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Report: Companies knew Agent Orange risks

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Members of the Korean Disabled Veteran's Association for Agent Orange hold a vigil to bring public attention to the suffering of troops who fought alongside U.S. soldiers in Vietnam near the White House in Washington on August 31, 2006.The delegation of South Korean war veterans who are victims of Agent Orange are seeking compensation for their injuries from the U.S. government and chemical companies. (UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg) 
Published: Dec. 18, 2009 at 1:59 AM

CHICAGO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. military and chemical companies failed to warn of the danger of Agent Orange, the chemical used as a defoliant in Vietnam, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The newspaper examined court documents and government records in the National Archives and concluded soldiers were exposed to Agent Orange without getting information on its risks, making exposure more dangerous.

In 1965, the year the U.S. government escalated the war in Vietnam, Dow Chemical Co. called dioxin, a contaminant in Agent Orange, "one of the most toxic materials known causing not only skin lesions, but also liver damage," the Tribune said. Documents also showed techniques were available to drastically cut the amount of dioxin in the defoliant during manufacture.

Veterans and Vietnamese citizens who were exposed to dioxin have sued the chemical companies. While one suit brought by veterans was settled in 1984 for $180 million, the companies later argued that as government contractors they were immune from lawsuits.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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