An independent team of scientists from Canada, Hatfield Consultants, has examined land in central Vietnam today and found that Agent Orange is still evident in the soil.
'We should not think of this as an historical problem. This is a present-day contamination issue,' team member David Levi says.
'The dioxins that are present are entering the food chain today, and also being taken up by the people living in the area today.'
Children in areas that were sprayed have been found to be:
- more than three times as likely to have cleft palates
- more than three times as likely to be mentally retarded
- more than three times as likely to have extra fingers or toes
- nearly eight times as likely to suffer hernias
