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Agent Orange's Effects on Today's Vietnam

Agent Orange, a deadly mixture of the chemicals 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, was used in the Vietnam war to instantly destroy vegetation in order to cripple the Vietcong by exposing their hideouts and shelters (Wilcox 27). However, the U.S. didn’t know how harmful the chemical actually was. They didn’t know at the time, but Agent Orange contains dioxins, which are very dangerous to not only plants but also humans and other mammals. Exposure to dioxins multiplies the chances of cancers, immune system disorders, liver problems and other complications. The U.S. dropped approximately 11 million gallons over about 10 percent of southern Vietnam (Deneslow). The U.S. used the mixture freely and thought nothing of it or its consequences. When it was discovered in 1971 that Agent Orange contained the most dangerous form of dioxin, TCDD, and caused cancer in rats, the spraying in Vietnam was stopped (Deneslow). The problems that the past sprayings o...

Posted by: Shelia Olander

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