Drinking Water

My father, served with the 17th Construction Squadron of the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. The squadron was primarily based at Nui Dat, in Phuoc Tuy Province, Vietnam, between 1966 and 1971.

During this time, the unit constructed infrastructure including roads, airfields, and water supply systems under continuous threat in areas subjected to heavy chemical defoliation.

Historical records show that in 1967, the 17th Construction Squadron constructed a 300,000-gallon dam to provide a reliable drinking water supply to the Australian Task Force. This water was drawn from local estuarine or surface sources in an area heavily sprayed with Agent Orange, which is now known to have been contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)—a potent human toxicant.

According to findings in the NRCET Report to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (2002), dioxins such as TCDD were not removed by standard water treatment or distillation processes used at the time. In fact, distillation enriched these toxins, especially when water was sourced from estuarine or runoff-affected regions. As the 17th Construction Squadron relied on local water sources at Nui Dat and in the surrounding region, it is reasonable to conclude that my father was chronically exposed to contaminated drinking water.

This exposure pathway is particularly relevant given the increased cancer, mortality, and congenital condition rates observed in Australian Vietnam Veterans and their children. My father’s exposure to contaminated drinking water must be acknowledged as a biologically significant exposure pathway, with likely impacts not only on his health but also on the health of his descendants, including myself.