...Ruslan Vasilenko September 5, 2013 Vietnam and Western Imagination Paper Proposal Long Term Effects of Agent Orange I selected the topic of Agent Orange to write about in my final paper and all the controversial issues surrounding that topic. In that paper I will talk about the long term effects of Agent Orange that was used during the Vietnam War between 1961-1977. I will examine the effects it had on Vietnam people right away and in the long run. I will also talk about the political side of things and why it would be used in the first place. A brief history will be given on what it is, how it was made, how it was transported and sprayed over the Vietnam jungles, why things reached these extremes, who was behind the idea, how has the world responded in order to help those affected, and etc. I will also try and include the opinions of American and international populations on this controversial topic. The reason why I picked this topic is because I am always interested in controversial topics that humans have witnessed throughout history. These topics rise out of many occasions and especially during the times of war. Agent Orange is one of those topics because people have been arguing for many decades on both, negative and some positive, sides of it. It has caused a great deal of suffering and pain to those affected. It continues to have a tremendous impact on newborns and those people have yet to be refunded for their struggles even though its not going to...
Words: 467 - Pages: 2
...methods of modern warfare cause far greater devastation on the environment. The progression of warfare from chemical weapons to nuclear weapons has increasingly created stress on ecosystems and the environment such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange is one of the potent herbicides used as a defoliant by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War. The name Agent Orange comes from the containers that it was stored in, which had an orange stripe. The U.S. military deployed almost 20 million gallons of herbicides from 1962 to 1971. Among these substances, Agent Orange was the most widely used herbicide, around 11 million gallons. The Vietnamese had the geographical advantages so they used Agent Orange, a mixture of toxins, to remove leaves from trees and bushes, leaving the enemies more exposed. However, the persistent nature of dioxins, erosion caused by loss of tree cover and loss of seedling forest stock meant that reforestation was difficult or nearly impossible in many areas. It has also been linked to many health problems in Vietnam veterans and Vietnamese civilians which caused thousands to die from conditions likely brought on by exposure to Agent Orange. Thus, Agent Orange has disrupted ecological equilibrium. When dioxin is not contained, it seeps into the ground and the groundwater sources, polluting the local ecology and becoming part of the food chain. When people eat animals and plants...
Words: 489 - Pages: 2
...numerous disable people. Particularly, Agent Orange is one of the main reasons which brought these misery and loss to Vietnamese at that time, and the negative effects lasted from this generation to another generation. In The Case of Agent Orange, Palmer defines, “Agent Orange, the main herbicide used and primarily for defoliation” (173). At first, this chemical was planted to destroy jungle in order to extent uncover lands which are advantages for aerial fight. Yet, the damage was out of control and affected human and ecosystem in the area was sprayed chemical. This...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...Agent Orange and Napalm were types of gases used in Vietnam to cause a great deal of destruction. Agent orange was used as a powerful mixture of chemicals by the Us against Vietnam to eliminate the Vietnamese and the Viet Cong soldiers. The release of Agent Orange was codenamed Operation Ranch Hand.There were more than 19 million gallons used to overed a great amount of land over Vietnam. It caused many health issues to those who breathed in the gas, Americans and Vietnamese. Napalm was also used in the Vietnam war to stop the Vietnamese. Napalm was a mixture of plastic polystyrene, hydrocarbon benzene, and gasoline. Both of these very poisonous and caused a lot of damage during the Vietnam war. From 1961-1972 the U.S. wanted to do a wide-scale damage on the forests in Vietnam where all the Viet Cong and soldiers were to cause damage. For Agent Orange the U.S aircrafts used this to spray the area, affecting the forests and everything in it. Agent Orange had many herbicides in it and many other poisonous components in it, it was highly toxic having affected Vietnam’s crops and water sources so anyone eating or drinking water were affected by the poison. It had caused many health problems such as: muscular dysfunction, birth defects, nervous system disorders, etc. It...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...Agent Orange Veterans who served anywhere in Vietnam between January 9th, 1962 and May 7th, 1975 are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a powerful mixture of chemical defoliants used by the U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover for North Vietnam and Vietnam troops. It was also used for crops. Agent Orange contained Chemical dioxin, which was the most commonly use of herbicide mixtures and was the most effective. 19 million gallons were sprayed over 4.5 million acres of land from 1961 to 1972. Agent Orange was a disease that affected Veterans who served in Vietnam. Even if you just stepped foot in Vietnam or you served on a ship while it operated on the island waterways of Vietnam you could still get Agent Orange. “Many recognized certain cancers and other health problems with exposure to Agent Orange during military service” (U.S Department of Veterans Affairs). This shows that Agent Orange caused diseases, many diseases. “Agent Orange reviled to cause serious health issues, tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms, and cancer among returning U.S servicemen and their families as well as the Vietnamese population” (History.com). This states that Agent Orange was harmful to Vietnam Servicemen and...
