USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Defoliants were employed for these purposes by South Vietnamese and U.S. forces in the Vietnam War; among the more controversial of these substances was the chemical compound known as Agent Orange (q.v.).

Detailed explanation-2: -About Agent Orange: Agent Orange was one of a class of color-coded herbicides that U.S. forces sprayed over the rural landscape in Vietnam from 1961 to 1971 to defoliate trees and shrubs and kill food crops that were providing cover and food to opposition forces.

Detailed explanation-3: -So the U.S. military exposed guerillas by bombarding the trees themselves with huge amounts of defoliants, chemical herbicides that cause the leaves to fall off of plants. The most infamous defoliant was Agent Orange, named for the orange stripes marking the drums it was shipped in.

Detailed explanation-4: -Herbicide Composition. 2, 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. As a result of the synthesis of 2, 4, 5-T, it was contaminated with 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD, also referred to as TCDD).

Detailed explanation-5: -Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the “tactical use” Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971.