Hatfield awarded Ford Foundation grant for Agent Orange study

Dec 04, 2006

Hatfield has been awarded $462,800 to assist the Vietnamese Government’s National Steering Committee 33 to contain the spread of dioxin around Danang airport, and to assess how to protect the health of people living in the surrounding communities. Hatfield is conducting a field trip to Vietnam in December 2006 to collect samples for this project.

This project is a continuation of the studies Hatfield has conducted since 1993 to measure the residual dioxin contamination from historical (1965 to 1971) spraying of Agent Orange herbicide in Viet Nam during the Viet Nam war. In 2002, Hatfield identified “hot spots” that exist today where soils still contain very high dioxin concentrations. One of the hot spots identified was the Danang air base, where Agent Orange was stored within the boundaries of the former US Special Forces Base. High dioxin levels have been reported from soils, lake sediments and water flowing from the base, with increased health risks to the people living in close proximity to this area.

The US-based Ford Foundation has committed US$2.2 million to help carry out health and environment projects in Vietnam. The new funds are part of a long-term effort to support companies working on these issues, and to place emphasis on dioxin, a component of Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War.

For more information, please contact us:

Thomas Boivin
President
HATFIELD CONSULTANTS PARTNERSHIP

E-mail: hcp@hatfieldgroup.com
Tel.: +1 604 926 3261
Toll-Free: 1 866 926 3261