Agent Orange Research Paper

Repercussions of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War Our modern society and technology revolves around many different chemical compounds. Advances in the chemical field of herbicides or pesticides, while being beneficial to our society, can come at a price. Without proper testing and research, harmful chemical compounds may be released into the environment unknowingly. Some compounds, even though thoroughly tested, may only exhibit malicious effects years after being introduced to the environment. Such a case would be the story of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was an herbicide used in the Vietnam War by South Vietnam and the United States to try to get rid of the jungle in which the Vietcong used as cover. Unfortunately, the herbicide contained an extremely dangerous and potent compound 2,3,7,8, - tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), or commonly referred to as just dioxin (Herbicides). TCDD has caused many ill effects in people who have been exposed to it, and it was not only until years after the widespread use in the war that it was discovered to be exceedingly dangerous. The chemical defoliant Agent Orange, along with other defoliants, was produced and sold to the military by various companies such as DOW Chemical Company (Agent Orange). The United States and South Vietnamese began using different defoliants in the Vietnam War during the autumn of 1962 (Herbicides). The use began with the US Air Force 's Operation Ranch Hand, whose main goal was to distribute chemical weapons and defoliants over the North Vietnamese (Herbicides). Though the chemical was not fully understood or tested extensively over a long time period, the war effort was in desperation for some way to get an upper hand in the war and Agent Orange provided that upper hand. The defoliant was sprayed from just about anything that could move, including planes, helicopters, trucks, boats, and even soldiers (Herbicides). Usually enemy food supplies, villages, and camps were targeted with the defoliant. The liberal spraying of Agent Orange caused numerous people on both sides to be contaminated, and caused the contamination of vast areas of land in Vietnam, about 10% (King). Even though the contagion in Agent Orange is only 2 parts per million, 1 drop of pure TCDD could kill almost 1,000 people (MacPherson). If around 368 lbs of pure dioxin were sprayed in total over the course of the war, a countless number of people would have been effected (Herbicides). Thankfully in the late 1960 's research showed that dioxin caused an increase in birth defects among other things and the use of herbicides stopped in 1970 (Stone). Unfortunately though, 45 million liters of AO were already sprayed over Vietnam and many veterans and Vietnamese have had lasting effects (Stellman, Stellman and Weber). The effects of Agent Orange, while some being well-known and connected, can be somewhat difficult to deduce. Many studies show lots of different variations in the problems associated with Agent Orange. While the Veteran 's group study says that male exposure to Agent Orange causes birth defects and miscarriage, the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that there aren 't any significant effects of Agent Orange and the offspring of males who have been exposed (Reprieve). The nature of the toxin TCDD and the bodies inability to decompose it, make it a substance which may possibly only exhibit harmful effects years after exposure. Thus making it very hard to concisely deduce possible links to diseases. The one outstanding effect from dioxin exposure though, is birth defects. The most effected group from dioxin exposure and birth defects would be the 2.1 million-4.8 million Vietnamese whose villages and farms were sprayed (Stone). In sprayed areas of Vietnam the average miscarriage rate is about 10.1% compared to the average of 6.1% in unaffected areas, showing that there is a positive correlation between dioxin exposure and miscarriage (Herbicides). However, the study done by the Committee to review the health effects of exposure to herbicides concluded that exposure in men does not cause spontaneous abortion (Herbicides). In the spring of 2004, a large group of Vietnamese filed a class-action law suit against Agent Orange manufacturers for causing consistent birth defects in children of exposed peoples. Though the claims were dismissed because the research behind dioxin exposure may be inconclusive, this started to move the effort in cleaning the soils and contaminated lands of Vietnam forward. The UN along with the US have pledged to help clean up different exposed areas, and erase the last remnants of the chemical warfare of the Vietnam War (Stone). Le Ke Son, director of Vietnam committee for use of toxic chemicals in Vietnam, said, "We are really ready for cooperative benefits and respect in cleaning up dioxin contamination." While the evidence for the correlation between exposure and miscarriage is fairly strong, the same cannot be said about the correlation between certain diseases in veterans and exposure to dioxin. In the late 70 's and 80 's Operation Ranch Hand began investigating the amounts of exposure in vets who worked with the agent. They found that very few people had been highly exposed to the chemical. Continuous tests because of the Agent Orange Act in 1991, which mandated testing of the effects of Agent Orange on Veterans their book is Veterans and Agent Orange, concluded in 2004 that dioxin exposure increases risks of certain cancers, diabetes, Hodgkin 's disease, and chloracne (Stone). However the correlation between exposure and cancer may be inconclusive because of the latency of the effects of TCDD and the general consensus that as the Veterans get older, the chances of developing cancer goes up too (Herbicides). Not everyone can agree on how dangerous dioxin is or what its effects might be, but everyone can agree upon the fact that spraying millions of gallons of an almost unknown herbicide has dramatically changed the lives of many people, and changed the policies of chemical warfare. The ill effects may fade away over time, and the miasma of TCDD in the environment may be cleaned up, but lesson in the dangers of irresponsible chemical use will hopefully stay with us as we look forward to a brighter and more peaceful future.

Works Cited
Agent Orange. 3 August 2012. The Dow Chemical Company. 16 February 2013. .
Herbicides, Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterens of Exposure to. Veterans and Agent Orange. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1994.
King, Pamela S. The Use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War and Its Effects. Thesis. Georgetown University. Washington, D.C., 2010. 1 January 2013. .
MacPherson, Myra. Vietnam and the Haunted Generation. New York City, New York: Double Day Anchor Books, 1984.
"Reprieve for Agent Orange." Science News 118.6 (1980): 86. 31 01 2013.
Stellman, Jeanne Mager, et al. "A Geographic Information System for Characterizing Exposure to Agent Orange and Other Herbicides in Vietnam." Environmental Health Prespectives 111.3 (2003): 321-328. 31 01 2013.
Stone, Richard. "Agent Orange 's Bitter Harvest." Science 315.5809 (2007): 176-179. 31 01 2013.

Cited: Agent Orange. 3 August 2012. The Dow Chemical Company. 16 February 2013. . Herbicides, Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterens of Exposure to. Veterans and Agent Orange. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1994. King, Pamela S. The Use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War and Its Effects. Thesis. Georgetown University. Washington, D.C., 2010. 1 January 2013. . MacPherson, Myra. Vietnam and the Haunted Generation. New York City, New York: Double Day Anchor Books, 1984. "Reprieve for Agent Orange." Science News 118.6 (1980): 86. 31 01 2013. Stellman, Jeanne Mager, et al. "A Geographic Information System for Characterizing Exposure to Agent Orange and Other Herbicides in Vietnam." Environmental Health Prespectives 111.3 (2003): 321-328. 31 01 2013. Stone, Richard. "Agent Orange 's Bitter Harvest." Science 315.5809 (2007): 176-179. 31 01 2013.