Dioxins
DIOXIN IN THE UKRAINE

 

 

 

The Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, was poisoned sometime in September by the addition of dioxin to some sort of cream based soup (as the lipid soluble chemical would be a liquid and need fat to be absorbed) at a reception he was attending.

 

 

 

Yushchenko after dioxin poisoning
Yushchenko in September
Yushchenko was found to have over 1,000 times the standard level of dioxin in the body in his blood and tissue. After going to the hospital with complaints of partial paralysis in his face and spasms of back pain he was found to have dangerous levels of dioxin in his blood, and within weeks the disfiguring chloracne began to appear.

 

 

 

 

Ukrainian flag [3]

In the November Ukrainian presidential race between Yushchenko and current Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovych was declared winner, but the Supreme Court called for another vote in late December due to findings widespread election fraud. In the December 26, 2004 elections Yushchenko received 15,115,452 votes or 51.99% of the vote to become the next president of the Ukraine.[1] [2]

 

DIOXIN IN VIETNAM

 

Agent Orange (named for the color of the orange identifying bands on the drums it was shipped in) is an herbicide that was used in Vietnam under Operation Hades and Operation Ranch Hand between January 1965 and April 1970. The chemical was sprayed on the dense Vietnamese foliage in order to make jungle travel safer, faster, and easier. Agent Orange is a 50:50 mix of 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,-D) and 2,4,5 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), weed killers most effective against broad leaf plants. During the course of the Vietnam conflict over 6 million acres of land were sprayed with over 19 million gallons of defoliant.[4]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the manufacturing process 2,4,5-T was contaminated with TCDD and thus the dioxin became an unwanted byproduct of Agent Orange. TCDD is the part of Agent Orange that has been harmful to veterans who were involved in the defoliating process during Vietnam. The Veterans Assosciation provides some coverage for Agent Orange related diseases. It is estimated that 178,000 veterans would qualify for compensation under this list of specified effects:

 

Agent Orange Spraying In Vietnam and related map [6]

 

 

 

 

United States Soldiers in Vietnam [7]

 

 

 

 

Agent Orange affected not only veterans but also the Vietnamese people who live, eat, and work on the land that was sprayed. The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange filed suit with the US Federal Court in January of 2004 against 10 United States industries in order to receive funding for the over 3 million Vietnamese it claims are currently victims of Agent Orange related diseases (the diseases are the same as those sited by the Vietnam Veterans). Both those who were alive during the time of the spraying and their offspring have suffered dire consequences as a result of prolonged exposure to Agent Orange.[11]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children in a Vietnamese hospital for the disabled [10]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] CNN network site http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/12/11/yushchenko.austria/

[2] Ukrainian election results page http://www.cvk.gov.ua/wp0011e

[3] Ukrainian language page http://www.appliedlanguage.com/flags_of_the_world/flag_of_Ukraine.shtml

[4]Agent Orange Information (http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/orange.htm

[5]Spraying pictures http://www.landscaper.net/agent.htm

[6] Vietnam Map http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3459277.stm

[7]Veteran home pagehttp://hometown.aol.com/rtoartilleryfo/hellshalfacre.html

[8]Agent Orange page http://www.lewispublishing.com/orange.htm

[9]VA fact page http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/docs/agentorangefs.htm

[10][11] BBC homepage http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3459277.stm

 

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