Agent orange news in Nam... http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=01/12/31/3456415 Scientists investigating the effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam have found that people living in a so-called hotspot have the highest blood levels of its poisonous chemical dioxin ever recorded in the country. Agent Orange, which has the dioxin (TCDD - short for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) as one of its constituents, was last used in 1973. But today, some residents of Binh-Hoa, near Ho Chi Minh City, have 200 times the normal amount of dioxin in their bloodstreams. Agent Orange was widely used by the US military during the Vietnam War as a defoliant so that Vietnam's dense jungle could not provide cover for Viet Cong forces. 'Startling' results It was when US veterans started to become ill with a variety of health problems that investigations suggested that Agent Orange could be involved. The most dangerous ingredient was the dioxin, a pollutant that stays in the environment for decades. There are still about 12 dioxin hotspots in Vietnam, in areas where very heavy spraying took place. (cont) Page 1 breaking news is apparent discovery of highly toxic batch in WA.(ex vietnam)Deaths suspected.