VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
INSTITUTE OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES

DUONG THI VAN ANH

STUDY ON SITUATION TO OVERCOME THE
CONSEQUENCES OF TOXIC CHEMICALS TO HUMANS IN
CAM LO DISTRICT, QUANG TRI PROVINCE

MASTER’S THESIS
Major: Vietnamese Studies

Hanoi- 2012


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
INSTITUTE OF VIETNAMESE STUDIES AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES

DUONG THI VAN ANH

STUDY ON SITUATION TO OVERCOME THE
CONSEQUENCES OF TOXIC CHEMICALS TO HUMANS IN
CAM LO DISTRICT, QUANG TRI PROVINCE

MASTER’S THESIS
Major: Vietnamese Studies
Code: 60 31 60

Supervisor: Prof. DSc. Truong Quang Hoc

Hanoi - 2012

1.3.3.2. Real status of the exposure in the Vietnamese ......................................................30
1.3.3.3. Consequences of the chemical war in Quang Tri province ..................................36
1.3.4. Efforts of Vietnam in overcoming the impacts of toxic chemicals on people ......... 39
1.3.4.1. Research activities ................................................................................................39
1.3.4.2. Activities ................................................................................................................41

1


1.3.5. General assessment of achievements, weaknesses, and proposed solutions for
their overcoming ................................................................................................................ 45
CHAPTER 2.......................................................................................................................49
STATUS OF OVERCOMING AGENT ORANGE/DIOXIN INFLUENCES .................49
ON PEOPLE IN CAMLO DISTRICT, QUANG TRI PROVINCE ..................................49
2.1. Overview of Cam Lo district.......................................................................................49
2.1.1. Features of natural conditions .................................................................................. 49
2.1.1.1. Geographic site .....................................................................................................49
2.1.1.2. Topography and soil .............................................................................................50
2.1.1.3. Climate and hydrography .....................................................................................51
2.1.1.4. Minerals and biological resources .......................................................................52
2.1.2. Socio - Economic ..................................................................................................... 52
2.1.2.1. Population and population density .......................................................................52
2.1.2.2. Economy………………………………………………………………………………….54
2.1.2.3. Culture and society……………………………………………………………………...55
2.1.2.4. Social security……………………………………………………………………………56
2.2. Status of victims of the Agent Orange/dioxin in Cam Lo district ..............................57
2.2.1. Real status of victims of the Agent Orange/dioxin in Cam Lo district .................... 58
2.2.2. General features of the victims of the agent orange in Cam Lo district ............................. 66
2.2.2.1. Economy and family conditions ............................................................................66
2.2.2.2. Status of health, illness, and deformity of the victims ........................................71

chemicals/dioxin .............................................................................................................. 100
3.3.3. Developing programs to propagandize ................................................................. 101
3.3.4. Mobilizing sources to support victims of the toxic chemicals/dioxin ................... 106
3.3.5. Supporting and looking after the victims infected by toxic chemicals in
community........................................................................................................................ 108
3.4. Recommendations .....................................................................................................109
3.4.1. For policy making .................................................................................................. 109
3.4.2. For the local authority ............................................................................................ 111
3.4.2.1. Programming community-based models to restore forestry resources in toxic
chemical areas in Cam Lo district by giving preferential treatment in handing over land
and forest to families of dioxin victims ............................................................................111
3.4.2.2. Building work to supply running water and social works in Agent Orange areas 112
3.4.2.3. Forming and implementing tours to visit old battlefields with the participation of
local people, veterans, and victims of the Agent Orange to propagandize and do business113
3.4.2.4. Combining with universities and schools in the province as well in the whole
country to build program for volunteer students; bringing them to communes and hamlets
to support the rehabilitation work and other social activities for the families of dioxin
victims and making this an annual activity ......................................................................114
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .........................................................116

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………...119

3


LIST OF TABLES
Table

Title


27

Hand campaign
Table 1.5.

Content of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and TEQ in mix blood in localities in

31

Vietnam
Table 1.6.

Content of 2378-TCDD and TEQ in breast milk in localities of

34

Vietnam phase 1986-1987
Table 1.7.

Dioxin and dioxin equivalence in the Vietnamese women’s breast

34

milk in comparison with some other countries in the world
Table 1.8.

Households suffered Agent Orange/dioxin in Quang Tri in 1999

37


59

Table 2.4.

Number of households having innate deformity children

59

Table 2.5.

Exposure level of toxic chemicals of surveyed households

60

Table 2.6.

Number of households having innate deformity children

60

Table 2.7.

