On August 10, 1961, after US President John F. Kennedy's authorization, the US military first used this notoriously harmful mixture of defoliants and herbicides known as Agent Orange in Vietnam.
The purpose of spraying the toxin was to destroy vegetation in order to ferret out units of the North Vietnamese army and the guerrillas of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.
The sweeping use of these toxic chemicals by American troops has led to devastating consequences. Mangrove forests (500,000 hectares) were almost completely destroyed, 60% (about 1 million hectares) of jungles and 30% (more than 100,000 hectares) of lowland forests suffered disastrous effects. Since 1960, the yield of rubber plantations has plunged 75%.
Moreover, Vietnamese children who survived the chemical attack were born with deformed skulls, without eyes, nose, or limbs. At best, many were diagnosed with dementia.
In total, About 4.8 million Vietnamese have been exposed to chemicals and more than 3 million others, namely, second, third and even fourth generation offspring are still suffering from pain and illness even though the war ended almost 50 years ago.
Take a look at Sputnik's photo gallery covering the horrific outcomes from the American military's use of Agent Orange on the people of Vietnam.
