The
U.S. military has a long history of experimenting on various weapons
to win its wars. One of them that continues to have an impact to this
day is Agent Orange, a type of herbicide used to destroy crops and
vegetation in enemy territory. While it was never intended to target
humans directly, Agent Orange
is now believed to be the cause of leukemia, prostate cancer,
Parkinson’s disease, and other ailments to many former American
servicemen and women.
Agent
Orange is perhaps most well-known for its use in the Vietnam War,
where about 20 million gallons of tactical herbicides were deployed
by the U.S. military between 1962 and 1971. However, Agent Orange was
also used in other occasions, particularly when parts of the Korean
demilitarized zone had to be cleared out between 1968 and 1971.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, former service
personnel who were stationed in bases where Agent Orange was stored
or tested are among those most likely to suffer from the side-effects
of this herbicide.
The
side-effects don’t just end with the affected individuals, though.
In Vietnam, about 500,000 children were born with birth defects as a
result of their parents’ exposure to Agent Orange. Just some of the
disabilities that they currently suffer from are spina
bifida (protruding
lump in the spine), physical deformities, and psychological problems.
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