MAKE A DIFFERENCE
What Can Be Done
Now is the time for the U.S. to intensify its shared commitment to reduce the public health impact of Dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange….
The Time To Act Is Now
It has been nearly 50 years since the U.S. war in Vietnam ended and 25 years since full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized….
We Know What To Do
Clean contaminated soils and restore damaged ecosystems, expand services to people with disabilities and their families, and more….
We Need Your Help
Over the next decade, concentrated effort can ensure that the last ghosts of the war in Vietnam are put to rest….
A Humanitarian Need
It is simply a humanitarian need, to restore hope and dignity to a devastated people and end the legacies of war….
What Can Be Done
It has been nearly 50 years since the U.S. war in Vietnam ended and 25 years since full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized. Recent progress towards a more cooperative relationship between both countries has created a window of opportunity for humanitarian and environmental intervention in addressing the consequences of wartime use of chemical herbicides.
Now is the time for the U.S. to make good on its shared commitment to reduce the public health impact of Dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange in Vietnam and to increase services to those affected and address environmental impacts.
More help is still needed, however, for those affected by Agent Orange in Laos and Cambodia, and for Vietnam veterans and their families in the U.S. and elsewhere. While great progress has been made, more needs to be done to contain and clean up Dioxin hotspots to protect the health of new generations and the environment. We have not even begun to examine whether or not there is residual Dioxin in Laos from the use of Agent Orange in former U.S. bases of operation there.
> We ask the U.S. government to join the Lao, Vietnamese, and Cambodian governments, and other nongovernmental entities, to identify and remediate toxic hotspots and expand services to people with disabilities or illnesses associated with exposure to Agent Orange-Dioxin.
> We ask the U.S. government to do more for our own soldiers and their families—to identify conditions associated with exposure and provide timely health care and benefits.
> We ask the U.S. government to share with the governments of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia all of the information they have on the use of herbicides during the U.S. war, including classified information.
> We ask everyone, no matter where they are, to join in ending the toxic legacy of Agent Orange.
The Time To Act Is Now
1. Clean contaminated soils and restore damaged ecosystems.
The most contaminated areas in Vietnam, also known as Dioxin hot spots, have been identified. With additional resources, the extent of contamination can be precisely determined, and a remediation plan can be developed and carried out.
> Current priority is the clean-up of the Bien Hoa Airbase; an estimated $500 million is needed.
> Other hotspots can be further examined, and local people can be educated to avoid exposure.
> Defoliated lands can be reforested, diversified, or repurposed to ensure the optimum future use and health of the lands and local communities.
2. Expand services to people with disabilities and their families.
Services now reach less than 10 percent of those in need in Vietnam.Those with the most needs live in rural areas which are often hard to reach. But with more financial and human resources, services for the affected people can be expanded. We are just learning the extent of the impacts in Laos and Cambodia.
> Medical and mental health professionals, teachers, and caregivers need training to ensure the best care possible for those in need.
> More rehabilitation centers and respite centers need to be built and staffed by trained caregivers in affected areas, especially in more rural areas.
> Community-based rehabilitation programs must be expanded to reach those in need at their homes.
> Early detection and early intervention programs need to be developed to give children services shortly after birth or when disability first emerges.
> Programs that reduce stigma and foster integration of people with disabilities into the community for people with disabilities need to be developed.
> Organizations for people with disabilities need to be supported so that people with disabilities are able to advocate for their needs.
3. Research the health and epigenetic impacts of Agent Orange-Dioxin.
Recent work on epigenetic studies in animals has shown that dioxin has generational impacts on health as well as induce congenital malformations. More needs to be understood on how humans may be impacted.
> Funding needs to be allocated to help conduct and advance further studies.
> Epidemiological studies of Children of U.S. Vietnam Veterans and their children need to be conducted.
> Epidemiological studies in Vietnam and other exposed populations should also be conducted.
Over the next decade, concentrated effort will require a partnership among government and non-governmental groups, private citizens and public institutions, professionals and volunteers, corporations and nonprofits, U.S. Veterans and Vietnamese, and with you.
We Need Your Help
A Humanitarian Need
This is not a question of who is responsible, legally or morally.
It is simply a humanitarian need, to restore hope and dignity to a devastated people and end the legacies of war.
But it’s not just the U.S. Government that has a role to play in repairing the damages caused by Agent Orange and other toxic herbicides. We all must play a part in ending this toxic legacy.