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"The deadliest toxin created by man."
~~~~~~~~
Updated: 27 Aug 2021
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About Agent Orange
President Ngo
Dinh Diem of South Vietnam asked the United States to conduct
aerial herbicide spraying in his country in 1961. By August of
that year the South Vietnamese Air Force had conducted herbicide
operations with American help. In November, President John F.
Kennedy authorized the start of Operation Ranch Hand. That was
the codename for the U.S. Air Force's herbicide program in Vietnam.
Rainbow
Herbicides |
Components |
Gallons
Used |
Years
Used |
Dioxin TCDD is a significant contaminant of 2,4,5-T and
is contained in the Rainbow Herbisides. The Department
of Veterans Affairs list these diseases associated with
Agent Orange: AL Amyloidosis, Chronic B-cell Leukemias,
Chloracne (or similar acneform disease), Diabetes
Mellitus Type 2, Hodgkin's Disease, Ischemic Heart
Disease, Multiple Myeloma, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma,
Parkinson's Disease, Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset,
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda, Prostate Cancer, Respiratory
Cancers (includes lung cancer), Soft Tissue Sarcomas
(other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's
sarcoma, or mesothelioma) |
| Green |
2,4,5-T |
20075 |
1962 |
| Pink |
2,4,5-T |
72325 |
1961-1963 |
| Purple |
2,4-D; 2,4,5-T |
686125 |
1962-1965 |
| Orange |
2,4-D; 2,4,5-T |
2383295200 |
1965-1970 |
| Blue |
Cacodylic Acid |
161315 |
1966-1970 |
| White |
2,4-D; Picloram |
1198912000 |
1966-1972 |
Dioxin TCDD
Agent Orange, a defoliant used widely from 1961 to 1971 during
the Vietnam War. It is a combination of two herbicide 2,4,5-T
and 2,5-D. Dioxin TCDD is a significant contaminant of Agent
Orange. It is the most toxic of the dioxins.
Toxicology
Dioxin is fat soluble and enters the body through physical
contact, inhalation, or ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Since it is fat soluble, the toxin quickly accumulates in
organisms in the food chain. When a pregnant mother is exposed
to dioxin, the teratogen can enter the embryo via the
bloodstream. Dioxin is taken up by the body by attaching to a
protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a
transcription factor. The inactive AhR protein is located in the
cytoplasm of most cells, and contains a receptor that is capable
of interacting with several kinds of ligands. When dioxin binds
to AhR, the protein moves to the nucleus, where it influences
gene expression. In normal development gene expression timing
and levels are tightly controlled; changing those things can
result in birth defects.
Production
A nation at war, the United States government compelled a number
of companies to produce Agent Orange under the Defense
Production Act. Companies supplying Agent Orange to the
government included The Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto Company,
Hercules Inc., Diamond Shamrock, Uniroyal Inc., Thompson
Chemical, and T-H Agriculture and Nutrition Company. Agent
Orange was only manufactured for delivery to the U.S. government
for military use. The product was never manufactured or sold for
commercial purposes.
Deployment
The United States Air Force selected the Fairchild C-123
Provider to be the aircraft for deployment. About 19 million
gallons of the herbicide was spray over Vietnam by the end of
it's use in May of 1970.
Head Count
There was a total of about 9 million military personal
during the Vietnam War. Of those about 2.9 million served in
Vietnam.
Exposure:
1. Vietnam, all land and inland waterways, 9 Jan 1962 - 7
May 1975.
2. Blue Water Veterans, open sea ships of Vietnam during the
war.
3. U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Ships, operations in Vietnam 9 Jan
1962 - 7 May 1975.
4. Korean Demilitarized Zone, 1 Apr 1968 - 31 Aug 1971.
5. Thailand Military Bases, possible exposure on or near the
perimeters of military bases between 28 Feb 1961 - 7 May 1975.
6. C-123 Airplanes and Agent Orange, Possible exposure of crew
members to herbicide residue in C-123 planes brought back to the
USA and used after the war.
7. Herbicide Tests and Storage Outside Vietnam. Possible
exposure due to herbicide tests and storage at military bases in
the United States and locations in other countries.
View Spraying Missions In Vietnam By Date And Location
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