Agent Orange

Guide Note

Agent Orange is a nickname for a specific chemical compound that acts as a defoliant and herbicide. Although it was originally developed to kill unwanted plants and was used for agricultural applications throughout the 1950s, Agent Orange entered the public consciousness when the Americans used it as part of their herbicidal warfare campaign during the Vietnam War. It was used in South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to clear vegetation from around U.S. military bases, destroy crops and remove plants that provided cover for the Viet Cong army.

Fast Facts

1. Nicknamed for the orange band used to mark barrels that contained the substance
2. Over 19 million gallons were dumped on Asia during the war
3. Over 3.6 million acres of land were affected
4. Used from 1962 to 1971
5. Heaviest spraying occurred from 1967 to 1969
6. Herbicidal warfare campaign was named "Operation Ranch Hand"
7. An estimated 4.8 million Vietnamese still suffer from the effects of Agent Orange exposure
8. Dow Chemical, Diamond Shamrock and Monsanto are among the companies that produced Agent Orange

The National Toxicology Program has classified the dioxin found in Agent Orange as a human carcinogen that has been linked to various forms of cancer, skin diseases, and diabetes. Various birth defects, both mental and physical are prevalent in children born to people who were exposed to Agent Orange, and their offspring show a higher incidence of a variety of afflictions, from hernias, cleft palates and extra fingers and toes to spina bifida, respiratory cancers and missing limbs.

Although the United States and the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange have never admitted any wrongdoing and testing on the long term effects of the chemical are still underway, food and supplies are still provided to Vietnamese affected by the spraying. In 1984, chemical companies that manufactured Agent Orange paid a settlement of $180 million to American veterans who had been exposed to the defoliant. Many more local and international lawsuits have been filed against the various chemical companies behind Agent Orange.