		Agent Orange and Anthrax Information By D. P. Goldstein and J. E. Davis
Background Agent Orange & Anthrax Questions Raised Works Cited Home		Agent Orange In addition to biological agents, chemical agents have potential use in wars such as Agent Orange used in Vietnam. Agent Orange is a herbicide developed for military use. Chemically, the product was a 50/50 mix of two herbicides, 2, 4, -D ( 2, 4, dichlorophenoxyaetic acid) and 2, 4, 5-T (2, 4, 5 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid). The combined product was mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft, vehicle, and hand spraying. An estimated 19 million gallons of Agent Orange were used in South Vietnam during the war. These were developed as weed killers in the 1940s, and were effective against broad leaf plants and several crops. Agent Orange was deployed in enemy areas to deny cover and concealment to the enemy. In dense terrain particularly, the use of herbicides to destroy covering vegetation was to protect American and allied troops from ambush (Agent Orange Honors Page). The name Agent Orange came because of the identifying band that were used on the 55 gallon drums. Other herbicides by color coded names were agents white, blue, purple, pink, and green. Most of these herbicides were used between 1962 - 1964, with the exception of Agent Orange, used in 1965 - 1970. The name, "AO" became a common substitute for Agent Orange, for security and shorthand. Such chemical agents are dangerous even to those using them. For example, there have been concerns about Agent Orange contamination with TCDD, or dioxin. TCDD is one of a family of dioxins, some found in nature, and are cousins of the dibenzofurans and pcbs. The TCDD found in AO is thought to be harmful to man. In laboratory tests on animals, TCDD has caused a wide variety of diseases, many of them fatal. TCDD is not found in nature, but rather is a man-made and always unwanted byproduct of the chemical manufacturing process. The Agent Orange used in Vietnam was later found to be extremely contaminated with TCDD (Agent Orange Website). Many Vietnam veterans have experienced the effects of dioxin poisoning. After several years, veterans complained of problems and described symptoms to doctors. The doctors could not find an explanation, so they passed them off as psychological disorders resulting from the war. But the dedicated doctors searched harder and discovered Agent Orange, as well as the other agents, contained dioxin, a toxin that causes headaches, personality changes, chloraene, depression, and loss of libido. Many doctors had never even heard of dioxin, let alone Agent Orange. "I don't know how common my experience was," says Dr. Ronald A. Codario, "but I went all through medical school and my training in internal medicine without ever hearing the word dioxin." Agent Orange? "I said, 'what's Agent Orange?'" recalls Codario, "I thought it was something out of a McDonald's hamburger ad or something." (qt. in Wilcox 114 & 116) Anthrax One of the most talked about biological agents is a bacteria called Anthrax. Anthrax is most lethal when its toxins are inhaled. The effects of anthrax bombs falling on a targeted region is extremely deadly. Within hours of inhaling the contaminated air, a victim experiences choking and coughing fits, as well as unusually high fevers. Ninety percent of those affected will not survive the attack. "Gruinard, a small island off the northwest coast of Scotland, is still contaminated as the result of 1942 anthrax testing done there on sheep" (Landau 43). What is the bacteria anthrax? Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in warm-blooded animals, but can also infect man. Anthrax spores can be produced in a dry form (for biological warfare) which may be stored and ground into particles. When inhaled by humans, these particles cause respiratory failure and death within a week. Who gets anthrax? Anthrax is most common in agricultural regions where it occurs in animals. These include South and Central America, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. When anthrax affects humans, it is usually due to an occupational exposure to infected animals or their by products. Workers who are exposed to dead animals products from other countries where anthrax is more common may become infected with B. anthracis (Anthrax Bacteria Page). As Paxman and Harris note: Its other advantage as a weapon is its exceptional toughness. Left for two hours at a temperature of twenty degrees centigrade, the bacteria of anthrax turn into spores - virtually indestructible organisms which can lie dormant for years, waiting to infect any living tissue which it comes into contact with. After cultivating the spores and once mastered, could be harnessed for mass-production. This page was created by D. P. Goldstein and J. E. Davis on 3/17/99 for History and Thought of Western Man, Rich East High School, Park Forest, Illinois. Return to Index

