VVA Speaks Out Against
“Agent Orange Corn”

VVA President John Rowan issued a strongly worded statement on May 23 directed to President Barack Obama on the issue of the proposed deregulation of a new strand of genetically modified corn seed developed by Dow Agroscience. Dubbed “Agent Orange corn,” it will withstand high levels of herbicides, including 2,4-D, which was known during the Vietnam War as Agent Orange.

“Given what we know, we have major concerns about the effects on biodiversity, human health, cumulative environmental impacts, and the security of the world’s food supply,” Rowan said. “We believe there has been little serious epidemiological investigation by the VA or the Centers for Disease Control or the National Institutes of Health into this very real issue. To add insult to potential injury, Dow’s naming of this weed-control method ‘Enlist’ is, unintended or not, a slap at all Vietnam veterans.” 

VVA, Rowan said, is “not calling for a complete ban of this new product at this time. We are simply not willing to be lied to or withheld information from again. Vietnam veterans were lied to about our exposure to chemicals, which claimed many lives long after our troops left Southeast Asia.”