Use in the Vietnam War
Birth of Agent Orange
Vietnam War during 1960s and 1970 caused lots of casualties and mass destruction. Due to the defoliant environment was damaged and the impact of this chemical weapon is still reported even after 40 years when the war ended.
To U.S. military, presence of Vietcong that were hiding in the forest was a huge threat. Because of the forests, U.S. military could not use huge weapon they usually used. Therefore, they started to use the defoliant of remove the forest.
In the beginning, the U.S. military used little amount of defoliants called Agent Green, Agent Pink and Agent Purple. However, after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the U.S. military started to utilize the developed defoliant called 'Agent Orange'. Agent Orange was part of a chemical warfare program called Operation Ranch Hand. Obviously, the goal of this operation was to remove the forest in Vietnam. This specific defoliant was called Agent Orange because its container was painted with an orange paint to distinguish it from other defoliant and herbicide chemical weapons. Agent Orange was a mixture of two chemical substance called 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D with a ratio of 50:50. By defoliating the forest, the U.S. military could find the guerrillas with ease. Also, damaging the rural land led the agriculture to fail thus preventing the farmers from helping the guerrillas by giving food supply.
Malicious Effect of Agent Orange
Agent Orange had a critical impact on the soil and underground water where it was sprayed. It also damaged ecology and humans in the region.
It is estimated that the U.S. military sprayed almost 20,000,000 gallons of the chemical weapon. When spraying Agent Orange, the U.S. military used a helicopter or a jet like the picture on the left. United State's Air Force record reveals that 6,542 chemical weapon missions took place as a part of the Operation Ranch Hand. Due to the use of Agent Orange, 20% of South Vietnam's forests were defoliated and destroyed. However, the forests were not the only victims of Agent Orange.
A myriad of Vietnamese people suffer diseases caused by Agent Orange. Agent Orange has harmful effect not only on the people who had direct contact with it but also to their children. In fact 500,000 children were born with disabilities.
Vietnam War during 1960s and 1970 caused lots of casualties and mass destruction. due to the defoliant
Effects on the Vietnamese People
Vietnam War during 1960s and 1970 caused lots of casualties and mass destruction. Due to the defoliant environment was damaged and the impact of this chemical weapon is still reported even after 40 years when the war ended.
To U.S. military, presence of Vietcong that were hiding in the forest was a huge threat. Because of the forests, U.S. military could not use huge weapon they usually used. Therefore, they started to use the defoliant of remove the forest.
In the beginning, the U.S. military used little amount of defoliants called Agent Green, Agent Pink and Agent Purple. However, after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the U.S. military started to utilize the developed defoliant called 'Agent Orange'. Agent Orange was part of a chemical warfare program called Operation Ranch Hand. Obviously, the goal of this operation was to remove the forest in Vietnam. This specific defoliant was called Agent Orange because its container was painted with an orange paint to distinguish it from other defoliant and herbicide chemical weapons. Agent Orange was a mixture of two chemical substance called 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D with a ratio of 50:50. By defoliating the forest, the U.S. military could find the guerrillas with ease. Also, damaging the rural land led the agriculture to fail thus preventing the farmers from helping the guerrillas by giving food supply.
Malicious Effect of Agent Orange
Agent Orange had a critical impact on the soil and underground water where it was sprayed. It also damaged ecology and humans in the region.
It is estimated that the U.S. military sprayed almost 20,000,000 gallons of the chemical weapon. When spraying Agent Orange, the U.S. military used a helicopter or a jet like the picture on the left. United State's Air Force record reveals that 6,542 chemical weapon missions took place as a part of the Operation Ranch Hand. Due to the use of Agent Orange, 20% of South Vietnam's forests were defoliated and destroyed. However, the forests were not the only victims of Agent Orange.
A myriad of Vietnamese people suffer diseases caused by Agent Orange. Agent Orange has harmful effect not only on the people who had direct contact with it but also to their children. In fact 500,000 children were born with disabilities.
Vietnam War during 1960s and 1970 caused lots of casualties and mass destruction. due to the defoliant
Effects on the Vietnamese People