Agent Blue was effective against grasses and grains, such as rice (Young, 2009).Ģ,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) was the main active ingredient of Agent Orange and the herbicides used earlier in the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange and Agent White were used against broadleaf plants and woody shrubs and trees, including mangroves. The tactical herbicides used in Vietnam were intended to kill a broad spectrum of plants. The military use of herbicides has been discussed in several other Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports (IOM, 1994, 2003, 2008) and two books (Buckingham, 1983 Young, 2009), and will not be described in detail here. The names of the herbicides were derived from the color-coded bands around the 55-gal (208-L) drums used to ship and store them (Young, 2009). By far the most widely used herbicide was Agent Orange, followed by Agent White other tactical herbicides that were used in Vietnam during the war include Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent Pink, and Agent Green. Different tactical herbicides were used at different times during the war (Young, 2009). Both the US Air Force and the US Army Chemical Corps purchased herbicides and used them in Vietnam. Because naval personnel are known to have been exposed to at least some of these chemicals during their tours of duty in Vietnam, the committee found it important to identify and describe a few of the chemicals, their uses, and their long-term health effects.ĭuring the Vietnam War (1962–1975), both the US and the Republic of Vietnam militaries used several herbicides for tactical purposes, specifically to defoliate areas to reduce cover for enemy forces, to improve visibility on the perimeters of military installations, and for a short time to kill enemy crops. Many of the chemicals used aboard are known to be toxic and can result in both short-term and long-term adverse health effects.
Exposure opportunity varied greatly with a sailor’s occupation, the class of ship, and the activity that required the use of the chemical(s). Finally, Blue Water Navy and Brown Water Navy personnel were exposed to many chemicals that were needed to operate and maintain their ships. Second, some other chemicals used abundantly by the US military during the war-including such nontactical pesticides as malathion, and jet and diesel fuels-are described. First and in greatest depth, the committee reviews the use of tactical herbicides, such as Agent Orange, which is the focus of this report. This chapter discusses three groups of chemicals used by the US military in Vietnam.
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