Innate deformity divided by sex

60

Table 2.8.

Time appearing innate deformity



Table 2.13.

Relation between households living in toxic chemical areas and

63

grandchildren’s innate deformity
Table 2.14.

Relation between householders living in toxic chemical areas and

64

related diseases of their children
Table 2.15.

Premature situation of women in investigated households

65

Table 2.16.

Losing pregnancy situation of women in investigated households

65

Table 2.17.

Relation between losing pregnancy and living in toxic chemical

Orange/dioxin
Table 2.22.

Situation of dioxin victims benefited in Cam Lo district

85

Table 2.23.

Battlefield of directly infected victims

94

Table 3.1.

Results of analyzing strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and

96

threats

5


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure

Title

Page


26

Figure 1.5.

Diagram comparing 1,2,3,7,8, TCDD and TEQ in mix blood in
localities of Vietnam

33

Figure 1.6.

Diagram comparing dioxin content in Vietnamese women’s milk
and other countries in the world (survey of the World Health

35

Organization, February 1988)
Figure 2.1.

Administrative map of Cam Lo District in Quang Tri Province

50

Figure 2.2. A.

Population structure with rate of male and female in Cam Lo
District (left)

53

Figure 2.7

Rate of labor declination of victims of toxic chemicals in
communes and towns of Cam Lo district

72

Figure 2.8.

Number of victims directly infected by toxic chemicals

73

Figure 2.9.

Diseases of indirect victims in Cam Lo district

74

Figure 2.10

Attitute of pepple towards the victims of the Agent Orange

81

Figure 3.1.

System of sources to supgort victims of Agent Orange

96


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COMMITMENT
I hereby declare that the obtained results in this thesis are absolutely honest.
Information and results published in this thesis are my researching work. If there is any
shortcoming, I will bear all responsibilities in front of the training unit and law.

Hanoi, june 2012

Duong Thi Van Anh

8


INTRODUCTION
1. Necessity of the study
In the Vietnam War, especially in the phase 1965-1971, the American empire
used many kinds of weed killer to destroy tree leaves to undermine our military affairs
and economy. Three main kinds of chemicals that were used in Vietnam by the
American army were agent oranges, white toxic chemical to destroy forests, and green
toxic chemical to destroy crops. The agent orange contains dioxin, a very strong toxic
chemical and difficult to disintegrate. Thus, they have been kept in the environment for
a very long time. After many times of accumulation, the soil and water is strongly
polluted. Forests are destroyed, causing the imbalance of ecological conditions and
leaving many hard consequences in many areas of Vietnam. In addition to negative
impacts of the toxic chemicals on the natural resources and environment, they also
dangerously influence the human being because of genetic destroy. Many people and
soldiers living in spreading toxic chemicals areas have caught fatal diseases, especially

documents and institutionalized policies and regulations. However, because of many
reasons, the consequence has still limited. Promulgating policies for victim suffering
toxic chemicals is still limited because of the imbalance between the human resources
and people needed allowance. There have been no scientific and concrete standard to
define people infected toxic chemicals to be the basis of suitable and accurate policies.
Many victims of the toxic chemicals are not in the field of people benefiting much
from policies, including people living scatter in areas that were affected by toxic
chemicals in the past, or soldiers, officials, or people living in trouble-spot areas. The
supgorting level is not high and egad with complicated procedures that are not suitable
with most of the people living in poor areas. The fully worked-out model to treat the
patients has not been built concentrate and not basing on the community. Because of
those disadvantages, many victims of the chemical war, especially the Dioxin victims
have not been able to apgroach and benefit their legitimate policies. To make that issue
clearer, we choose the subject “Study on situation to overcome the consequences of
toxic chemicals to humans in Cam Lo district, Quang Tri province” to be my thesis.
2. Scientific and practical singnificances of the studied subject
- Scientific singnificances : The thesis results contribute to build the scientific
basis for: i) Studying and perfecting policies to supgort people affected by the toxic

10


chemicals; ii) Choosing suitable methods and solutions to improve people position as
well local authorities at different levels in order to better treat and support victims of
the toxic chemicals
- Practical singnificances: Comprehensively evaluating the work of
overcoming consequence of the toxic chemicals on people, especially current
disadvantages in term of supporting policy making as well as the participation of
community in the study area; bettering and improving gradually the results of
overcoming the chemical war’s consequence for the victims in localities.

