© Philip Jones Griffiths / Magnum Photos
August 10, 1961: Agent Orange is used for the first time in Vietnam.
Between 1961 and 1971, this defoliant (a chemical used to strip plants of their leaves) was sprayed in massive amounts over Vietnam in a large-scale attempt to deprive the Viet Cong from cover and food. It is described as “one of the most toxic compounds known to humans” by the UN, and it was the herbicide most commonly used by the US military in Operation Ranch Hand, although a number of other chemicals (known as the “rainbow herbicides”) were also used to an extent. In total, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange was sprayed over Vietnam and neighboring countries in those ten years.
The use of Agent Orange was devastating to the country’s crops and forests, as anticipated, destroying millions of acres of crops and forests. But the effect it had on those exposed to the chemical was even worse. In the years following its use, millions of cases of cancer, cleft palates, polydactylism, various birth defects, miscarriages, stillbirths, and other problems were attributed to exposure to Agent Orange. Decades later, leftover dioxin lingers in the soil, water, and animal life, especially near former U.S. military bases. A number of American veterans were also exposed to the chemical, which, according to some studies, led to increased rates of cancer and other diseases. Recently, the United States launched its first large-scale effort to clean up areas contaminated by the compound, fifty-one years after it was first used in Vietnam.
Other links: Photo gallery of victims.