Words: 513 - Pages: 3
...Agent Orange was of many herbicides stored and used in Vietnam. This arsenal of “Rainbow Herbicides” included Agents White, Green, Blue, Purple, and Pink, of which Orange was most lethal. But, Agent Orange’s lethal qualities only remained active from a few days to a week before degrading and becoming non-toxic. But if this was the case, then why was Vietnam affected for decades after the war? The component of Agent Orange that made it toxic, if even for a short amount of time, was dioxin. The most toxic of the dioxins, TCDD, was used in Agent Orange. But unlike Agent Orange, dioxin could last a lot longer in soil, water, and humans; in fact, TCDD could last up to a hundred years in water. But, Agent Orange wasn’t meant to have these capabilities. TCDD was an unintended byproduct of the herbicides and brought disease to...
Words: 851 - Pages: 4
...Monsanto is a large publically traded multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation. Founded in 1901 with around 22,000 employees, there net income is over two billion dollars and total assets 20.6 billion dollars. Monsanto is known for their scientists in the chemical company due to their many breakthroughs. They are also known for their production of controversial products such as Agent Orange, DDT, PCBs and bovine growth hormone. Agent Orange was one of the herbicides used by the United States military as apart of the herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand. Monsanto was contracted by the United States Department of Defense to produce a defoliant so the military would be able to better see the enemy...
Words: 971 - Pages: 4
...Suicide of Vietnam Veterans The deaths that were experienced in Vietnam due to Agent Orange and other jungle diseases have become well known by the general public. However, it is suicide that has resulted in the deaths of over 150,000 Vietnam soldiers during and after the war. An enormous amount of suicides resulted from what most people call “protecting our country”. The Vietnam War brought more than fifty-eight thousand deaths and is to some one of the darkest battles in United States history. If not killed during the war, many believe any Vietnam veteran would return home great and proud. But this is not the case. Many Vietnam veterans have committed suicide before, during, and after the war. Not only have these men and woman risked their lives for our country, but now, return different people and can not comprehend whether or not to continue their lives. Many people believe we win wars, when in actuality, no one does, especially those who serve in the armed forces (Suicide Wall, 11-10-2000). The Vietnam and other wars have mentally and sometimes physically dismembered many veterans. Another factor that plays a role in a war-related suicide is the addition of many on-site diseases such as defoliants, Agent Orange in particular. Made up of equal parts N-Butyl Ester 2,4,-D and N-Butyl Ester 2,4,5,-T, Agent Orange made many Vietnam soldiers go insane (Vietnam Veterans, 11-10-2000). This atrocious chemical lead and still today leads to death, deformation, and diabetes. Dr...