Tuyen, Cam Nghia, and Cam An
communes in Cam Lo district
Phase 2: From 12 Association of Victims of Agent
January 2011 to 23 Orange in Cam Lo district and
January 2011
related departments
Phase 3: From 6 June Association of Victims of Agent
2011 to 12 June 2011
Orange in Cam Lo district, some
contingent families in the area, and
families of the dioxin victims

Study content
Generally assessing study
question
Gathering
related
secondary materials
Gathering
missing
secondary materials;
sociological investigating
by sample, interview, and
PRA

- Content scope: Focusing on: i) Assessing the impacts of toxic chemicals to
people; ii) Generally assessing the situation of overcoming influences of toxic
chemicals; achievements and shortcomings; iii) Assessing institutional system to
concerning the victims of the toxic chemicals and some proposing solutions to improve
the sittuation.

- About area:
+ Finding out situation of overcoming the consequence of toxic chemicals on
people is a problem related to all aspects of the social life. Humankind is the
integration of social relationships. From the biological point, man is at the highest
grade in the evolutionary ladder. Hence, effects of the toxic chemicals on human being
must be considered in the relation with all economic, social, cultural, and natural
aspects. The toxic chemicals cause serious consequences and the victims are suffered
impacts from all elements of the (natural and social) environment. They themselves
also affect the environment, creating a mutual two-way relationship.
+ Conducting research of the situation to overcome the influences of toxic
chemicals was done in Cam Lo district, Quang Tri province to find the most general
laws of the study question development in order to generalize the general situation of
our country and other foreign countries. In other words, the research problem is a “case
study” putting in overall regional studies. From the situation to overcome impacts of
toxic chemicals in Cam Lo district (Quang Tri province), we can analyze and assess the
achievements, shortcomings, and weaknesses to propose a more comprehensive
solution. As a result, we can generalize the situation of the regional and international
area; then widely apglying these measures to all objects in different regions who share
some basic characteristics.
5.2. Study methods
5.2.1. Collecting secondary data
Gathering, systematizing, analyzing, and summarizing secondary materials,
include:
+ Reports, materials, and statistics data of the Office 33, the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social

14


Welfare, ministries, industries and departments from central to local level that relate to


were incidentally chosen in all communes with ages from 18 to 65, of which about
46% men and 54% women.
In addition, to comprehensively assess people’s awareness of the Agent
orange/dioxin and the Dioxin victims, we gave 200 contingent survey samples for
students of tourism, social work, history, and economy departments from central and
northern provinces who are studying at Vinh University and officials living in Vinh
city. The results prove that their understanding of dioxin/Agent Orange and people’s
interest on victims of Agent Orange is still limited.
5.2.3. SWOT method
To define strengths, weaknesses, opgortunities, threats and assess how standards
change as time goes by; taking notes as much as possible; and focusing on strengths
and weaknesses to point out internal factors
- Strengths: Achieved activities and results
- Weaknesses: Shortcoming when implementing
- Opgortunities: Ideas to make good shortcomings and promote strengths
- Threats: Threatening problems to put pressure on scope, scale, and opportunity
6. Thesis structure
The thesis structure is created according to Vietnam National University Hanoi
regulations, as follows :
Introduction
Chapter 1: Overview on the study of overcoming the consequences of toxic
chemical/dioxin in Vietnam and in Quang tri
Chapter 2: Status of overcoming toxic chemical influences on people in Cam Lo
district, Quang Tri province
Chapter 3: Proposed solutions and recommendations to comprehensively
support victims of the toxic chemicals in Cam Lo district, Quang Tri province
Conclusions and recommendations
References
Appendix

group of PCB (Poly-Chloro-Biphonenyles) that are agents similar to dioxin. It includes

17


419 chemicals, in which 29 agents are very dangerous. Among Dioxin mix, TCDD is
the most poisonous one.
Dioxin is the secondary product of many processes to produce industrial
chemicals related to Chlorine such as waste burning system, chemical and insecticides,
bleaching line in paper production, and many other steps.
At present, Dioxin is used to indicate hundreds of chemicals in the environment.
The Dioxin-like compounds are arranged in three groups: the first group includes
polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDDs)

Figure 1.1. Some agents in PCDD group [12, pg.17]
- The second group comprises polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDFs) and the
third group includes polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The first and second groups
often include products with substance change when people burn industrial or
agricultural waste, forest fire, and burning gas. In the third group, PCB similar to
Dioxin is often produced intentionally and used in many different goals. To compare
the poisonous levels of agents, the World Health Organization (WHO) uses the TEFs
(Toxic Equivalence Factors) indicators for evaluation. At present, the 2,3,7,8-

18


tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCCD for short) are assessed to be the most poisonous
one among the above substances.

