History of Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical defoliant introduced in agriculture in 1946 as an herbicide to aid farmers and was used accordingly throughout 1950, after which its production was switched solely for military uses under the Defense Production Act of 1950. Since then, even though ingredients were commercially available and accessible to the public, mass production became heavily regulated and only a handful of the US Chemical manufacturing companies were able to produce it. Agent
Causes The factors that caused the series of events to happen and the dangers were foreseeable and could have been prevented. The ICMESA plant was property of Givaudan S.A., which was located in Geneva, Switzerland. ICMESA produced the intermediate compounds that Givaudan needed to produce its cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps. The compounds produced at this plant ranged from benzyl chloride and cyanide to phenylacetic acid and TCP [4]. The reaction of interest was the one that produced TCP,
AGENT ORANGE Agent Orange has been one of the most toxic herbicides and carcinogens to humans to have ever been made. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Agent Orange was an herbicide that was used to clear out the Vietnamese jungle. The jungle was crucial to the success of early Vietnamese victories because it provided cover for their guerilla tactics that involved poking in and out of the jungle and striking for shorts bits of time, taking the United States armies by surprise. The jungle also provided
During the war in Vietnam thousands of people and soldiers suffered from problems related to the war. But Agent Orange and Napalm were the worst equipment we used in Vietnam for the civilians. Agent Orange ruined 5 million acres of Vietnamese land (“History: Agent Orange”). “Flying overhead, American airmen could smell the stench of burning flesh.” The article “Napalm’s death” shows the dismay of those affected by napalm. We may have “failed to win” the Vietnam War, but we sure did more than enough
In the article, “A Legacy of Illness: The Healing Process Is Far From Done” by Amanda Spake, the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War is shown to be detrimental to Vietnam War veterans’ mental and physical health. The aftermath and effects of the agent did not and still does not receive the acknowledgment it deserves. The depth of the mental and physical distress of Vietnam veterans exposed to the agent is dismissed by the Veteran Administration, Department of Veteran Affairs and the general
In the 1960s the United States was at war with Vietnam. In an attempt to counter the Vietnamese’s guerilla warfare, the United States sprayed herbicides all over Vietnam and this method of warfare has been controversial ever since. The use of herbicides in Vietnam has caused many deaths and suffering not just for the Vietnamese, but the United States’ veterans too. However, the United States denies that it caused these problems, continues to use herbicides today, and will not even help the victims
The Agent Orange was one of the most used and common herbicides and defoliants which is chemical the United States Military used in the Vietnam War from 1961 through 1971. "It was a 50/50 mixture of two herbicides: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. It remained toxic for only days or weeks and then degraded, but it had a toxic contaminant, dioxin, that did not degrade as readily and is still causing health problems in Vietnam." (What is Agent Orange). They used this chemical to try to kill people over in Vietnam
Health effects are prominent in Vietnam veterans but denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As reported in the American Legion Magazine, “The defoliant also is believed to have poisoned many people who handled it or passed through sprayed locations. After the war, a conspicuous percentage of veterans contracted various cancers or diabetes, and birth defects occurred at high rate among their children, VA compensation and care were denied (Carroll).” Denial of these severe diseases and
The Government Reaction to Agent Orange Claims PREFACE United States involvement in Vietnam has been surrounded by controversy since the 1960s. Many felt that controversy would end with the withdrawal of US troops in the 1970s. The troops came home and were not welcomed with the fanfare that surrounded veterans of previous wars. Was the controversy surrounding Vietnam a “dead” issue now that the troops were home? The answer is no. The controversy continues to this very day. The issue
On April 12, 1961, the first application of the chemical nicknamed Agent Orange was sprayed on Vietnamese foliage in an attempt to stop guerilla warfare, launching a herbicidal disaster ("Herbicidal Warfare"). The consequences of agent orange, unbeknownst to the former government officials, led to a series of catastrophic effects including, but not limited to neurobehavioral and physical anomalies of the human body. As a result of the lacking knowledge of Agent Orange, the United States and Vietnam
Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known. A report released for public comment in September 1994 by the US Environmental Protection Agency clearly describes dioxin as a serious public health threat. The public health impact of dioxin may rival the impact that DDT had on public health in the 1960's. According to the EPA report, not only does there appear to be no "safe" level of exposure to dioxin, but levels of dioxin and dioxin-like chemicals have been found in the general US population that
If you were to ask the seven million Vietnamese that were exposed to Agent Orange about their feelings about the war, what would they say? “I have no future, no happiness,” said Do Duc Diu. He went on to say that he lost eleven of his children to this deadly toxin (Agent Orange Record). Nineteen million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed across South Vietnam leading to the death of more than 400,000 Vietnamese (Orange Innovation). Agent Orange had numerous devastating effects on not only the
Richard M. Nixon once stated, “No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now” ("Vietnam War Quotes At Brainyquote"). The Vietnam War is one of the most misunderstood wars in the United State’s history. The Vietnam War is the longest war ever fought by the United States lasting from 1954-1975. This war was highly controversial among the public and has left a lasting impact on the countries involved. One of these impacts
We must do everything in our power to make the world recognize that our veterans are still paying a high price for fighting the war in Vietnam. Agent Orange is slowly taking the lives of these brave veterans. The government has recognized some diseases but the rules to compensation can be complex. It was in the 1960's that we were in the process of trying to destroy vegetation and brush in Vietnam, in doing so we proceeded to contaminate one of the largest parts of the environment, Humankind. War
It was later known that the EPA or better known as the Environmental Protection Agency banned Agent Orange in the United States when a large number of birth of a baby who is born without any signs of life at or after 24 weeks of pregnancy were reported among mothers in Oregon, where Agent Orange had been heavily used (The Story of Agent Orange). Many Americans were outraged after finding out what Agent Orange has caused to their people. The Vietnam veterans cried for help from the Veterans Administration
streamlined to make the most profit. In the years to come social Darwinism will come to sort out these matters and only the strong will survive; or at least we should hope so. Works Cited Definition PCBs. Web. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Polychlorinated+biphenyls Forrestal, Dan. “Faith Hope and $5,000”. New York. Simon and Schuster. 1977. Print Health Effects of PCBs. http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm. Michael Grunwald. The Washington Post - Washington, D.C. Jan 1, 2002
Endocrine disruptors that are used in building materials and electronics, such as: polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), phthalates (PAEs), and polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been linked to a substantial increase in risk for breast cancer with extended exposure. Their presence in building materials and electronic equipment allow for
Biomagnification refers to the increase in concentration of certain chemicals known as pollutants from one link in a food chain to another. Biomagnification leads to ecotoxicological problems, especially for top carnivore predators at the summit of the ecological food web, who ingest the toxic accumulated prey. Causes of the Problem Anthropogenic activities, such as over using of chemical pesticides on agriculture land or directly on water. Heavy metals, such as mercury, emitted to the atmosphere
The Hudson River and PCB Pollution The Hudson River is a body of water that stretches for 315 miles from the Adirondack Mountains to the Battery in Manhattan, reaching its deepest point of 216 feet in the Highlands near Constitution Island and West Point and reaches its widest point of 3 miles across at Havestraw. This river is one of the most beautiful and scenic of the Tri-State area. Unfortunately, it happens to be New York’s most polluted river. The river has been influenced upon since the early
Dredging the Hudson River For the past year, the subject of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Hudson River and what should be done about them has been discussed by politicians and residents all over the capital region. Often the top story on the local news, the front page headline of the newspaper, the subject of a special on television, or the reason for a town meeting, dredging has become a much debated topic. With all the information being exchanged and opinions published, it is easy for the