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Introduction The Vietnam War (1961-71) was one of the biggest losses for American troops due to the lack of experience in guerilla warfare used in the dense jungles and forested hills that make up a vast majority of the Vietnamese topography. To compensate for this, American scientists and army researchers set out to tip the scales in their favor and came upon herbicidal agents - powerful chemical compounds that were not meant to be as lethal to humans as much as they were lethal to the foliage providing the upper hand to the Vietnamese troops. Herbicidal agents are gelatinous in their original state, but were mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and then sprayed out of any sort of dispersion method; most commonly aircraft. This form of warfare is now highly forbidden by the Environmental Modification Convention due to the permanent damage that it causes to the terrain. The herbicides were given their respective names due to stripes painted on their barrels being that certain color.

Agent Orange
Agent Orange, the most well-known out of the slew of rainbow herbicides, obtained its name because it was a combination of the chemicals used in Herbicide Orange and Agent LNX. This powerful defoliant was extremely effective at what it was designed for, clearing forested areas used as cover and plantations which supplied food for Viet troops. An estimated 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides mixed with fuels were sprayed in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos as part of Operation Ranch Hand. Ranch Hand was meant to defoliate rural areas where Vietnamese soldiers hid and ambushed American troops, carrying out their guerilla-style warfare, and to induce force draft urbanization, which meant destroying crops and forcing farmers to flee into the cities controlled by the U.S, thus reducing aid to the Vietnamese army. About 6,542 spraying missions occurred during the ten years of war, and by the end at least 12 percent of South Vietnam had been sprayed by the Americans with concentrations of these agents that were higher than the recommended domestic use. The helicopters and aircraft employed to spray Agent Orange were fitted with “MC-1 Hourglass” pump systems and 1,000 gallon (3,800 L) chemical tanks. Spraying could also be done through the use of mounted guns on trucks, boats, and even specially designed backpacks. The first batch of herbicides, including Agent Orange, was unloaded at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam, on January 9, 1962. At least 10 million acres of South Vietnamese land had been lost to spraying runs, and at least half of that was land dedicated to the growth of crops. Soldiers were misled to believe that they were spraying these crop grounds to stop a supply of food to the Vietnamese guerillas, but in reality most of the crops were meant for the urban populations. The destruction and contamination of the food for civilians then caused mass famines throughout Vietnam. The Quang Ngai province was a perfect example of this; in 1970, 85% of crop lands were destroyed by American herbicides or other means, which then led to the malnourishment and starvation of hundreds of thousands civilians. The targeting of food crops began in October of 1962, but the public was not aware of this until 1965, when they were told that the spraying had only begun that spring. About 42% of the herbicides used were dedicated to the crop destruction program. A 50/50 mixture of chemicals 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, which are teratogenic - or fetus-damaging, made this herbicide so controversial. Contact with these two chemicals could cause a variety of non-fatal health issues like vomiting, diarrhea, growth issues in young children, and birth defects; and several life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and soft-tissue sarcomas. The Vietnamese Red Cross estimates that about 400,000 people were killed, and at least a million have health issues due to direct contact and residual chemicals left by the spraying of Agent Orange during the war. The people directly exposed to the agent were not the only ones who were in danger of contracting the health issues caused by it. Children of Vietnam veterans were also likely to develop diseases such as acute myelogenous leukemia. Agent Orange is chemically made up of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) – in iso-octyl ester form – at a 1:1 ratio. Even before the war, scientists had been linking 2,4,5-T to adverse health issues in those who had contact with it and severe ecological damage, but had no explanation as to why it was happening. It was then revealed that the 2,4,5-T had been contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) which is one of the most toxic man-made molecules. The TCDD contamination was the reason for the previously unexplained health and ecological issues caused by 2,4,5-T exposure. The TCDD dioxin had been synthesized in the 2,4,5-T due to an accidental overheating of the reaction. This extra heat caused part of the desired product (2,4,5-T) to condensate into TCDD, and therefore contaminate the batches of Agent Orange mixed with the 2,4,5-T.

Effects on Society
Health Effects: Agent Orange, along with its dioxin contaminant, was extremely hazardous to the health of not only humans, but to the entire ecosystems revolving around the affected areas. Cattle, water buffalo, and pigs had increased amounts of miscarriages and still births due to the dioxin mutating the babies and killing them inside the womb. The same was true for women who came into contact with the dioxin either directly or indirectly through contaminated water, crops, or even airborne particles. Children in the areas where Agent Orange was sprayed may suffer from several physical deformities such as cleft palate, hernias, and extra fingers and toes and many mental disabilities. The breast milk in South Vietnamese women, especially around the affected areas, as well as the blood from US veterans has been proven to contain high levels of the dioxin, which means that genetic disorders caused by the exposure to Agent Orange could potentially be passed on along to future offspring. The soil around American bases where the herbicides were stored - such as Da Nang, Phu Cat, and Bien Hoa – has been tested, and concentrations of TCDD have been found to be up to 350 percent higher than international recommendations for taking some sort of action. This contaminated soil continues to poison food and livestock of nearby villages populated by Vietnamese people.

Ecological Effects: The TCDD dioxin is an extremely persistent molecule. South Vietnam is still greatly affected by the toxic compound due to the fact that the chemicals seeped into the soil, eventually making their way into the food chains of animals and crops in surrounding areas, and ultimately reaching the humans in the villages and cities. Deforestation has also damaged the terrain, and the deforestation then led to the erosion of most of the land. Along with this, other species of foliage such as bamboo and cogon grass make it nearly impossible for the original jungle to regrow.

Agent White
Agent White was the agent used when Orange was not readily available as it served almost the same purpose. Unlike Agent Orange, Agent White was not contaminated by the TCDD dioxin, so it was less of a danger to the environment. This agent was composed of a 4:1 ratio of 2,4-D and Picloram (or Tordon 101) and while it did not contain traces of TCDD, the Picloram was contaminated with hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and nitrosamines, which are both proven carcinogens. Agent White was used for several more months after the use of Agent Orange was banned in April of 1970. Between 1966 and 1971, 5.4 US gallons were used in Vietnam.

Agent Blue
Agent Blue was the main herbicide for the destruction of crops used by the Americans. After trying to blow up the rice paddies and other crop farms using mortars, missiles, and grenades soldiers found that rice is one of the most difficult foods to get rid of, due to its high resilience. After herbicidal warfare was introduced into Vietnam, Agent Blue was designated to kill off small-leafed trees and plants. The US troops resorted to cutting off these resources by eliminating them, rather than controlling them, due to the fact that they came from many small paddies and crop farms. This made tactical control of the majority of these areas nearly impossible. Agent Blue, which is chemically unrelated to Agent Orange, was made up of sodium cacodylate and cacodylate acid, both containing arsenic. The arsenic compounds dry out the land, making it impossible for plants, especially ones which highly rely on water, to grow - like rice. The use of Agent Blue on the rice paddies would leave them unusable for later crops as well. This would also allow for the herbicide to be used where food was not involved, like along roads and common ambush points. Around 19.6 million gallons of Agent Blue were used in Vietnam during the war, destroying 500,000 acres of crops and land. The components of Agent Blue are still used among common weed-killers.