Agent Orange During The Vietnam War

War is an undeniably complex subject and although most people know how they feel about the Vietnam War, it is rare for us to agree on exactly what was right and wrong. Despite this, we have the tendency to support facts, and the fact in this case is that Agent Orange had detrimental effects wherever it was spread. Agent Orange is a herbicide that was used by the United States Military during the Vietnam war, it is made up of equal parts 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Its purpose was to destroy forests and enemy crops during the war (Agent Orange, 2015). Although this substance was already considered an environmental hazard, it was later found that the manufacturing of Agent Orange resulted in a dioxin byproduct. When exposed to dioxins, humans experience
It is produced during the manufacture of trichlorophenol into herbicides such as 2,4,5-T (Agent Orange, 2015). Although Agent Orange use was originally very restricted, its use grew as the war continued (Casten and Ford-Martin, 2011). To the left there is a picture of a plane spraying Agent Orange (Agent Orange, 2015). Although all of us encounter dioxins in our daily lives in the form of foods (such as fish), we are not around large amounts of dioxins in the way the soldiers and citizens were. Exposure to Agent Orange is more significant than exposure to the other 419 dioxin related compounds because Agent Orange contains TCDD which is the most toxic, and therefore has more harsh effects on living organisms (World Health Organization, 2016). Contamination was first seen in surface water as well as soil and the surface of plants (Banout, 2014). Due to this, animals that are low on the food chain are exposed to Agent Orange. The contaminant began to accumulate in the tissues of the animals through the process of bioaccumulation. In fact, several studies have shown links between environmental exposure and high levels of dioxins in animals in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. As seen in the image to the right (Biomagnification, Bioaccumulation, and Research Motivation, 2015). This is problematic because if the surfaces of common plants are exposed from runoff or soil contamination
If the United States was not using the innocent-until-proven-guilty principle the entire situation could have been prevented or at least if more research had gone into the effects of Agent Orange during its use we could have decreased the amount used. Although the politics of war and international relations are complex, it seems obvious to me that it is the United States responsibility to repair the chemical damage done to both the people and environments of Vietnam. In the future, I think it is vital that we do not make this mistake and that any issues that do arise are handled quickly. In saying that, it is easy to say what we should have done and a lot harder to know what to do at the time. The takeaway from this disaster is that chemicals should be tested before use, especially before widespread use, and especially if they contain any ingredients that could potentially harm humans or our