Agent Orange and Anthrax Information

By D. P. Goldstein and J. E. Davis

Agent Orange & Anthrax

Agent Orange

In addition to biological agents, chemical agents have potential use in wars such as Agent Orange used in Vietnam. Agent Orange is a herbicide developed for military use. Chemically, the product was a 50/50 mix of two herbicides, 2, 4, -D ( 2, 4, dichlorophenoxyaetic acid) and 2, 4, 5-T (2, 4, 5 trichlorophenoxyacetic acid). The combined product was mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft, vehicle, and hand spraying. An estimated 19 million gallons of Agent Orange were used in South Vietnam during the war. These were developed as weed killers in the 1940s, and were effective against broad leaf plants and several crops. Agent Orange was deployed in enemy areas to deny cover and concealment to the enemy. In dense terrain particularly, the use of herbicides to destroy covering vegetation was to protect American and allied troops from ambush (Agent Orange Honors Page). The name Agent Orange came because of the identifying band that were used on the 55 gallon drums. Other herbicides by color coded names were agents white, blue, purple, pink, and green. Most of these herbicides were used between 1962 - 1964, with the exception of Agent Orange, used in 1965 - 1970. The name, "AO" became a common substitute for Agent Orange, for security and shorthand.

Such chemical agents are dangerous even to those using them. For example, there have been concerns about Agent Orange contamination with TCDD, or dioxin. TCDD is one of a family of dioxins, some found in nature, and are cousins of the dibenzofurans and pcbs. The TCDD found in AO is thought to be harmful to man. In laboratory tests on animals, TCDD has caused a wide variety of diseases, many of them fatal. TCDD is not found in nature, but rather is a man-made and always unwanted byproduct of the chemical manufacturing process. The Agent Orange used in Vietnam was later found to be extremely contaminated with TCDD (Agent Orange Website).

Many Vietnam veterans have experienced the effects of dioxin poisoning. After several years, veterans complained of problems and described symptoms to doctors. The doctors could not find an explanation, so they passed them off as psychological disorders resulting from the war. But the dedicated doctors searched harder and discovered Agent Orange, as well as the other agents, contained dioxin, a toxin that causes headaches, personality changes, chloraene, depression, and loss of libido. Many doctors had never even heard of dioxin, let alone Agent Orange. "I don't know how common my experience was," says Dr. Ronald A. Codario, "but I went all through medical school and my training in internal medicine without ever hearing the word dioxin." Agent Orange? "I said, 'what's Agent Orange?'" recalls Codario, "I thought it was something out of a McDonald's hamburger ad or something." (qt. in Wilcox 114 & 116)

Anthrax

One of the most talked about biological agents is a bacteria called Anthrax. Anthrax is most lethal when its toxins are inhaled. The effects of anthrax bombs falling on a targeted region is extremely deadly. Within hours of inhaling the contaminated air, a victim experiences choking and coughing fits, as well as unusually high fevers. Ninety percent of those affected will not survive the attack. "Gruinard, a small island off the northwest coast of Scotland, is still contaminated as the result of 1942 anthrax testing done there on sheep" (Landau 43).

What is the bacteria anthrax? Anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax most commonly occurs in warm-blooded animals, but can also infect man. Anthrax spores can be produced in a dry form (for biological warfare) which may be stored and ground into particles. When inhaled by humans, these particles cause respiratory failure and death within a week. Who gets anthrax? Anthrax is most common in agricultural regions where it occurs in animals. These include South and Central America, Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. When anthrax affects humans, it is usually due to an occupational exposure to infected animals or their by products. Workers who are exposed to dead animals products from other countries where anthrax is more common may become infected with B. anthracis (Anthrax Bacteria Page).

As Paxman and Harris note:

Its other advantage as a weapon is its exceptional toughness. Left for two hours at a temperature of twenty degrees centigrade, the bacteria of anthrax turn into spores - virtually indestructible organisms which can lie dormant for years, waiting to infect any living tissue which it comes into contact with. After cultivating the spores and once mastered, could be harnessed for mass-production.

This page was created by D. P. Goldstein and J. E. Davis on 3/17/99 for History and Thought of Western Man, Rich East High School, Park Forest, Illinois.

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