How Does Agent Orange Affect Society

Agent Orange and it’s Affects on Society

Did you know that Britain was the first to use defoliants in combat against Southwest Asia according to nytimes.com? At this point a person might ask themselves what is a defoliant? A defoliant is a pesticide used to remove leaves from plants and it was also used as a war tactic in different wars. During the Vietnam war, a defoliant was used called agent orange.They called it Agent Orange because of the color. Agent Orange consisted of two different herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T ( America’s Most Lethal Secret Agent). The government did not want their war tactic to get out to the public so they called it Operation Ranch Hand (Agent Orange). The first time Operation Ranch Hand took place was on January thirteenth nineteen sixty-two. Operation Ranch Hand was used for almost a decade. It was used from nineteen sixty-two until nineteen seventy-one. The planes used to spray Agent Orange were called C-123. Agent Orange has been said to be one of the most vicious war tactics America had used throughout history (America’s Most

A short term effect on humans is nausea. When they first come into contact with Agent Orange they most likely tend to become nauseous because of the harsh chemicals found in Agent Orange (Agent Orange). Another short term symptom is a headache because the fumes of Agent Orange are very strong and can cause migraines. Itching, burning, and rashes are also common short term effects that Agent Orange can cause (Haberman, Clyde). A short term effect on the environment is Agent Orange’s chemicals can contaminate and destroy crops. The contamination of crops can cause an area to have lots of sick people and the crops become inedible and people cannot make money off of them to provide for their families and make a living. Also when crops are destroyed there is less food being grown which could cause a famine and lots of people could start to