A man cares for victims of AO/dioxin (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The recent ruling of a court inCalifornia, the US, on the link between weedkiller produced by Monsanto andcancer, has sparked hope for the lawsuit against the same company launched byVietnamese victims of Agent Orange.
After a month-long trial, the US jury determined Monsanto’sRoundup weedkiller caused cancer for Dewayne Johnson, a 46-year-old formergroundskeeper, and that the corporation failed to warn him of the healthhazards from exposure.
The US chemical group has for long been associated with theAgent Orange issue in Vietnam. It was one of the main suppliers of more than 80million litres of herbicides that US troops sprayed over southern Vietnam from1961-1971. Of the volume, 44 million litres were AO, containing nearly 370kilograms of dioxin.
Around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxicchemical. As a consequence of exposure, many of the victims have died ofnumerous diseases, while millions of their descendants are living withdeformities and diseases due to the chemical’s effects.
In 2004, Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims filed a lawsuitagainst 37 US firms, including Monsanto, for producing the chemical toxinssprayed by the US army. In 2009, an international court opened in France todeal with the AO matter and Vietnamese victims. However, both the US Governmentand sued companies refused to appear.
On April 18, 2017, The Monsanto Tribunal in The Hague, theNetherlands found Monsanto is guilty of ecocide, which has left long-termconsequences on the ecosystem of various nations, including Vietnam, after sixmonths of investigation and two days of testimony. The US agrochemical giant,which specialises in manufacturing glyphosate – a broad-spectrum systemicherbicide (Roundup), rejected the ruling.
In an interview following the Roundup trial, the co-coordinatorof the US-based Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign MerleRatner said it was a historic verdict, which will have significant impacts onsimilar trials against Monsanto.
The fight would be long as Monsanto said it would appeal theverdict, she said but stressed that the ruling has greatly encouraged people whohave been standing up to seek justice for the victims of its products.
Ratner said she will continue campaigning tourge the US Government and Congress to adopt measures in support of AOconsequences alleviation in Vietnam, while pursuing legal procedures to make USchemical companies involved to accept their compensation duty.-VNA
VNA
