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115188 1 (1981-01-01)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadrrj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Agent Orange: The War erat John C. Hansen Mr Hansen is a senior evaluator recently reassigned from the Federal Personnel and Compensation Division to the Veterans Administration audit site of the Human Resources Division where he is continuing his work on Agent Orange. He joined GAO in 1974 after receiving a B.S. degree in finance and a M.B.A. from the University of Rhode Island. Mr. Hansen is a past member of GAO's Career Level Council and is a member of the American Society for Public Administration. Almost 10 years after t Vietnam War many vet they are still fighting the or death struggle. That the Viet Cong, but the t known as Agent Orange Since 1977, the emotio Agent Orange issue has national controversy. T Vietnam veterans claim t to Agent Orange has ma and deformed their child are frustrated at the s Government efforts to fir their questions. There are many emoti the public forum toda rooted in debate over ( responsibility to the pi influence on our lives. H is more fundamental th tion: What does the Gov veterans who have serve in battle? Vietnam vetera about Agent Orange bel ernment is not fulfilling on this complex issue. G tributed to the ongoing de several reports. 'What LIs Agent From 1965 to 1970, th of Defense (DOD) spray million gallons of Agent millions of acres of Vietn the enemy from hiding thereby enhancing sec proving observation, an the enemy's food supp 1940's, the two chemical up this herbicide, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, were widely used in the United States by farmers and foresters to kill un- wanted vegetation. In fact, you could buy them off the shelf of your neigh- borhood hardware store to kill weeds in your lawn or garden. The military began using several herbicides in Vietnam in early 1962. The herbicides were identified by code names which referred to the color of bands painted on the chemical con- tainers. Thus, they were given names like Agent Orange, Agent Blue, and Agent White. These herbicides were he end of the applied by cargo planes, helicopters, erans believe trucks, riverboats, and from back- enemy in a life packs. About 90 percent of the Agent enemy is not Orange used in Vietnam was for forest xic defoliant orjungle defoliation. Crop destruction missions accounted for 8 percent of nally charged the Agent Orange applied. The remain- grown into a ing 2 percent was used around base housands of perimeters, cache sites, waterways, hat exposure and communication lines. de them sick By the late 1960's, Vietnamese ren, and they newspapers and various scientists low pace of began to attribute certain health prob- nd answers to lems found in the civilian Vietnamese population, such as birth defects, can- onal issues in cers, and skin problems, to herbicide y which are exposure. About the same time, the Government's National Institutes of Health reported ublic and its that 2,4,5-T, one of the chemicals in oweer ne itsAgent Orange, could cause malferma- owever, none tions and stillbirths in mice. In April an the ques- 1970, DOD suspended all useof Agent d the country Orange in Vietnam largely as a result ns concerned of the Department of Agriculture's res- ieve the Gov- triction of certain domestic uses of its obligation 2,4,5-T because of its possible health AO has con- hazards. These health hazards were ebatethrough attributed to the inevitable by-product of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T. The by- product is TCDD, a shorthand for Ira 2,3,7,8-tetrach lorodibenzoparad ioxin, simply called dioxin, which many e Department scientists consider the deadliest of all ed almost 11 manmade poisons. Orange over am to prevent in the jungle, urity and im- id to destroy ly. Since the s which made GAO) Rciex/Spi1W, 1981

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