The status of herbicidedioxin residues in Vietnam

The status of
herbicide/dioxin residues in
Vietnam

Office of The National Steering Committee on
overcoming of toxic chemicals used by US
during the war in Vietnam (Office 33)


Contaminated sources of
herbicide/dioxin

~77 million liters of herbercide
Agents

Liter

Orange

49.3 millions

White

20.6 millions

Blue

4.7 millions

Purple , Pink , Green

2.4 millions

Sum

77 millions
Ranch Hand

WASH, STORE AND SPILLED AREAS
FOR SPRAYING AIRPLAN

8/1961-10/1971
- Density of spray is about 37 kg/ha,
which is 17 time higher than the
spray density in agriculture

Dioxin: byproduct in Agents Orange;
Purple; Pink , Green


Quantity of dioxin contained in
herbicides:
- Folkin: 500 kg
- Stellman: 366 kg (≈ 240 times total
amount of dioxin/furan in USA year
2000).

-Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center:
1000 kg

Dioxin contamination in Vietnam caused

by AO source:
The ratio of TCDD is very high:
- In soil and sediment
•VN: 2,3,7,8- TCDD > 90%;
• Contamination by industrial sources:
2,3,7,8TCDD ~10%


- 19,905 flights sprayed herbicide






25.585 hamlets were sprayed
with toxic chemicals
80% areas were duplicated
spray
11% areas were sprayed more
than 10 times
 Total forest area sprayed :
3,104,000 ha (approx.17.8%
natural forest area)
 Amount of wood lost about
82,830,000 m3
 Many rare and prestigue plans
and animals were diminished and
lost

Table 1: Determinate results of dioxin residues in environment (until 2006)
TT

Areas

Samples

Concentration 2378TCDD/TEQ, ppt

Gio Linh - Cam Lộ,
Quảng Trị (2003-2004)

Soil
Water
Sediment

1,2 TEQ
0
1TEQ

Cam Lộ, Quảng Trị
(2004)

Organism
soil

< 0.2 TEQ (n=12)
20 TEQ (n=10)

1

2

3

Sa Nhơn, Sa Thầy,
Kon Tum (2003)

Soil
sediement

4

Phú Lộc, TT-Huế
(1993)

soil

5

Tây Ninh (1993)
Tân Bình, Tân Biên, Tây
Ninh(1995-98)

Soil
Soil
organism

14

(n=14/54)
13,2/14,3 (n=24)
0,7/ 2,8
(n=7)

Matsuda và cs
TTNĐViệtTTNĐViệt- Nga

6

Rừng
Sác,
HCM(1986-1990)
Tân Sơn Nhất
HCM(1995-1996)
Tân Sơn Nhất
HCM(2006)

Soil
Sediment
soil
sediement

16
(n=7)
3,6/4,0
(n=7)
2,06-341TEQ (n=5)

VH1/ ĐHKHTNHN

UB10-80 TTNĐViệt- Nga
Ban 10-80, VP33
(2006)

Tp.
Tp.

122/123
13/15
12/13
23,5

(n=10)
(n=7)
(n=9)
(n=89)

TTNĐViệtNga
TTNĐViệtNga
TTNĐViệt- Nga
TTNĐViệt- Nga
Mai Anh Tuấn và cs (2004)

Sân bay A So (1999)
Sân bay Tà Bạt(1999)
Sân bay A Lưới(1999)
A Lưới( đến 1999)

Tp.

Soil
Soil
Soil
Soil

(n=31)
(n=2)
(n=15)

Analytical laboratoriesSources

UB10-80+Hatfield
80+Hatfield
80+Hatfield
80+Hatfield

UB10UB10UB10-

0,14 TEQ (n=14)
0,38 TEQ (n=6)

TTNĐViệt- Nga - Cục Môi
trưòng

8,6

Matsuda và cs
(1993)

(n=4/6)

Nga


Table 1: Determinate results of dioxin residues in environment (until 2006) (cont.)
TT
7

Areas
Cà Mau (1993)

8

Hồ Trị An (2002-2003)

9

Khu vực Mã Đà (2000)
Khu vực SB Rang Rang
(2004)

10

Bình Mỹ, Tân Uyên,Bình
Dương
(1995-1998)

Samples
Đất

Concentration 2378TCDD/TEQ, ppt
<1

(n=16)

Đất
Bùn
Nước
S.vật

3,9 TEQ (n=15)
2,8 TEQ (n=27)
0
(n=4)
1,0 TEQ (n=19)

Đất

8,6/10,2 (n=9/17)
119/122 (n=1/17)
24 TEQ (n=5)
265 TEQ (n=1)

Đất

Đất
Svật

12,7/14,5 (n=19)
1,3/3,4

(n=10)

Analytical laboratoriesSources
Matsuda và cs
Viện
KHTLMN
TTNĐViệt- Nga
TTNĐViệt- Nga
Mai Anh Tuấn và cs
(2004)

TTNĐViệt- Nga







Because of time, rain, flood, slops, run off,… > Concentration of
Dioxin in spraying areas were mostly decreased below the
harmful level to environment.
Cuu Long delta areas: not detected 2,3,7,8-TCDD concentration
Midle areas: Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên Huế (A Lưới) dioxin concentration
were found but were not high levels (average is 23,5ppt)
South East area: average of dioxin concentration is 15,05 ppt

Some big lakes: (như Dầu Tiếng, Trị An), dioxin concenration in sediment
are in acceptable level (safety level)
> Other contaminated areas is still lacking??



