Agent Orange Cleanup - Vietnam

U.S., Vietnam Launch Agent Orange Cleanup

The United States and Vietnam's defense ministry have launched the first cleanup operation to rid a former air base of a toxic dioxin left from the Vietnam war. Although many people have welcomed the move, some say it is too little, too late to help generations of people suffering birth defects and diseases linked to the chemical.

The project, which started Thursday, aims to clean up soil and sediment contaminated with dangerous levels of toxin dioxin at a former U.S. Army air base in central Vietnam.

During the Vietnam War, Da Nang airport was used to store the herbicide "Agent Orange" which was sprayed on vegetation used as cover by guerrilla forces.

The toxin, which has been linked to disease and birth defects, has remained a dark reminder of the war. U.S. Ambassador David Shear spoke at the opening ceremony in Da Nang. (Click on  title for full article)