Kianh Foundation is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any information contained in these sites.

United States Department of Veterans Affairs http://www1.va.gov/agentorange/

Vietnam Agent Orange Campaign - http://www.vn-agentorange.org/

Fund for Reconciliation and Development (Agent Orange Links) - http://www.ffrd.org/agentorange.htm/

Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin – http://www.vava.org.vn/

Collectif Vietnam Dioxine - http://www.vietnam-dioxine.org/