The reason there was so much confusion for so long is because, when properly made, in a cold process, Agent Orange and the other “rainbow” defoliants are entirely harmless, and test after test demonstrated the fact.
However, when *improperly* made, in a hot process, contaminants are produced that cause all these nightmarish symptoms.
To discover this, investigators actually had to go back to Vietnam, to get samples from some of the rusting and decaying 55 gallon drums that remained there after the war. And they discovered the contaminants.
At first, the assumption was that the defoliant had been added to reused drums with existing contaminants in them, but the evidence did not support that conclusion. Finally they discovered the difference in the manufacturing process.
However, after all was said and done, the lawyers for the veterans agreed to a remarkably small settlement, just before trial, that outraged the veterans, but the federal judge hearing the case refused to set it aside as unconscionable.
Some of the veterans actually lost more benefits they were going to get then they got from the settlement.
So, in one last act of betrayal, congress again screwed military personnel.
I never heard this story about the comtaminants
in agent orange used in VN before.
On our farm we used 2-4-5-T (AO) for many years
before it was outlawed,great weed killer.
I am just a bit skeptical about the dangers of AO
with the exposure most guys got in VN.
Not to mention those REMP`s that are after $$.