Agent Orange

Agent Orange, herbicide used by the United States during the Vietnam War to defoliate the jungle. Agent Orange was contaminated with dioxin, a substance discovered to be toxic to human beings and animals. Use of the chemical was abandoned in the late 1970s. In postwar years, 60,000 veterans complained to the Veterans Administration that they had suffered lasting damage from Agent Orange poisoning. In 1984 the manufacturers of Agent Orange created a relief fund for the victims of Agent Orange.

See also: Vietnam War; Chemical and biological warfare.