(VOVworld) - The consequences of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin, sprayed by US troops during the war in Vietnam, were highlighted in an article on Argentina’s ArgePress website on Sunday.

Vietnam’s walking for AO/Dioxin victims (Photo: VOV)

The article, written by Carlos Rivodo, accused US troops of using destructive chemical weapons in Vietnam.

The article said that a H-34 helicopter of the US Air Force on August 10, 1961 dispersed herbicides over forests in Vietnam, beginning the large-scale defoliation programme codenamed “Operation Ranch Hand”, which used chemicals, including AO/dioxin .

Rivodo wrote that from 1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides over southern Vietnam. About 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. Many of the victims died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a result of the chemicals.

Not only Vietnamese, but also people from many other countries have become victims of the chemical, which has polluted the environment, Rivodo stressed. He described it as a crime against humanity.