Da Nang Airbase served as a bulk storage and supply facility for Orange Agent and other herbicides during the Operation Ranch Hand 1961-1971^7,8. Local people living in the vicinities of the Da Nang Airbase have probably been facing with high risk of exposing to dioxin in soil, water and mud and particularly through consuming local contaminated foods. A recent study showed that samples of soil, mud, some local foods, blood, and breast milk taken around Da Nang Airbase had dioxin concentrations exceeding current international environmental and food standards⁷.

This study applies the Australian Environmental Health Risk Assessment Framework aimed to assess the risk of dioxin exposure through foods for local residents in Bien Hoa City, Vietnam. Various stakeholders were involved in this process. Related publications on dioxin characteristics, its toxicity, and the levels in the local soil, mud, foods, milk and blood samples were reviewed. A food frequency survey of 400 randomly selected local households was conducted to provide data for exposure assessment.