Agent Orange was created with a mixture of 2 herbicides: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. The latter contains TCDD (tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin), the most toxic dioxin. TCDD is so toxic that it is labeled a human carcinogen, any substance that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer.
Methods
The US dropped 20 million gallons of herbicides and defoliants during the Vietnam War, called Operation Ranch Hand. This defoliation program aimed to wipe out forests and crops, sources of food and cover for the guerrilla fighters. The strategy was to destroy the self-sustainability on the rural land to herd the peasants into US-dominated urban cities, effectively leaving no support for the guerrillas whatsoever. Helicopters, low-flying aircraft, trucks, boats, and backpack sprayers were used to deploy the herbicides. 5 million acres of land and crops were destroyed during the Vietnam War as a result of this program, creating widespread famine for civilians.
Effects
Agent Orange caused birth defects, including cleft palate, mental disabilities, hernias, and extra digits. Dioxin was found in breast milk of Vietnamese women and the blood of veterans of Vietnam. Not only did Agent Orange affect the Vietnamese people, it also affected the personnel involved in storing, mixing, and carrying the chemicals. Even today, evidence of dioxins are still found in the soil, a risk to the local communities.
The result of Agent Orange and other chemical agents in Operation Ranch Hand caused the UN to pass Resolution 31/72 (prohibition of environmental modification with long-lasting and severe effects).
Was this chemical agent, which was meant for environmental damage, worse than napalm?
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
http://tyglobalist.org/in-the-magazine/features/the-enduring-legacy-of-agent-orange-in-vietnam/
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/us/agent-oranges-long-legacy-for-vietnam-and-veterans.html
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