Agent Orange

Intro

Hi there! My name is Sooma Ghodsi and I’m a student at George Mason University. This is my website on the impacts of Agent Orange on Vietnam and its lasting effects. My mission is to educate others about this devastating historical event that still fails to get much publicity and raise awareness about those suffering from its impact.

What is Agent Orange?

Agent Orange is a herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971 as part of Operation Ranch Hand. Its purpose was to eliminate forest cover and food crops used by the Viet Cong, but it contained dioxin, one of the most toxic chemicals ever produced. Agent Orange is classified as one of the “Rainbow Herbicides” used to defoliate cover in Vietnam, alongside Agent White, Agent Green, Agent Pink, Agent Purple, and Agent Blue, which were named for the color branded on their storage containers. The U.S. Air Force sprayed nearly 19 million gallons of herbicides in Vietnam using low-flying aircrafts and even boats, which left behind environmental destruction, health crises, and generational trauma for the Vietnamese people.

Vietnam reports that around 400,000 people have suffered death or permanent injury and about 2,000,000 people have suffered from illnesses caused by exposure. U.S. veterans won a $180 million lawsuit in 1984 against producers of the Rainbow Chemicals including Dow and Monsanto for the damages done by the herbicide. Later, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs was directed to pay a monthly disability or death benefit to veterans who served in Vietnam with the Veterans’ Agent Orange Exposure and Vietnam Service Benefits Act of 1989. However, the efforts of the Vietnamese people to gain similar compensation in a 2004 lawsuit against 30 chemical companies with the claim that Agent Orange constituted a violation of international law was turned down by the U.S. court.

In this May 1966 file photo, a U.S. Air Force C-123 flies low along a South Vietnamese highway spraying defoliants on dense jungle growth beside the road to eliminate ambush sites for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The military stopped the spraying by early 1971, but some Air Force Reserve units continued to fly the former spray planes until the early 1980s. Some veterans who flew in those planes after the war have been getting sick, and like many Vietnam veterans, they’re blaming the herbicides they say still coated the planes for decades. Their crusade has been led by a former Oregon resident and Air Force veteran.

Join

I invite you to learn more about the history and legacy of Agent Orange and join me in spreading awareness and support for the affected communities in Vietnam that are still facing the consequences of this herbicide.