The Agent Orange was a defoliant chemical used by the US in the Vietnam War from 1961 through 1971. This chemical caused a lot of effects too many people. It could have been just a short term effect or a long term effect, it could have killed someone right away or it could have made them suffer then they passed away. This chemical was very dangerous and deadly but was used by the United States military forces. The military forces sprayed over 19 million gallons of herbicides and it was over 4.5 billion acres of land in Vietnam. The Agent Orange was the chemical dioxin that was most commonly used and was the most effective herbicide. This chemical was used “to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces …show more content…
during the Vietnam Conflict.” (benefits). This herbicide caused many effects to many people. One effect was called soft tissue sarcoma. This is a type of cancerous tumor that is developed by some kind of tissue like, muscle, fat, nerves fibrous tissue, blood vesicles, or deep skin tissue. “Soft tissue sarcomas aren't common. But soft tissue sarcomas are very serious, especially if diagnosed when the disease is more advanced. Although there are various types of soft tissue sarcoma, they generally share similar characteristics, produce similar symptoms and are treated in similar ways.” (Soft Tissue Sarcoma). A different effect from Agent Orange is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is a “cancer of the lymph tissue. Lymph tissue is found in the lymph nodes, spleen, and other organs of the immune system. White blood cells called lymphocytes are found in lymph tissue. They help prevent infections.” (Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma). Many people were exposed to this chemical.
Between 2.1 and 4.5 million Vietnamese civilians lived in in the areas where the dioxin was sprayed at the time, there were also 2.8 million U.S. that were exposed to the dioxin. These numbers do not include the U.S, civilians who traveled through, Vietnamese who worked on base and who were exposed after the war. This also doesn’t include many more of the U.S. and Vietnamese civilians that were exposed to the dioxin. “The Vietnamese Red Cross estimates that up to three million Vietnamese have suffered health effects from dioxin exposure, of whom at least 150,000 are children with birth defects. The U.S. government provides health care and compensation on a humanitarian basis to Vietnam veterans suffering from any condition on a list of illnesses associated with Vietnam service. No studies have yet documented the extent of possible Agent Orange/dioxin-related health effects among these 1.4 million people.” (Make argent orange history). The reason that this dioxin is so dangerous is that the “dioxin is persistent organic pollutant that is toxic over many decades, is not water-soluble and does not degrade easily. Clinging to soil particles carried by water runoff from spills or sprayed areas downstream into the sediments of lakes or streams; it is consumed by mollusks, fish and waterfowl, easily entering the human food chain.” It is chemically stable and is retained in the human fatty tissue. If it is detected early it can be treated by surgery or medication but usually if it is found to late then it can’t be treated (make agent orange
history). There were many people that have passed away because of the Agent Orange it was severely deadly and caused many diseases to everyone that was exposed to it. Some people reacted different to it like they died right away or it effected their life until they passed away. It affected families harshly that they had to go through someone that got exposed to it, it’s very sad but they had to deal with what it caused because they couldn’t do anything about it.
This last process is significant not only because it brought dioxin the current notoriety but it also is a chemical process used to make products that were used and are still been used in many applications. These applications include pesticide, herbicide, defoliating agent such as Agent Orange, cleaning agent and electrical insulation. Consequently, human exposure to dioxin is not a recent phenomenon and the dangers of dioxin are not unknown. Only in recent years, especially after the Vietnam War, has the media concentrated on the dangers and impact of dioxin.
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 public. It is from this lack of awareness for the hardships of the veterans of the Vietnam War endangered by Agent Orange that their psychological and physical struggles stem.
Orange and Cancer"). The chemical was sprayed from airplanes on trees, base perimeters, roadways, and communication lines. It was also sprayed by riverboats and trucks (committee, 74). Agent Orange is a dioxin herbicide containing Dichlorophenoxyacetic and Trichlorophenoxyacetic acids. "Dioxin is the most toxic and most durable chemical mankind has developed so far" ("Vietnamese"). Both acids are highly toxic and considered mutagens ("Toxipedia"). Trichlorophenoxyacetic is considerabl...
Why has the use of Agent Orange become so controversial? The Americans dropped the atomic bomb to end World War II and did not have the backlash that it had, and still has, with Agent Orange. The ver...
Schecter, Arnold, et al. "Recent Dioxin Contamination From Agent Orange in Residents of a Southern Vietnam City." FFRD. N.p., May 2011. . Rpt. in JOEM. Vol. 43. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. 5. FFRD. Web. 3 Apr. 2011.
