|
The Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) recently told Reuters that more than 4.8 million people in Vietnam have been exposed to the herbicide and over 3 million of them have been suffering from deadly diseases.
Agent Orange was one of many herbicides used by the U.S. military as a weapon during the Vietnam war, and Monsanto was contracted by the government to manufacture it for the Department of Defence.
According to Monsanto:
Millions upon millions of gallons of this stuff was dumped over millions of acres of land in Vietnam and other areas, and even today, countless people have been exposed to the herbicide and many of them continue to suffer from deadly diseases.
The US government still maintains that the main objective for the spraying was to kill all of the forest cover for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops along with any crops that might be used to feed them. They maintain that they had no idea about the long term health consequences.
Again, as a result of the spraying, very serious health issues continue to this day - including tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms, and more.
These health issues were not only observed by the population in Vietnam but, of course, by U.S. servicemen and their families as well.
In the late 70's, a lawsuit was filed by over 2 million veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during their time overseas, and several giant chemical companies agreed to hand over $200 million in compensation to the veterans and their families.
Pesticide Use And Disease - Have Things Really Changed?
As I mentioned, the US government claimed that they had no idea about the potential damages and long term effects Agent Orange would have on the environment and population, although I myself and many others do not believe it (and there is a great deal of information available to justify such a stance).
Today we see a similar trend emerging, where pesticides continue to be sprayed on our food and our land, despite clear scientific evidence proving the danger of them.
Today, if you've studied pesticides and their usage, you'll know of the many studies which have emerged in recent years linking them to disease, and you won't be surprised to hear that products like Monsanto's Roundup herbicide (the most commonly used herbicide in the world) have been completely banned from multiple countries.
The general consensus among scientists seems to be clear.
These pesticides have been linked to cancer, autism, birth defects, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease. kidney damage, and much more. Based on all of the information available, it seems probable that pesticides have played a major role in the dramatic increase in disease over the past few decades.
Not long ago, after years of published studies in reputable scientific journals (which also include peer reviewed journals) had already linked pesticide use to cancer and various other diseases, the world's most credible scientific journals came to the same conclusion, applying the "bradford hill criteria."
Despite this fact, Monsanto is still fighting for a retraction, and I will not be surprised if they get it - corporations wield an immense amount of power, dictating government policy and manipulating and withholding critical scientific data at will.
And there is plenty of evidence to back up that claim - I believe. (source)
Below you will see pictures courtesy of Reuters.
History is something we should be learning from, not repeating...
|
