Agent Orange
Today, even after the war has been over for 39 years, Agent Orange still has a huge effect of the people that were exposed to it. It has caused many health problems to both the U.S. troops and Vietnamese civilians that were exposed to this terrible herbicide. These health problems include cancer, birth defects, and reproductive problems. In Bien Hoa, during the war, there was a spill of Agent Orange (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study). Thirty years later, blood samples from Bien Hoa have shown a an accumulation of dioxin, 271 parts per trillion (ppt) (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study).
One of the main impacts of health that Agent Orange had was the reproductive health of women exposed to this herbicide during the war. The dioxin from Agent Orange accumulates in breast milk, which will transfer to the baby during nursing (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study). The baby could absorb up to 95% of the dioxin in milk (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study).
Agent Orange also affects the child whom parents were exposed to Agent Orange. Cases from Vietnam have shown an increase in miscarriages, premature births, birth defects, low birth weight, and childhood cancer (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study). Over 5% of children born from ex Vietnamese soldiers that were exposed to Agent Orange have these health problems compared to the soldiers that were not exposed (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study).
The Vietnamese weren't the only ones affected by Agent Orange; U.S. soldiers that were exposed to it and other herbicides also have serious health problems. These health problems include Parkinson’s Disease, Prostate Cancer, and Respiratory Cancers (Public Health. (n.d.). Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange -). Their children were also born with birth defects, much like those from exposed Vietnamese parents. Children are often born with Spina Bifida, a defect that affects the developing fetus that results in incomplete closing of the spine (Public Health. (n.d.). Birth Defects in Children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans -). Other diseases include Down Syndrome and Hydrocephalus (A List of Birth Defects Caused By Agent Orange: How This Chemical Contributes to Genetic Defects. (n.d.)).. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which fluid accumulates in the victims brain, making the head larger and causing brain damage.
One of the main impacts of health that Agent Orange had was the reproductive health of women exposed to this herbicide during the war. The dioxin from Agent Orange accumulates in breast milk, which will transfer to the baby during nursing (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study). The baby could absorb up to 95% of the dioxin in milk (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study).
Agent Orange also affects the child whom parents were exposed to Agent Orange. Cases from Vietnam have shown an increase in miscarriages, premature births, birth defects, low birth weight, and childhood cancer (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study). Over 5% of children born from ex Vietnamese soldiers that were exposed to Agent Orange have these health problems compared to the soldiers that were not exposed (Johansson, A. Impact of Chemical Warfare with Agent Orange on Women’s Reproductive Lives in Vietnam: A Pilot Study).
The Vietnamese weren't the only ones affected by Agent Orange; U.S. soldiers that were exposed to it and other herbicides also have serious health problems. These health problems include Parkinson’s Disease, Prostate Cancer, and Respiratory Cancers (Public Health. (n.d.). Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange -). Their children were also born with birth defects, much like those from exposed Vietnamese parents. Children are often born with Spina Bifida, a defect that affects the developing fetus that results in incomplete closing of the spine (Public Health. (n.d.). Birth Defects in Children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans -). Other diseases include Down Syndrome and Hydrocephalus (A List of Birth Defects Caused By Agent Orange: How This Chemical Contributes to Genetic Defects. (n.d.)).. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which fluid accumulates in the victims brain, making the head larger and causing brain damage.
Landmines and Other Unexploded Ordnance
Other than Agent Orange, there are other factors that still affect the lives of the people of Vietnam. The major factor are the countless amount of landmines and other explosive ordinance scattered all over South Vietnam. These landmines and other explosives have claimed about 105,000 civilian victims from 1975 to 2007, including the 42,000 that have been killed (Cordall, S. (2012, September 18). Landmines still exacting a heavy toll on Vietnamese civilians. Guardian Weekly). According to the Vietnamese government, it is estimated that around 15% of the total surface area of the country is contaminated with live ordnance (Cordall, S. (2012, September 18). Landmines still exacting a heavy toll on Vietnamese civilians. Guardian Weekly). These landmines are sometimes accidentally struck by farmers plowing their field, resulting in them losing their limbs, or even their lives.