The Fate of Agent Blue, the Arsenic Based Herbicide, Used in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War

Abstract

The destruction of the South Vietnamese rice (Oryza sativa L) crop using an arsenic-based herbicide known as Agent Blue during the American Vietnam War (1965-1972) was not a secret; however, it received little media attention in the United States. Republic of Vietnam and United States (U.S.) militaries began destroying food crops (rice) in November of 1962 primarily via aerial applications in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands of South Vietnam. Spraying of Agent Blue on 100,000 ha of mangrove forests and about 300,000 ha of rice paddies just before rice harvest time resulted in the destruction of the standing crop and rendered the land contaminated with arsenic (As). Six Rainbow herbicides, commonly called Agent Orange, Agent Green, Agent Pink, Agent Purple, Agent White, and Agent Blue, were sprayed on wetlands, rice paddies, forests, mangroves, bamboo and military base perimeter fences to defoliate jungle vegetation, reveal guerilla hiding places and destroy the food supply of enemy troops. South Vietnamese farmers, U.S. and Republic of Vietnam military personnel, and communist insurgents were exposed to these herbicides with immediate and longer term impacts on personal health, civilian household food security and population-wide famine. Agent Blue (cacodylic acid, C 2 H 2 AsO 2 ,) was the most effective of all the Rainbow herbicides in killing rice and grasses. Manufacturing of cacodylic acid began in the late 1950s in the U.S. at the Ansul Company chemical plant in Marinette, Wisconsin and Menominee, Michigan. During the Vietnam War, ocean going ships were loaded with 208-liter Agent Blue barrels and shipped via the St. Lawrence Seaway to the coast of South Vietnam. Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring element that is found throughout SE Asia deltas including the Mekong Delta. Today arsenic contaminated rice and groundwater are grow

Long-Term Environmental Impacts of Pesticide and Herbicide Use in Panama Canal Zone

“…These TCDD and As contaminated C-123 planes were used from 1970 to 1973 to spray malathion in the Panama Canal Zone [28]. This may have resulted in trace amounts of tactical herbicide Agent Orange (TCDD) and Agent Blue (As) [29] being added to the soils and water of the Panama Canal Zone.…”

Three Primary Cancers in a Veteran With Agent Orange and Agent Blue Exposures

“…Agent Blue's active ingredient consisted of sodium cacodylate trihydrate (C 2 H 6 AsNaO 2 ), a compound that is metabolized into the organic form of the carcinogen arsenic before eventually converting into its relatively less toxic inorganic form. 2 Agent Orange's defoliating agent is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). All rainbow herbicides except Agent Blue were unintentionally contaminated with carcinogenic dioxins.…”

“…Today, herbicides no longer contain polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins such as TCDD or arsenic due to strict manufacturing restrictions. 2,3 In the treatment of veteran populations, knowledge of the 6 rainbow herbicides' carcinogenic potential is important.…”

“…Arsenic is a compound which has no environmental half-life and is carcinogenic humans if inhaled or ingested. 2 Between 1962 and 1971, the United States distributed 7.8 million liters of Agent Blue containing 1,232,400 kg of arsenic across 300,000 hectares of rice paddies, 100,000 hectares of forest, and perimeters of all military bases during the Vietnam War. 2,5 According to a review by Saha and colleagues, lower levels of arsenic exposure are associated with acute and chronic diseases, including cancers, of all organ systems.…”

“…2 Between 1962 and 1971, the United States distributed 7.8 million liters of Agent Blue containing 1,232,400 kg of arsenic across 300,000 hectares of rice paddies, 100,000 hectares of forest, and perimeters of all military bases during the Vietnam War. 2,5 According to a review by Saha and colleagues, lower levels of arsenic exposure are associated with acute and chronic diseases, including cancers, of all organ systems. 7 The following case presentation involves a Vietnam War veteran aged 70 years who was exposed to Agent Orange and developed 3 primary cancers, including cutaneous large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), high-grade urothelial carcinoma, and anal carcinoma in situ.…”