OBJECTIVES: The largest known dioxin contamination occurred between 1962 and 1970, when 12 million gallons of Agent Orange, a defoliant mixture contaminated with a form of the most toxic dioxin, were sprayed over southern and central Vietnam. Studies were performed to determine if elevated dioxin levels persist in Vietnamese living in the south of Vietnam. METHODS: With gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy, human milk, adipose tissue, and blood from Vietnamese living in sprayed and unsprayed areas were analyzed, some individually and some pooled, for dioxins and the closely related dibenzofurans. RESULTS: One hundred sixty dioxin analyses of tissue from 3243 persons were performed. Elevated 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) levels as high as 1832 ppt were found in milk lipid collected from southern Vietnam in 1970, and levels up to 103 ppt were found in adipose tissue in the 1980s. Pooled blood collected from southern Vietnam in 1991/92 also showed elevated TCDD up to 33 ppt, whereas tissue from northern Vietnam (where Agent Orange was not used) revealed TCDD levels at or below 2.9 ppt. CONCLUSIONS: Although most Agent Orange studies have focused on American veterans, many Vietnamese had greater exposure. Because health consequences of dioxin contamination are more likely to be found in Vietnamese living in Vietnam than in any other populations, Vietnam provides a unique setting for dioxin studies.
OBJECTIVES: The largest known dioxin contamination occurred between 1962 and 1970, when 12 million gallons of Agent Orange, a defoliant mixture contaminated with a form of the most toxic dioxin, were sprayed over southern and central Vietnam. Studies were performed to determine if elevated dioxin levels persist in Vietnamese living in the south of Vietnam. METHODS: With gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy, human milk, adipose tissue, and blood from Vietnamese living in sprayed and unsprayed areas were analyzed, some individually and some pooled, for dioxins and the closely related dibenzofurans. RESULTS: One hundred sixty dioxin analyses of tissue from 3243 persons were performed. Elevated 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) levels as high as 1832 ppt were found in milk lipid collected from southern Vietnam in 1970, and levels up to 103 ppt were found in adipose tissue in the 1980s. Pooled blood collected from southern Vietnam in 1991/92 also showed elevated TCDD up to 33 ppt, whereas tissue from northern Vietnam (where Agent Orange was not used) revealed TCDD levels at or below 2.9 ppt. CONCLUSIONS: Although most Agent Orange studies have focused on American veterans, many Vietnamese had greater exposure. Because health consequences of dioxin contamination are more likely to be found in Vietnamese living in Vietnam than in any other populations, Vietnam provides a unique setting for dioxin studies.
Authors: G Eadon; L Kaminsky; J Silkworth; K Aldous; D Hilker; P O'Keefe; R Smith; J Gierthy; J Hawley; N Kim Journal: Environ Health Perspect Date: 1986-12 Impact factor: 9.031
Authors: Dao Van Tung; Teruhiko Kido; Seijiro Honma; Ho Dung Manh; Dang Duc Nhu; Rie Okamoto; Shoko Maruzeni; Muneko Nishijo; Hideaki Nakagawa; Pham Thien Ngoc; Ngo Van Toan; Nguyen Ngoc Hung; Nguyen Hung Minh; Le Ke Son Journal: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Date: 2016-02-22 Impact factor: 4.223
Authors: Bao Ting Zhu; Michael A Gallo; Conney W Burger; Robert J Meeker; May Xiaoxin Cai; Shiyao Xu; Allan H Conney Journal: Toxicol Appl Pharmacol Date: 2007-08-31 Impact factor: 4.219
Authors: Ho Dung Manh; Teruhiko Kido; Rie Okamoto; Sun Xianliang; Nguyen Hoang Viet; Madoca Nakano; Pham The Tai; Shoko Maruzeni; Muneko Nishijo; Hideaki Nakagawa; Hiroyuki Suzuki; Seijiro Honma; Dao Van Tung; Dang Duc Nhu; Nguyen Ngoc Hung; Le Ke Son Journal: Environ Health Prev Med Date: 2012-11-02 Impact factor: 3.674