> Mobility, precipitation of hebicides/dioxin? ?
> Unload hebicides/AO when airplan be pursuing or be charsing


DIOXIN RESIDUES AT THE STORED, WASHED, SPILLED
AND UPLOADED AREAS

•At present, 3 hotspot areas has been determining: Bien hoa , Biên Hòa, Đà
Nẵng và Phù Cát aiports
• in 2007, US MOD have providing information on new 7 aiports Đà Nẵng,
Biên Hòa, Phù Cát, Nha Trang, Tân Sơn Nhất, Phan Rang và Tuy Hòa ) are
previous storages that might be also contaminated. VN MOD, Hattfield are
now doing sampling, analysing to determine dioxin concentration in these
airports. For Danang airport, it have been identified some more
contamination places at the South of aiport; in Bienhoa airport also
indentified some new places of dioxin contamination (but analytical result is
still not finished yet) .


Herbicides in Bien Hoa Airbase
Operation Ranch Hand (Dec. 1966 – Feb. 1970) - total transport and handling
Agent Orange: 98,000 barrels (20,384,000 l)
Agent White: 45,000 barrels (9,360,000 l)
Agent Blue: 16,300 barrels (3,390,000 l)
Operation Pacer Ivy (Apr. 1970 – Mar. 1972)
Re-drumming of 11,000 barrels Agent Orange (2,288,000 l) and site cleanup
occurred
Spills of Herbicides in Bien Hoa Airbase

December 1969 – March 1970: four large spills from 28,000-liter tanks occurred on
the airbase. Spills and leakages also occurred due to handling (loading, washing and
re-drumming).


Bien Hoa Airbase: Area contaminated Dioxin, Volume to be Treated
Area
(m2)

Location

dioxin
0-0.3m
mean (ppt)
5.276
19-65.500

Treatment
depth(m)
1,2

Est. Soil,
Sediment
(m3)
18.000

South
runway

of

15.000

South
runway

of

20.000

2.650
80,3-22.800

1,2

24.000

Site Z1

38.000

15.864
2-409.818

1,5

57.000

Z1-Perimeter
land

49.000

893
2,0-13.300

0,9

22.050

Z1-perimeter
wetlands/lak
es
Sum

41.000

495
16-2.240

0,5

20.500

163.000

* Treatment level: Soil 1000ppt; Sediment 150ppt
Z1 has been isolated, 5 million USD; 3,600 m3 bioremidiatio

141.550

Herbicides in Phu Cat Airbase
 Operation Ranch Hand (Jun. 1968 – May.
1970) - total transport and handling
 Agent Orange: 17,000 barrels (3,536,000 l)
 Agent White: 9,000 barrels (1,872,000 l)
 Agent Blue: 2,900 barrels (603,200 l)
 Spills of Herbicides in Phu Cat Airbase
 Spills and leakages occurred due to handling
(loading and washing).


Phu Cat: Area contaminated Dioxin, Volume to be Treated
Location

Area
(m2)

Loading Area (A)

dioxin
0-0.3m
mean (ppt)

Treatment
depth(m)

Est. Soil,
Sediment
(m3)

261
2,6-876

0

0

Zone B

24.000

482
1,5-2.950

0.6

1,440

Washing area (C)

6.000

25
1,9-218

0

0

Storage area(Z3)

2.020

11.367

1.2

2,424

310.000

43
1,7-196

0.5

1,550

Lakes A,B,C
Sum

342.020

* Treatment level: Soil 1000ppt; Sediment 150ppt

5,414

Herbicides in Da Nang Airbase
 Operation Ranch Hand (May 1964 – Jan. 1971) total transport and handling:
 Agent Orange: 52,700 barrels (10,961,600 l)
 Agent White: 29,000 barrels (6,032,000 l)
 Agent Green: 5,000 barrels (1,040,000 l)
 Operation Pacer Ivy (Dec. 1971 – Mar. 1972)
 Collected and re-drummed 8,220 barrels Agent
Orange (1,709,760 l)
 Spills of Herbicides in Da Nang Airbase
 Spills and leakages occurred due to handling
(loading, washing and re-drumming


Sen Lake

Ranch Hand Sites

Pacer Ivy Sites


P4

P1

P3

P2