Chemical Warfare : America's Use Of Chemical Warfare In The Vietnam War
Between 1963 and 1966 over 6 million litres of chemicals were dumped over Vietnam in an attempt to nullify the efforts of the Viet Cong guerillas who, at the time, were systematically picking apart the US force in South Vietnam.
Operation Ranch hand was the code name given to the US operation that consisted of the deployment of the chemical, Agent Orange in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1962-1971. Agent Orange is made up of two defoliants (chemical herbicides), 2,4,5 – Trimethoxybenzaldehyde (2,4,5-T) which is the main organic compound used primarily to defoliate large areas, eg weed killer, and 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydazine (2,4-D)which, when reacted with an aldehyde such as 2,4,5-T, it becomes aromatic which is what gives Agent Orange its sweet smell. The reaction of these two substances leaves a harmful by-product called tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCCD) which is the most sinister of its series. the series is referred to commonly as “dioxins”. TCCD is a known carcinogen due to its ability to damage the genetic material of an organism. A carcinogen is any substance that is directly involved in causing cancer. TCCD’s ability to damage genetic material also causes birth defects in the offspring of people who have been exposed to the substance.
To put the toxicity of TCCD in perspective, the iconic depiction of US secretary of state Colin Powell clutching a tiny vial of anthrax posed as a symbol of its destructive power and the threat it posed to the world and by extension, the United States of America. Just that small vial would be enough to end thousands of lives. The North Vietnamese government had their own symbolic vial. This vial contained 80g of TCCD. If this vial was dropped into a water supply of a city as large as New York City, it would kill off the entire population. Former director of the UN Environment Program, who is a leading expert on Agent Orange, stated that the United States deployed 6 million litres of it over Vietnam, not including the shipments that had been dumped in nearby rivers and waterways after unsuccessful patrols due to the regulation that allowed pilots to return only with empty payloads.
The use of Agent Orange in Vietnam caused widespread controversy during the 60’s and 70’s due to the Indiscriminate nature of the deployment of the chemical. not only was it depolyed over Viet Cong guerillas and forestry, but also their own soldiers who were unlucky enough to be in the vicinity. It also caused controversy following the war due to the new findings of birth defects in vietnam veteran offspring and also the finding of cancer in veterans exposed to the toxic substance. In 1979, the first Agent Orange class action was filed by Agent Orange Victims International (AOVI) on behalf of their founder, a vietnam veteran, Paul Reutershan, whom had passed away in december 1978. Reutershan believed that the damage from agent orange exposure in vietnam had caused his chloracne and abdomminal cancer, and attempted to file a personal injury lawsuit against three of the eventual six companies that were a part of the defendants in the eventual class action. the six chemical companies as defendants, dow, Monsanto, Hercules, Northwest Industries, Diamond Shamrock and North American Phillips agreed to a $180 million out of court settlement so long as they did not have to admit liability. the $180 million fund was used as compensation to pay the veterans that claimed disease and serious illness as a result of agent orange exposure. The lawsuit was put in place in order to represent the 2.4 million Vietnam veterans from USA, Australia and New zealand that had claimed to be effected by the exposure to agent orange between 1962 and 1971. an example of the diseases and serious illnesses are as follows:
- Chronic B-cell Leukaemia
- Chloracne
- Diabetes Mellitius Type 2
- Hodgkins Disease
- Ischemic Heart Disease
- multiple Myeloma (Bone Marrow Cancer)
- Parkinson's disease
- Prostate Cancer
- Respiratory Cancers
- Soft Tissue Sarcomas
- Spina Bifida, and multiple other birth defects in children
Operation Ranch hand was the code name given to the US operation that consisted of the deployment of the chemical, Agent Orange in Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1962-1971. Agent Orange is made up of two defoliants (chemical herbicides), 2,4,5 – Trimethoxybenzaldehyde (2,4,5-T) which is the main organic compound used primarily to defoliate large areas, eg weed killer, and 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydazine (2,4-D)which, when reacted with an aldehyde such as 2,4,5-T, it becomes aromatic which is what gives Agent Orange its sweet smell. The reaction of these two substances leaves a harmful by-product called tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCCD) which is the most sinister of its series. the series is referred to commonly as “dioxins”. TCCD is a known carcinogen due to its ability to damage the genetic material of an organism. A carcinogen is any substance that is directly involved in causing cancer. TCCD’s ability to damage genetic material also causes birth defects in the offspring of people who have been exposed to the substance.
To put the toxicity of TCCD in perspective, the iconic depiction of US secretary of state Colin Powell clutching a tiny vial of anthrax posed as a symbol of its destructive power and the threat it posed to the world and by extension, the United States of America. Just that small vial would be enough to end thousands of lives. The North Vietnamese government had their own symbolic vial. This vial contained 80g of TCCD. If this vial was dropped into a water supply of a city as large as New York City, it would kill off the entire population. Former director of the UN Environment Program, who is a leading expert on Agent Orange, stated that the United States deployed 6 million litres of it over Vietnam, not including the shipments that had been dumped in nearby rivers and waterways after unsuccessful patrols due to the regulation that allowed pilots to return only with empty payloads.
The use of Agent Orange in Vietnam caused widespread controversy during the 60’s and 70’s due to the Indiscriminate nature of the deployment of the chemical. not only was it depolyed over Viet Cong guerillas and forestry, but also their own soldiers who were unlucky enough to be in the vicinity. It also caused controversy following the war due to the new findings of birth defects in vietnam veteran offspring and also the finding of cancer in veterans exposed to the toxic substance. In 1979, the first Agent Orange class action was filed by Agent Orange Victims International (AOVI) on behalf of their founder, a vietnam veteran, Paul Reutershan, whom had passed away in december 1978. Reutershan believed that the damage from agent orange exposure in vietnam had caused his chloracne and abdomminal cancer, and attempted to file a personal injury lawsuit against three of the eventual six companies that were a part of the defendants in the eventual class action. the six chemical companies as defendants, dow, Monsanto, Hercules, Northwest Industries, Diamond Shamrock and North American Phillips agreed to a $180 million out of court settlement so long as they did not have to admit liability. the $180 million fund was used as compensation to pay the veterans that claimed disease and serious illness as a result of agent orange exposure. The lawsuit was put in place in order to represent the 2.4 million Vietnam veterans from USA, Australia and New zealand that had claimed to be effected by the exposure to agent orange between 1962 and 1971. an example of the diseases and serious illnesses are as follows:
- Chronic B-cell Leukaemia
- Chloracne
- Diabetes Mellitius Type 2
- Hodgkins Disease
- Ischemic Heart Disease
- multiple Myeloma (Bone Marrow Cancer)
- Parkinson's disease
- Prostate Cancer
- Respiratory Cancers
- Soft Tissue Sarcomas
- Spina Bifida, and multiple other birth defects in children