During the Vietnam war the American forces used a pesticide during operation farm hand which lasted from 1961 to 1971. The operation which released over 20 million gallons of pesticide over the regions of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The pesticides released was called Agent Orange which contained a very dangerous chemical called Dioxin. This chemical was proven to cause very serious health problems and was the major cause of many things. It intentionally used to destroy enemy crops and destroy forests so that our troops would fight easier. But the pesticides started to contaminate water sources, crops and life stock. This started a chain of events that made this agent one of the chemicals in the world causing …show more content…
Five different types of agents called: "Agent Pink, Agent Green, Agent Purple, Agent White and Agent Blue"(1). But the reason agent orange was the most toxic and deadly is the chemical contained named Dioxin. It is one of the deadliest chemicals in the world causing many effects and diseases. This is a silent killer causing diseases like leukemia and diabetes type b to people. The disease has caused many types in which are affecting veterans. Cancers like AL Amyloidosis which is a rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs. This type of cancer is very rare and very unusual because it comes from having abnormal proteins from other sources. Another problem is birth defects, after the war a number of cases came up after the war. A number of veterans has cases of birth defects and most of them worked in Operation Ranch …show more content…
The military released over 20 million gallons of it and the civilians affected from those areas are still suffering from these side effects and diseases the highly toxic and deadly chemical dioxin contained in Agent Orange. The water sources the crops , all this leaves a stain and a footprint in those areas because the effects are going to last for a long time and it’s going to harm further generations and the only way to help is to aid those in need and fix it.
The use of Agent Orange and the other agents can be considered and act against humanity because of the use of chemicals in a war. At the end of WW1 the Geneva Accords and CWC was signed to prevent the use of chemical warfare in war because of the effects it can cause on the people. The USA used dioxin a very dangerous chemical in a way that is harming the public.
The effects this agent will be felt for generations to come, people will not forget because it’s part of our history, something very dark and bad. The way media covered the situation helped the veterans get their benefits and it showed the government how infuriated the people were and the problems that it has caused. This event showed the world how deadly chemicals can be and harmful. Agent Orange is truly a silent