Many of you who may already be aware that Monsanto is one of the largest corporations in the food industry today, particularly with seed for major crops like corn and soybeans, and is best known for its herbicide product RoundUp. But how much do you really know about this mega-corporation?
Did you know that every time you use a Monsanto product, such as RoundUp, RoundUp ready soybeans, or anything made with RoundUp ready soybeans or other genetically modified organisms, you provide profit to one of the companies that made Agent Orange for the use of the U.S. Government during the Vietnam War?
Most people associate Agent Orange with Dow Chemical, but the fact is that ten different companies produced Agent Orange, including Monsanto. According to Monsanto’s website “The manufacturing companies [for Agent Orange] included Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Dow Chemical Company, Hercules, Inc., T-H Agricultural & Nutrition Company, Thompson Chemicals Corporation, Uniroyal Inc. and Monsanto Company, which at the time was a chemical manufacturer. Monsanto manufactured Agent Orange from 1965 to 1969.”
Agent Orange was invented by Arthur Galston, a U.S. biological warfare researcher as part of an ongoing research program in the early 1950’s. By the mid-1960’s Galston was lobbying for the U.S. government to stop production and use of Agent Orange. He eventually succeeded in bringing enough awareness to stop it, but the damage had already been done. Monsanto, along with the other manufacturing companies, continued to contract with the U.S. government to produce Agent Orange during this time, even though the dangers were being made known. Lawsuits resulted in the late 1970’s, and were settled out of court up until the 1990’s. Monsanto’s current position on the Agent Orange issue is one that causes us to question the current integrity of the company. Even though Monsanto willingly contracted to produce Agent Orange for a profit, and continued to do so after the dangers were presented, their website states “We believe that the adverse consequences alleged to have arisen out of the Vietnam War, including the use of Agent Orange, should be resolved by the governments that were involved.”
This leads us to wonder how Monsanto’s involvement in the production of Agent Orange affects us now. Beyond the morally questionable stance that the company still continues to take to this day regarding their responsibility in the matter overseas and with our veterans, we have to look at where these chemicals were produced and what has become of these facilities. Uniroyal Ltd, one of the companies that produced Agent Orange, owned a facility in Canada known as Chemtura. Chemtura was located in the town Elmira, which is in Ontario. The facility produced about 2.6 million litres of Agent Orange and its toxic component, Dioxin, still contaminates the town’s soil and water today. The facility, known locally as the “Toxidome”, is closed and treated much like Chernobyl. The adjoining cemetery is no longer used for burials, because the soil is still considered to be too toxic.
Monsanto’s Agent Orange production occurred at the Monsanto Chemical Co. site in Nitro, WV. Monsanto’s website fails to mention that a class action lawsuit has been filed against them in behalf of the people of Nitro. Phase 1 of the trial began in September of this year. Monsanto has been unwilling to offer any correct cleanup of its facilities and is fighting any responsibility toward the people and the properties that have been damaged by the Dioxin levels in their town.
This all leads one to see the obvious: The products currently being manufactured by Monsanto are going to continue to be manufactured, regardless of any information provided that states they are dangerous. If/when they are finally forced to cease production of these products, they will not willingly hold any responsibility toward anyone affected by these products or the waste from their production.
Sources:
Monsanto. (n.d.): Agent Orange: Background on Monsanto’s Involvement.
York, G. Mick, H. (2008): The Last Ghost of the Vietnam War. Globe and Mail Issue date July 12, 2008
The Aspen Institute. (2011): Dioxin ‘Hot Spots’ in the United States.
Bibb v. Monsanto Company. (2011): Civil Action No. 04-C-486