Class Action over Agent Orange to Proceed

Posted By: Law is Cool August 2, 2007

Canadian soldiers have launched a class-action lawsuit for exposure to Agent Orange between 1956 and 2004.

Agent 00range

No, it’s not a James Bond character or the antagonist in a bad spy novel.

Agent Orange was a defoliant used extensively in the Vietnam War that contained chemicals called hexachlorolbenzene (HCB) and dioxins. Underbrush was destroyed to avoid enemy combatants from hiding in it, but American servicemen were frequently exposed to it as well.

Medical research subsequently concluded that Agent Orange could cause a wide range of health-related conditions, including:

  1. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
  2. Soft-tissue sarcoma
  3. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  4. Hodgkin’s disease
  5. Chloracne

Previous American Suit

American veterans established their own class-action suit. In 1984, a $180 million compensation fund was established for class members.

But veterans in the U.S. still experience challenges in obtaining medical coverage for their conditions.

New Canadian Suit

The new suit in Canada was launched July 14, 2007 by Merchant Law Group on behalf of 440,000 soldiers, staff and their families around CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.

The case was certified by the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador yesterday.

About the Author

Law is Cool
This site is intended to provide a resource for those interested in law. Current law students, graduates preparing for their bar exam, and members of the general public, can all benefit from a deeper understanding of the legal framework that helps shape our society.

6 Comments on "Class Action over Agent Orange to Proceed"

  1. Kenneth H Young CD | August 2, 2007 at 9:11 am |

    A few errors,

    Agent Orange contained Dioxin.
    Agent White contained hexachlorolbenzene
    Both are deadly and have their own list of medicl conditions.

    Class action was started in 2005 Ottawa has been delaying.
    only 315,000 soldiers are at this time being claimed for.
    and CFB Gagetown is in New Brunswick not Nova Scotia.

  2. Kenneth H Young CD | August 2, 2007 at 10:32 am |

    the 315,000 was not just soldiers and includes scouts, reservists, army cadets and civilians working on the base..

  3. lawiscool | August 2, 2007 at 11:09 am |

    Hi Kenneth,

    Thanks for your comments. The figures were from The Gazette here: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=00607864-f463-46f1-b261-1cdf8b1cc21f
    If you can provide links supporting your position, we will gladly update the page.

    We were aware of the history going back to 2005. But because of different opinions as to why, we instead invite the readers to provide their insight as to some of the possible reasons.

  4. Kenneth H Young CD | August 2, 2007 at 12:36 pm |

    Check with the Agent Orange Association of Canada (AOAC) web site at ( http://www.agentorangealert.com/ ) the moderator is the VP of the AOAC

    Thank you in advance

    Ken Y

  5. lawiscool | August 2, 2007 at 1:46 pm |

    Kenneth Dobbie’s direct statement can be found here: http://www.agentorangealert.com/classactionlawsuit.html

Comments are closed.