THE AFTERSHOCK OF AGENT ORANGE
War, on its own, is absolute disaster and chaos. Violence replaces logic, common sense and better judgment. When chemicals enter the scene, war becomes a stage for a horrific level of inhumanity like no other. Biological weapons illustrate a new picture of terror, one that affects several generations of human life. The most infamous chemical weapon to date, Agent Orange (or Herbicide Orange), was unleashed for the first time many years ago, but its impact is still very much alive and very much unsettling. First used by the United States during the Vietnam War in 1961 during Operation Ranch Hand, Agent Orange was sprayed over forests and cities in an effort to render food crops lifeless and to defoliate trees and shrubbery in the surrounding areas, therefore denying the opposing militants of Vietnam protection from covering trees as well as food. However, the herbicide affected much more than just a few combatant troops, and the damage was not as temporary as some officials once thought (or ignored).
In 2013, the United States was dangerously close to entering into an illegal war with Syria after chemical weapons were unleashed. Due to President Obama's vow to punish the Assad regime in Syria for its use of chemical weapons, the United States attracted much criticism from other countries such as Russia and Bolivia. Though Syria has recently vowed to give up the weapons, there is still no indication that the Obama administration plans on keeping the country out of yet another expensive, irrational war. It seems that America has been quick to forget about its trendsetting qualities when it comes to chemical weapons - - but for many, these weapons, namely Agent Orange, still frequent the minds of all who were involved first hand.
Agent Orange is a combination of two herbicides, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T (Aspen Institute). Supposedly, the cocktail was only to remain toxic for a few days, and then became safer. However, it also contained a very toxic contaminant known as dioxin, which did not simply "fade away" as it was supposed to. Dioxins are defined as a group of chemically-related compounds that are notorious as persistent environmental pollutants (World Health Organization). They are considered to be a by-product of industrial and manufacturing processes, which explains how they were introduced to the already lethal Agent Orange.
When production of herbicides was expedited and rushed by the United States military, something went awry and the second herbicide that composes Agent Orange, 2,4,5-T was contaminated with dioxins. Scientific research has shown that dioxins have serious and sometimes lethal impacts on the human body and its organs and systems, a fact which is highly visible today. Though dioxins share equal blame in the horrors of Agent Orange, the second herbicide, 2,4,5-T has been shown to be much less biodegradable on its own than described, so the damage following the sprayings was a lot more premeditated than one would like to believe.
Agent Orange was developed by the United States military as part of what many call the "Rainbow Herbicides" that were developed for the sole purpose of chemical warfare. Though there were many other combinations of herbicides developed as weapons, such as blue, orange was the most frequently used. It earned its name from the orange-striped gallon barrels in which it was shipped (Wikipedia). The first test spraying was performed in August, 1961 in Vietnam under the direction of President John F. Kennedy. From 1962-1971, the United States Air Force aerial spraying program carried out what it labeled Operation Hades, which was later renamed as Operation Ranch Hand. (War Legacies).
During this time, an estimated 24% of South Vietnam was sprayed relentlessly with the chemicals, some areas being sprayed more than once. In the same time span, more than 19 million gallons of herbicides were spread over 4.5 million acres of Vietnamese land (History). In 1965, U.S. troops moved to Da Nang and continued spraying Agent Orange nationwide. Finally, in 1971, the United States military put and end to the spraying of Agent Orange, and all remaining quantities were moved from Da Nang, Bien Hoa, and Tuy Hoa airbases to the South Pacific where they were apparently destroyed (Make Agent Orange History).
In 1973, the United States withdrew troops from Vietnam, but the after-effects of Agent Orange are still present all over the country - even in the United States.
For something that supposedly started out as a war tactic, Agent Orange and its terror are still affecting human life in various parts of the world. Though the Vietnamese were harshly targeted and by far have suffered the most damage from the concoction, United States veterans are still paying the price for the attacks as well. Numerous diseases present in war veterans stationed in Vietnam are closely related to exposure to Agent Orange. Leukemia, chloracne, Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer are among the most disturbing results, just to name a few. Also related to chemical exposure are heart disease, Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma, and respiratory cancers (U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs).
Even more unsettling is the fact that Agent Orange can cause effects that are not visible until 30 years after the initial exposure. Altogether, about 2.4 million United States veterans were exposed to the herbicide in Vietnam, and are just recently coming forward with newly developed health problems as a result of the exposure. In many cases, health care, treatment, rehabilitation and compensation are offered to veterans who served in Vietnam. However, no amount of compensation can be accepted as an equal repayment for what the military asked of its servers. In the case of Vietnamese veterans, they are usually offered the same range of recompense, however, most veterans there are unaware that benefits are available. Most are also not informed that the Agent Orange can lead to health problems decades after the exposure, and are never referred to the proper compensation.
Though the remainder of unused Agent Orange was allegedly destroyed, the haunting herbicide is still an everyday nightmare for many Vietnamese.
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