The Long-Term Environmental Effects Of The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, one of the most devastating wars in recent history had many consequences including the main topic: environmental impacts. This essay aims to show light on the long-term environmental impacts of the Vietnam War and the lasting consequences. This essay will talk about the ecological damage inflicted upon the country, examine the impact on biodiversity, and determine the health of Vietnam's citizens.
The Vietnam War was categorized by its widespread use of chemicals that were used to destroy plants and vegetation to expose enemy hideouts. An example of this is Agent Orange. These chemicals were just used to destroy plants but what they didn't know was that it would leave a lasting impact on the environment.
There were many instances

I will find this out by investigating ecological damage, its impact on biodiversity, and the health of the Vietnam citizens during this war and after, over 50 years later. This brings me to the question: what were the long-term environmental effects of the Vietnam War on Vietnam? This leads to the first topic, ecological damage. Agent Orange is a herbicide mixture. It was mostly made up of a dangerous chemical called dioxin. The production of this herbicide ended in the 1970s and is no longer used. The chemical dioxin left many harmful impacts and still affects people today. The chemical was used by the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War. “The herbicides were sprayed over about 24 percent of southern Vietnam, destroying 5 million acres of upland and mangrove forests and about 500,000 acres of crops, a total area nearly the size of Massachusetts”. When Agent Orange was used, it was about 20 times the recommended concentration for killing plants. This highly potent substance defoliated millions of acres of forest and farmland. To this day much of that land remains degraded and unproductive.# In addition, the chemical remains toxic in the land for decades to come. soil samples were analyzed from both areas that were heavily sprayed and the former military bases where Agent Orange and other chemicals were stored and handled. In most instances, the measured dioxin levels were below the standards. But some military bases had very high levels of dioxin concentration. After they discovered these chemical hot spots, they cleaned them up to prevent dioxin from entering the food chain and affecting humans in the surrounding area. After its use in the 1960s, it was banned by the U.S. in 1971 and the remaining amounts were taken from Vietnam and the U.S. to a U.S.-controlled island about 700 miles SouthEast of Hawaii called Johnston Atoll. It was then destroyed and