Renfrew man blames Agent Orange for illness

Ronald Deshane bears the spots and scars of someone who has lived with various illnesses for around 30 years, sickness he thinks is caused by his exposure to the chemical mix "Agent Orange."

Deshane, who lives in Renfrew, Ont., worked for Ontario's Ministry of Transportation for more than 30 years.

It was recently revealed workers at provincial agencies like his used a mixture of two chemicals — 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T — during the 1950s, '60s, '70s and possibly the '80s to control growth along provincial highways, transmission lines and on vast tracts of Crown land. The combination of those two herbicides in equal parts comprised Agent Orange - the most widely used defoliant in the Vietnam War.

Deshane said during his career he sprayed hundreds of gallons of these chemicals, now known to cause cancer and other diseases, in Prince Edward County.

"There was nothing that said this herbicide is bad for you, or what you might be getting yourself exposed to," Deshane said, adding neither he nor his colleagues were instructed to wear protective gear.

"There was no facilities for getting rid of whatever contaminants you happened to get on your skin. You lived with it. There was no problem with that. At least that's what we thought at the time."

Since retiring in the 1990s, Deshane has battled prostate cancer and melanoma. He said his former co-workers have also battled various diseases.

Now, he's calling on the provincial government to make things right.

Ont. launches investigation, hotline

Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey announced Friday that toxicology expert Dr. Leonard Ritter will lead an investigation into the health risks associated with the chemical spraying.

The Ontario government has also set up hotlines for people who think they may have been exposed to the chemicals. Hundreds of calls have been received over the last few weeks.

"Somebody who calls that line should get a reasonable response time, my goal would be within 24 hours," Jeffrey said.

But Deshane said he called two weeks ago and nobody has responded yet.

"I have lost a number of co-workers and family members who worked for the Ministry, Deshane said. "And it is very conceivable that a lot of their medical problems relates back to this."

"You get the feeling like you're a commodity, that they either recycle or dispose of. I think that we're in the disposal bin."

Deshane said he plans to take legal action if he disagrees with the results of the independent investigation.