Figure 1.2. Structure of TCDD [12, pg.18]

65,6

1962-1964

65,6

1962 - 1964

Orange II

Purple

Pink
Green
Blue

White
Dinoxol

50% n-isooctylic ester 2,4,5-T
50% n-butylic ester 2,4-D
30% n-butylic ester 2,4,5-T
50% n-butylic ester 2,4-D
20% n-isooctylic ester 2,4,5-T
60% n-butylic ester 2,4,5-T
40% n-isooctylic ester 2,4,5-T
Mostly n-butylic ester 2,4,5-T

59.5%
water,

Containing Dioxin

1962-1964

LD50
=
200mg/kg

1962-1964

30-

1962-1964

Tendex

{3,3-Dimetylureido}phenylterbutyl

Monuron

3-{p-Clophenyl}-1,1-dimetylure

LD50 = 1000mg/kg

1962-1964

Diuron

3-{3,4-Diclophenyl}-1,1dimetylure


prisoners in the concentration camp. The toxic chemicals were also used in the war
against the Malaysia guerrillas. [21, pg.4]
However, using poisons as weapons to destroy the environment, agricultural
production, especially food, living beings, and people in Vietnam on a large scale and
for a long time was a new tactics that had just been apglied in the war.
In the Vietnam War, the American army used not only lethal weapons to kill
people but also toxic chemicals to eradicate life of the Vietnamese. It aimed to prevent
the step forward of the revolutionary armed forces to turn Vietnam into a huge

20


laboratory to examine and test toxic chemicals for the military goal. In fact, the
chemical war of the America in Vietnam was the biggest one with the longest time and
cause the most destructive consequence in the human being history.
To use the toxic chemicals in a wide range, the American military experts had
to test them in a long time (for over 20 years) in many experiment fields in America
and some other countries. Although they already had schedule to use these chemicals in
the war long time ago, weed killers were not used for military goals. In 1944 and 1945
at the end of the Second World War, weed killer was ready to experiment in order to
exterminate rice fields in six provinces around Tokyo. As the Japanese army
surrendered quickly, this plan had not been carried out [21, pg.3].
After 1945, the American army and some other countries continued to
experiment these chemicals to opgose opgonents. Their army bases were often in
tropical areas in thick forests with the goal to destroy people’s crop. With the attempt to
prevent a rising in Malaysia, the Britain used modern weed killer for the first time.
However, it was used limited for the army goal, mostly in the middle of the 1950s. [21,
pg.5].
Only the United States used weed killer for its military goal on a large scale in
the Vietnam War. From 1961 to 1971, the American army actually used weed killers in

bushy belts around garrison troop areas, essential troop areas, important army ordnance
bases, lines of rotation of troops, troop-regrouping fields of the America and pupget
troops in order to discover and prevent the penetration and attack of revolutionary
force.
+ Crop destruction: Destroying crops or fields that was called 2R task. This
aimed to destroy the self-sufficient economy on the premises of the southern Vietnam
Revolution in areas where the revolutionary force controlled, organized production,
and provided food.
According to the CĐHH/82 material of the UN Disarmament Committee
(Chemical Disarsement), after seven months deploying the Ranch Hand campaign, the
American air force flied 200 missions, spread 760,000 liters of weed killer along roads
near the 17 parallel of latitude. Thence, the scale of chemical spread was gradually

22


increased. Up to April 1967, the Ranch Hand campaign used such a large amount of
the Agent Orange that the US had to take full advantage of the entire amount of 2,4,5-T
and 2,4-D in the internal market to ensure the continuity of the campaign. [54, pg.70].
The Ranch Hand campaign was carried out with many different methods to
strengthen its damage to its opponent. The habitual tactics of the Ranch Hand
campaign was that after some days spreading toxic chemicals, trees were beginning to
shed their leaves; then bombs, bullets and thousands of diesel gallons, napalm bomb,
white phosphorus bombs were released to burn. At high temperature, 2,4,5 -T and 2,4D substance in the Agent Orange would create 2,3,7,8 TCDD (secondary dioxin) in
addition to miscellaneous TCDD in producing 2,4,5-T. This was one of the most
poisonous compounds created by people.
In phase 1962-1971, the US air force sprayed more than 72 millions of liters or
91 thousands of tons of clearance substance, in which 55 thousands of tons with
strongly active nature. [40, pg.8]. The average level of Agent Orange for one spraying
time in Vietnam was 28,06 liters per hectare; it meant that the level was 30 times


-

1962

11.300

64.000

-

1963

16.300

284.000

-

1964

23.300

1.102.000

170

23