It has been known that the Vietnam War affected many American soldiers who were involved in the war physically and psychologically. The Vietnam War was one of the most memorable wars in history. Many Americans’ lives lost for no objective at all. Chapter 10 informed us about how the Vietnam War started and what really happened during that time. It also gave us background information about Vietnam Veterans and nurses who were involved in the war and what they went through during the war. I had the opportunity to interview a Vietnam Veteran also.
In May 1961, John F. Kennedy sent investigators to Vietnam, thus turning the tide in favor of the United States and South Vietnam. Unfortunately, with the flow of infiltrators and weapons from North Vietnam, the United States and South Vietnam lost their upper hand (Tucker). Conclusively, 2.5 million Americans served and about 58,000 lost their lives in Vietnam (Vietnam Veterans Memorial). On April 30, 1975 Vietnam was finally reunited under a communist government. Once the war ended, Vietnam was devastated. Both the South and North Vietnamese economies were in shambles and they suffered from the chemical pesticides. The Vietnamese also lost about 3 million soldiers and civilians during the war. The United States also suffered due to the fact that the military was completely shattered and had to be rebuilt. The inflation was at an ultimate high from the failure to fact the actual costs of war. These situations forced Washington D.C. to reevaluate the power of the United States
“Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.”(Sun Tzu) War is like any other game, it takes great strategy and is always is affected by outside factor. The Vietnam War was no exception; in fact, the result was especially influenced by the environment in which this death game was played out. Terrain, weather, and vegetation were all essential elements in the conflict. The United States got involved in Vietnam primarily due to the Geneva Accord in 1954 that split Vietnam into two territories at the 17th parallel. Although in 1956 both North and South Vietnam had agreed to create a single standing Vietnamese government, the South Vietnamese leader refused
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 unnatural occurrences by the VA could be construed as a cover-up for the government’s mistake or a truthful disconnect of Agent Orange and the diseases. Research has shown, “Dioxin has been found to be a carcinogen associated with Parkinson’s disease,
Dr. Michael Gough, a retired biologist was quoted as saying “the conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no evidence whatsoever to support any connection between low-level dioxin exposure and any human disease”. Some say they will not do research because it is another thing “...that will be linked to the health complaints of Vietnam veterans” (Kolata, A16). There is hope still. In 1996, Clinton ordered disability benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from prostate cancer and nerve disease associated with Agent Orange.
The Vietnam War was the first major war American’s had suffered defeat. The Vietnam war was a war of confusion, competition and biasness. The outcome of the war was far greater than an upset American nation, but a severe breakdown of the Vietnamese culture, economy, environment and government. It also had a tremendous impact on American society even up to present day. It was unclear from the beginning of the war if the American’s should even be involved. It was a war between Northern and Southern Vietnam but the U.S saw it as an indirect way to challenge the USSR’s sphere of influence in Southern Asia and to prevent the domino effect and the further spread of communism. The Vietnam War completely changed the way the United States approached military action and helped establish the role of the United States within the new world order.
Before understanding why herbicidal warfare was and still is an important topic, one must know what herbicidal warfare is. Herbicidal warfare is a type of chemical warfare where the goal is to destroy vegetation and agriculture. In Vietnam, it was used so that the enemy could not hide in the vegetation and to destroy or damage food production. There are many different types of chemicals that were used during the Vietnam War and even still today. A total of fifteen herbicides, named by their color, were used during the United States’ Operation Ranch Hand but the most well-known is Agent Orange (Trautman, 1). Agent Orange is a mixture of toxic chemicals that kills vegetation and is mixed with kerosene and diesel fuel so that it sticks to plants for a long period of time (Trautman, 1). When sprayed onto vegetation Agent Orange kills it within days and also pollutes the soil and water. So what is the concern? Agent Orange and other herbicides destroy ecosystems, they have also been found in plants, water, fish and other animals, including humans. Since it began b...
In December of 1982, the EPA found high levels of dioxin in Times Beach, forcing the locals to leave their town. “Dioxin used to be considered one of the most dangerous chemicals on the planet, but it is now under debate because of the differences between high and low-level contamination” (Chemical Conundrum).
During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems including cancer, decreased fertility, and abnormalities in newborns.
The Vietnam war had many impact on its environment for one was during agent orange were a mix of two herbicides that was dispersed by the air force known as Operation Ranch Hand It killed off vegetation that had provided the enemy with cover, and their food crops. The chemical was very dangerous to people who came into contact with it and its use was stopped in 1971, but the damage was already great after almost a decade of use. Another one was used in deforestation and it was known as a napalm, it would be sprayed onto vegetation and it would be ignited. Napalm also quickly destroyed all surrounding vegetation. Napalm was responsible for the destruction of much of the landscape. Chemical defoliation damage the ecosystem in unimaginable ways, but our government considered it necessary to defeat the enemy.