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Agent Orange Update: Lawsuit Delayed 1 Yr.

By John Lindquist

June 27, 1983 was supposed to be the start of the trial in class-action suit against chemical companies which manufactured herbicides for use in Vietnam. Because of a decision by Judge Pratt, the trial has been delayed by one year.

The delay should not be considered a loss, except in time (which is something we hate to lose). The Judge is asking for more information on how little an amount of dioxin exposure is needed for a person to suffer health effects.

Meanwhile, Dow, Monsanto, Hooker and many other companies are coming under more and more fire. Our education, information and agitation have begun to pay off—five (and more) years of work by vets groups, large and small, and of many different political persuasions, all around the country.

The pressure on Down influenced them so much that they proposed spending $3 million for an "independent" study on the effects of dioxin on human health. We can't help but wonder why this is; Dow clams they already have studies on their own exposed workers, and that they're all OK!

Right after Dow's study announcement, Tom Daschle (DND) revealed some secret memos he had from Dow Chemical. He was not going to let Dow's disinformation go unchallenged. The two memos he released were from 1980 internal communications saying that they suspected that dioxin broke down the body's immune systems, thus making people more susceptible to cancer and other diseases. Dow was busted in a lie by their own documents; no doubt there are more 'secret' memos to be revealed in the future.

Terms such as "herbicides," "dioxin" or "Agent Orange" are now much closer to being household words. People are making connections when the terms are used; we've done a lot of work at the grass roots and it's paying off. Chemical spills, like that in Times Beach, MO, have brought dioxin into America's living rooms. Already the EPA has brought up millions of dollars worth of contaminated property, though there hasn't been much movement on compensation for contaminated veterans. We were exposed to dioxins at levels 5,000 to 50,000 times stronger than that in Times Beach. The contradictions are mounting daily.

Now we have a year to wait to get the class-action suit to trial, but we've still got plenty to do. For years we've been urging everyone to collect their records: military, VA, family physician, children's records; and to make a personal narrative of your experiences with your health since Vietnam. The lawyers for the suit need a copy of everything if you're part of the suit. You need all this stuff even if you're not part of the suit, especially if you think there's a chance you'll ever want to file a claim for yourself or your children. We've been telling you addresses to write for all the stuff you need—please DO IT!

There are attorneys all over the country who will better be able to represent your interest if you participate in the record gathering. Attorney Schlagel is coordinating things in the Midwest, but there are lawyers all over the country who are part of the consortium involved in the case. The local lawyer will tell you the same the thing: gather your records.

We learned many things from our experience in Southeast Asia. One of them is the power of determination: a small force can fight back against large odds when they know they are right. Veterans have launched an attack on some of the most powerful corporations in the country. We will win because we are fighting for what we know is just:

TEST, TREAT AND COMPENSATE AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS

—John Lindquist VVAW National Office