Educational Media Reviews Online

The People vs. Agent Orange is an award-winning documentary from the critically acclaimed PBS series Independent Lens. Co-directors Alan Adelson and Kate Taverna highlight the insidious mixture of herbicides developed by chemical companies Dow, Monsanto, and others. Arguably one of the most destructive instances of chemical warfare in modern history, Agent Orange was heavily used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War to destroy crops that might have sustained Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces, as well as a mechanism for defoliating deep forests used for refuge.

This documentary follows two activists from different sides of the world as they seek justice and accountability for the long-term negative effects of these toxins. French-Vietnamese activist Tran To Nga has worked tirelessly to build a legal case against the American chemical industry for its role in poisoning herself and her family in Vietnam. She describes the horrific moment her newborn daughter’s skin started to fall off in pieces before she passed away with a heart condition and complications breathing. The human and environmental impact of Agent Orange has proved devastating, despite the denial of a link between exposure and health complications by chemical companies. Four generations later, Vietnamese children are still being born with physical and mental defects linked to the dioxin exposure of Agent Orange. Utilizing interviews and archival footage, Adelson and Taverna bring attention to this ongoing struggle.

Stateside, American activist, Carol Van Strum, has also been in a continuous fight with corporate entities with ties to the logging industry since the 1970s. Despite knowledge of the carcinogenic and mutagenic effects of dioxin, timber companies blanketed deforested lands with 2,4-D, one of the main ingredients of Agent Orange, in Oregon and Washington in an effort to keep clear-cut areas free of growth for continuous replanting. In areas like Lincoln County, Oregon, the continued spraying of variant toxins has caused devastating results, including a significant increase in cancer, miscarriages, rare birth defects, and deformities. Despite desperate pleas from community members, the Forest Service was unwilling to conduct a community health survey. Interviews reveal a fear held by residents of speaking up about their concerns. They believe the powers that be were using intimidation and surveillance tactics to keep them quiet. After years of lawsuits against the federal government and numerous Freedom of Information Act requests, Van Strum compiled a massive collection of documentation detailing cover-up efforts, flawed laboratory testing, and the influence chemical manufacturers had on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The collection of documents is available through the online database poisonpapers.org.

This 90-minute film is fast-paced and is sure to generate important discussions, especially as it relates to the environmental effects of war. This documentary would be appropriate for most libraries. It could also serve as a useful resource for courses in the social sciences and military history, as well as environmental studies, public health, and many other areas.

Awards:
PBS Independent Lens Broadcast; Jury Award winner of the Eugene Environmental Film Festival 2020; 2021 OAH Erik Barnouw Award

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