Ivon Watkins Dow factory, New Plymouth, New Zealand 1968 (from the summit of Paritutu)

When I arrived in New Plymouth in 1968 this was described as a fertilizer and pesticide factory. Soon after rumours began to spread that it was manufacturing defoliants for use in Vietnam. This was strongly denied.

The trouble was that the pesticide 2-4-5-T - which was being openly and commercially manufactured for use on New Zealand farms - was the core ingredient of Agent Orange, and nobody at the time knew that it was harmful to humans. The denials were not a chemcial cover up, but a political one. The government did not want to stir up the growing anti-war movement in New Zealand at a time when over 3000 NZ troops were serving in Vietnam.

Subsequently it has been established that Agent Orange was being manufactured here. When Vietnam troops and their families were showing the effects of dioxin poisoning questions began to be asked about the risk to people who lived and worked here. While 245T manufacture ceased everywhere else in the world by 1978, it continued here until 1987جري Although abnormal rates of birth defects and certain kinds of cancer amongst those who lived here in the 60s was measured and confirmed in the 90s it is only in the past few years that a very guarded and conditional acceptance of problems has come from public health officials.

For me this is a very personal example of the fact that the reverberating effects of wars echo down through the generations and do not just cease when the war ceases. It is also a challenge to those who maintain that we don't need to take precautions over new technological and scientific applications until there is scientific proof of harm.