Vietnam backs San Francisco court’s ruling on Monsanto
Vietnam supports the San Francisco court’s August 10 ruling that ordered Monsanto company to pay damages to a US resident for the impact of its herbicides on the man’s health.
Monsanto has long been associated with the Agent Orange usage in Vietnam. Around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam supports the San Franciscocourt’s August 10 ruling that ordered Monsanto company to pay damages to a USresident for the impact of its herbicides on the man’s health.
The statement was made by ViceSpokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Phuong Tra ata regular press conference in Hanoi on August 23.
The official was responding to queries from reporters regarding Monsanto’s paymentof 289 million USD in compensation for its cancer-causing herbicides.
The ruling runs counter toprevious opinions that the herbicides Monsanto and US chemical producersprovided for the US army during the war in Vietnam caused no harm to humanhealth, she said.
Vietnam has suffered severely fromthe war’s consequences, including the lingering and serious impact of toxicchemicals and Agent Orange, the official stressed.
Tra said Monsanto must also bearthe responsibility to compensate for the harmful effects caused on VietnameseAgent Orange victims by the herbicides the company supplied.
The US chemical group has longbeen associated with the Agent Orange usage in Vietnam. It was one of the mainsuppliers of more than 80 million litres of herbicides that US troops sprayedover southern Vietnam from 1961-1971. Of the volume, 44 million litres were AgentOrange, containing nearly 370kg of dioxin.
Around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed tothe toxic chemical. As a consequence of the exposure, many of the victims died froma variety of diseases, while millions of their descendants were also born withdeformities and diseases.–VNA
VNA
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The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
Monsanto has long been associated with the Agent Orange usage in Vietnam. Around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. (Source: VNA)