New research indicates that the amount of dioxin deposited on Vietnam by the United States during the war was between 2-4 times greater than previously estimated. The results of the study were published on 17 April 2003 in Nature magazine (direct link).http://www.nature.com/nsu/030414/030414-10.html
The study also found that over 3,000 of southern Vietnam’s 20,000 hamlets were directly exposed to Agent Orange, and that as many as 4.8 million people may have been affected - also a much higher figure than previously estimated. "I was actually pretty much surprised about this myself, and I recalculated many, many times," says Dr. Jeanne Mager Stellman, chief author of the report.
The study also found that over 3,000 of southern Vietnam’s 20,000 hamlets were directly exposed to Agent Orange, and that as many as 4.8 million people may have been affected - also a much higher figure than previously estimated. "I was actually pretty much surprised about this myself, and I recalculated many, many times," says Dr. Jeanne Mager Stellman, chief author of the report.
"The number of people in hamlets that flights were directly over, it numbers in the millions. I was quite astounded by this." (New York Times, 17 April 2003)
The research resulted in a series of maps which, among other things, make it possible to pinpoint ”hot spots” that were subjected to especially heavy concentrations of Agent Orange and dioxin. This information is expected to facilitate the setting of priorities for clean-up operations and epidemiological studies.
The research resulted in a series of maps which, among other things, make it possible to pinpoint ”hot spots” that were subjected to especially heavy concentrations of Agent Orange and dioxin. This information is expected to facilitate the setting of priorities for clean-up operations and epidemiological studies.