American NGO’s donate 5.4 million USD for dioxin lab

The Bill and Melinda Gates and Atlantic Philanthropies Foundations have provided almost 5.4 million USD to build a dioxin laboratory for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

The Bill and Melinda Gates and Atlantic Philanthropies Foundations have provided almost 5.4 million USD to build a dioxin laboratory for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

At the signing ceremony in Hanoi on May 18, MoNRE Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong thanked the two US foundations for their goodwill and assistance and pledged they would welcome any organisation or kind-hearted individual that would like to help them address the damage that Agent Orange/dioxin had caused to the country and its citizens.

He emphasised that Vietnam was well aware of the importance of conducting research on the residues the chemical has left, and the devastating effect that the dioxin has had on the environment and Vietnam’s people as an urgent task and a top priority for years.

“Vietnam hopes that the US Government will further cooperate and help us to treat the polluted hotspots and provide aid for the victims of Agent Orange,” he said.

In his reply, US Ambassador Michael Michalak said that his Government is willing to cooperate with Vietnam to help deal with the aftermath.

Statistics released by the Vietnam Agent Orange/dioxin Victims Association prove that US troops sprayed some 80 million litres of defoliants onto southern Vietnamese battlefields from 1961-71, that contained almost 400 kg of the dioxin.

The number of people who were exposed to the toxic chemical is estimated to be somewhere in the region of 4.8 million, of whom, some 3 million have been directly affected by the chemical.

(Source: Vietnamplus)