Week 8_Dyana Lam_ASA150E

Week eight's reading consisted of explaining the use of Agent Orange and other toxic chemicals and herbicides used during the war and the effects it had then and now. The reading relates to the issue within the SEA community of birth defects and other harmful illnesses that are now at a higher rate within specific ethnic communities due to these toxins being used during the war. For example, there is a higher rate of cancer within the Vietnamese communities in the U.S. which has been linked to exposure to chemical toxins (dioxin). My great-grandfather developed breast cancer when he came to the U.S. after having lived through the war, my grandmother currently has lung and brain cancer, and I fear that my mother will be developing cancer at some point soon due to her having other health issues. Besides my direct family, there are also aunts and uncles who developed cancer. Cancer was not seen in my family this often till they had exposure to chemical toxins in the war and immigrated over to the U.S.

The reading connects to the theme of the week being "Legacy of Environmental Degradation" because the harmful chemicals that were used during the war for their specific purpose of ridding of foliage and trees so they could see better, left a long legacy of consequences that are still being seen to this day. The environment has been affected because the soil that they grow their food on still contains these toxins and we now see a genetic component of cancer and physical deformities being passed along. The reading also connects to the current event that the U.S. military still continues to use chemical warfare agents in other countries (right now in the Middle East) to make things easier for themselves and not caring about the long-term consequences to the U.S. soldiers or the people within those countries. The question I have for this upcoming week is...did the U.S. know how harmful Agent Orange and all the other toxic chemicals they used would be and the long-term consequences that have been caused? I feel like they had some idea and just did not care for people's livelihood.

I have attached a podcast from KPFA that touches on Agent Orange, its effects, and what is being done today in regard to taking responsibility for what has happened.
https://kpfa.org/episode/talkies-may-31-2018/