Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Episode 27 Agent Orange in NZ, Ivon Watkins Dow

Episode 27

Agent Orange in NZ, Ivon Watkins Dow

Kea

Hello and welcome to Episode 27 of Jay Wont dart's podcast, where I bring up shocking New Zealand history.

My intro was from episode 100 of No Agenda.

I decided to cover the topic of Ivon Watkins Dow, a New Zealand chemical company that made Agent Orange when I came across the audio clips I'll play during this episode. Ivon Watkins Dow is now known as Dow Agroscience.

Agent Orange was used during the Vietnam War, it killed leaves on trees, it basically killed off jungle, so there was nowhere for enemies to hide, the Americans used it so they would be safe from snipers and so their enemies wouldnt be able to hide in the jungles of Vietnam. Some of this Agent Orange was made in New Zealand, by Ivon Watkins Dow. There are two chemicals used to make Agent Orange, each one is a herbicide, it kills plants, put them together and they make Agent Orange. Now we know that Agent Orange seems to have give all kinds of disease and illnesses to soldiers and other people who came in contact with it. In Vietnam, about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and half a million children born with birth defects. In Vietnam, most of the illnesses are cancer, mental disabilities, extra fingers and toes, facial growths, and skin diseases.

Worldwide, millions of people have been compensated for their illnesses, but many feel let down, betrayed and experimented on by the large companies that made the chemicals and their governments.

I cant believe Agent Orange was made in New Zealand, we pride ourselves on being clean and green, and we are so against nuclear technology, and yet we made this awful poison which seems to have done awful things to many millions of people worldwide.

There are many people in New Zealand who hate Ivon Watkins Dow, the New Zealand company in New Plymouth that made Agent Orange, there are information websites about the issues, that are very interesting to read. Its said that some houses in New Plymouth are built over a dumping site, there are houses over leaking drums of Agent Orange.

The main audio I'll play for this episode is a TV3 program from 2006, called Let Us Spray. I also have a Campbell Live clip to end this episode with. Enjoy the audio, its amazing to think this happened in New Zealand.



Can you believe that? I have links to the video files in the lyrics section of this podcast, for you to watch the video if you want to see it.

This is a clip from Campbell Live, a New Zealand current affairs type show, I think it came out after the Let Us Spray documentary.



I cant believe this was allowed to happen here, in Clean Green New Zealand. This makes me wary of Genetically Modified food, I have no fears about improving plant growth etc, but it seems that large chemical companies are always evil, they always seem to focus on making more profit, and bugger everyone else.

Thank you for listening to this episode.

My outro is from No Agenda 92.

If you want to contact me, even just to say you listened, send an email to jaywontdart@gmail.com, j a y w o n t d a r t @ gmail.com, I'd appreciate it.

Have a super happy day, bye.





Sources
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http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/News/061102/CL.RESIDENTS.021106.300k.wmv

let us spray show

http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray1.300k.wmv
http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray1.300k.wmv
http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray3.300k.wmv
http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray4.300k.wmv
http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray5.300k.wmv
http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray6.300k.wmv
http://content.mediaworks.co.nz/tv/Special/Spray7.300k.wmv

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