By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A court in South Korea has for the first time ruled in favor of victims of Agent Orange and ordered St. Louis-based Monsanto, along with Dow Chemical Company, to pay $62 million in medical compensation.
The money will go to South Korean veterans of the Vietnam War and their families.
The companies made Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. South Koreans, Vietnamese and many U.S. veterans blame a variety of illnesses - including miscarriages, birth defects, cancers, and nervous disorders - on exposure to Agent Orange.
The compensation will cover about 6,800 people, though both companies said in a joint statement that they plan to appeal the ruling.
The companies say independent scientific evidence has found no link between exposure to Agent Orange and serious human illness.