Why Is Agent Orange Should Be Banned

Brook Couture
December 6, 2016
Agent Orange Chemical Research Paper

“Operation Ranch Hand” was a war tactic used by the United States government during the Vietnam war, its purpose was to clear forests, but the consequences were far greater. From 1961 to 1971, a chemical was sprayed over the entire country of Vietnam, leaving 200,000 people affected by the harmful toxin (Dioxin, 2015). The chemical used is called Agent Orange. Its use was discontinued after it was banned in 1971 by the United States (n.a, 2016). However, the ban came too late and provided no relief for the Vietnamese that are still dealing with the consequences of exposure to Agent Orange. Agent Orange was originally sprayed to kill all the trees in Vietnam so the Vietnamese soldiers would not be able to hide in the jungle, but it had a disastrous effect on more than the forest.
The main purpose of the chemical research was to discover what the long-term effects of Agent Orange were
on people and the environment. With the information acquired from research, scientists were able to discover Agent Orange’s many chemical properties and ban it before it harmed more people. This is a global problem because it resulted in the banning of Agent Orange, making it no longer available in future military actions. In addition, the negative impacts of Agent Orange resulted in numerous birth defects, cancer, and environmental tragedies, which have burdened many societies whose people were exposed during the fighting in Vietnam.
Science Section: Agent orange was a chemical mixture of 2,4-D and 2,4,5,-T, which are two different types of herbicides (n.a, 2016). Herbicides are used by many people around the globe to kill pesky weeds in their garden and lawn. The herbicide 2, 4-D is classified as an Auxin, a plant hormone (Grossmann, 2007). Auxins are apart of many chemical classes, such as benzoic acids, phenoxycarboxylic acids, quinolinecarboxylic acids, and more (Grossmann, 2007). To kill the plant, or act as a defoliant, the auxin stimulates growth processes by releasing “a strong negative charge on the carboxyl group of the dissociated molecule” (Grossmann, 2007). A chemical known as ABA, Abscisic acid, eventually builds up in the shoot tissue of the plant and results in decay (Grossmann, 2007). In Agent Orange, the defiant part of the chemical worked well on plants, and did not have a harmful affect on people because it only had a persistence of a few days. Using toxicology, scientists discovered that the harmful part was the dioxin in the herbicides (n.a, 2016). Dioxins are organic compounds that are toxic and create problems for the environment and the ecosystems within it, deeming it an environmental hazard (UXL Encyclopedia of Science, 2015). The dioxin identified in Agent Orange is known as 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-dibenzo-para-dioxin, or TGDD (Hisotry.com Staff, 2011). Epidemiologists have discovered that the half-life of the dioxins are 11 to 15 years in human beings, a significant proportion of the average person’s life (n.a, 2016). The synergistic interaction, use of both 2,4-D and 2,4,5,-T simultaneously potentially increased the harmful effects of Agent Orange.
In addition to destroying the forests in which it was sprayed on, Agent Orange had an even more devastating consequence on the many people that were collaterally exposed. The dioxin was also classified as a teratogen, a chemical that affects the development of fetuses and embryos, and as a carcinogen, a cancer causing chemical. According to an article published by The Aspen Institute, about 150,000 babies in Vietnam were born with birth defects due to the spraying of Agent Orange (n.a, 2016). The most prevalent of these birth defects was neural tube defects, defects affecting the brain, spine, or spinal cord, which increased significantly after the Vietnam war (King, 2012).
A few chronic studies are currently being performed on the Vietnamese soldiers involved in the Agent Orange spraying, one being the Vietnam Era Health Retrospective Observational Study (US Department of Veteran Affairs, 2016). In this continuous study, “researchers will compare [United States soldiers that served in Vietnam during the spraying] health to similarly aged U.S. residents who have never served in the military.” (US Department of Veteran Affairs, 2016). Because Agent Orange had a sub lethal effect, it is more challenging for scientists to establish direct cause and effect relationships as they relate to Agent Orange. Scientists suspect based on data a potential relationship between Agent Orange and a number of physical maladies including Type-2 diabetes and Hodgkin’s Disease (Hisotry.com Staff, 2011).
Factor Section (Environmental):

Agent Orange was not only detrimental to the health of the citizens and soldiers, but also to the Vietnamese environment. According to the Agent Orange Record, about 10% of the forest died on the first spray (Agent Orange Record, n.d). The amount of dead trees just multiplied from there, and eventually over 4.5 million acres of Vietnam forest was sprayed (Hisotry.com Staff, 2011). The spraying was not only detrimental to the tree population, but it also allowed invasive species such as the Imperata cylindrica and Pennisetum polystachyon to take over (Agent Orange Record, n.d). Additionally, animal populations were abnormal after Agent Orange. The population of rats and mice allegedly skyrocketed, resulting in major problems for the agriculture industry as well as spreading disease throughout Vietnam (Agent Orange Record, n.d).
The negative effects of the spraying on the environment are clear, but there were a few positive effects. The spraying destruction gave the Vietnamese a chance to rebuild their forest in a way that would provide greater benefit to the public. The government planted acacia and eucalyptus trees, which were harvested every four to five years and were used to create products for the people to sell (Agent Orange Record, n.d). This provided income for the Vietnamese. The Agent Orange catastrophe was unplanned, but hazardous chemical situations occur due to the standards that scientists have set up regarding chemical usage.
The “innocent until proven guilty principle” takes a less aggressive approach on chemicals, stating that chemicals can be used until they are proven to be a hazard in any way. This approach allows for quicker introduction of new chemicals, which could be desperately needed for a medical or other cause. However, the lack of adequate laboratory testing and a failure to identify potential harmful effects can create huge problems for future generations. The other approach is the “precautionary principle” which is more cautious than the former. This rule states that it is prohibited to release chemicals into the environment until they are cleared and known not to have any negative elements. This would make sure no hazardous chemicals were in the population, but could also be limiting in terms of scientific progress and can significantly delay introduction of beneficial chemicals. Agent Orange helped scientists understand why the precautionary principle is sometimes a better option, and it lead to a more detailed process to get chemicals certified for use. With this incident, the community will better understand the importance of chemical research to ensure a safe environment.
The Agent Orange disaster was one that hurt soldiers and people in Vietnam to an extent from which they will never fully recover.
The use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War had far greater negative consequences than positive. However it resulted in the banning of Agent Orange. This ban will insure that future generations are safer and healthier in terms of chemical exposure. In the past, the government has used Agent Orange as a weapon of war. Due to concerns associated with the use of chemicals, including Agent Orange during military conflicts, countries have made rules prohibiting or restricting the use of chemicals in warfare. Their actions will benefit all of mankind. Agent Orange is a very detrimental chemical, but this enormous accident could have been prevented had more scientific research been conducted prior to use in battle. If the United States government would have known the negative effects Agent Orange would have on the innocent citizens and soldiers, this disaster could have been
prevented.