Words: 1370 - Pages: 6
...Monsanto Company is the world’s largest seed company. They specialize in genetic manipulation of organisms. Monsanto was founded by John E Queeny in 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s first product was artificial sweetener. At the start of World War 1, company leader realized the growth opportunities of industrial chemicals. In 1970’s, Monsanto had produced a chemical known as Agent Orange. Agent Orange contained dioxin; a chemical that caused a legal nightmare for Monsanto, a lawsuit was filed against Monsanto on behalf of hundreds of veterans. The repercussions of dioxin would plague the company for years. In 1981 Monsanto leaders determined that biotechnology would be the company’s new strategic focus, so in 1994 they introduced the first biotechnology product. In 1997 Monsanto spun of its chemical business as Solutia and changed its name to Pharmacia. Two years later, a new Monsanto, focused on agriculture. The New Monsanto was tainted by disturbing news about the company’s conduct. Monsanto had been covering up years of environmental pollution. A paper trail showed Monsanto had known about the pollution since 1960, but didn’t stop the dumping. Hugh Grant took over the company in 2003. But because of the scandals and stakeholders uncertainty, the price of Monsanto’s stock had fallen by 50 percent, and they lost $1.7 billion dollars. Grant knew by strategic focus on GM foods, the company would recover. Monsanto’s Pledge and Code...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...Monsanto is a company that has been around since 1901. They have renovated their company several times throughout the last century to fulfill a need in society. They have been suppliers for items such as artificial sweeter, saccharine, which was sold to Coca-Cola, vanilla flavoring, petroleum, fibers, packaging roundup herbicide, agent orange, and biotechnology for genetic manipulation of organisms in seeds. This company has seen touch times with ethics, environmentally, socially and business. 1. Does Monsanto maintain an ethical culture that can effectively respond to various stakeholders? Monsanto has let down their shareholders many times ethically. It started out in the 1970’s when they produced Agent Orange (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2013). Agent Orange was just their first of many unethical circumstances. Monsanto does not maintain an ethical culture that can effectively respond to various stakeholders because to build a strong business you have to maintain your sense of respect toward the government and the environment. An example of this is when the FDA had to get involved due to whether or not the seeds that Monsanto was being produced were safe for the environment. 2. Compare the benefits of growing GM seeds for crops with the potential negative consequences of using them. The benefits of growing GM seeds for crops is that when you genetically modify plant seeds you can put herbicides and pesticides in the seeds to prevent bugs from eating them and weeds overtaking...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...Monsanto has not maintained an ethical culture and has let down their shareholders many times for much of its history. Monsanto has dealt in controversial products from Agent Orange to pesticides and herbicides. They were harming the environment continuously and consciously. Their products such as Agent Orange used during the war in Vietnam affected people’s health and polluted the environment. They have lost respect for the government and its people. We can start by defining what ethical culture is. According to our book Business Ethics, it is the component of corporate culture that captures the values and norms that an organization defines as appropriate conduct (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2008). By what we read, around 1960 Monsanto did not have any ethical culture. They were harming the environment consciously, but they did not do anything about it. How to influence others ethical behavior when the head of the company do not do the right things? It was not only environmental damage, it was also decaying people and animals’ health; but despite that, they still kept going. After lost lawsuits, the years went by and several management rotations occurred. Competition and learned lessons helped the enterprise to change its core values. Like all human endeavors, errors will always be present. We cannot judge a multinational company for the bribery issue in Indonesia which involved only few workers. One of the remaining ethical issues and the one that gives pause to...
Words: 343 - Pages: 2
...His name is Zachary Green. He served in Vietnam for two tours. He is now 50. While serving in Vietnam, Zach lost an arm, a leg, and was subjected to agent orange. He also suffers from ptsd and depression. Due to being subjected to agent orange, Zach also has various other medical issues. All his medical issues go completely untreated, and he live on the streets of New York City. Zach has no money, no place to call home, and no way to get food. Zach faces a daily struggle to survive, and has no ability to receive any help. The prejudice against the homeless prevents him from being able to obtain a job, or to have anyone take him in.as Gordon Alport says in “the nature of prejudice”, “prejudice is being down on someone you’re not up on.” In...
Words: 1096 - Pages: 5
...Walk into virtually any home in the United States and it is practically guaranteed that there will be a container of some form of pesticide (Raid) or herbicide (Roundup, Spectracide, Ortho) on hand. These are considered “everyday” products used by most homeowners to kill bugs and weeds. They have all been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as safe for use by the general public. They are sold by large retailers as well as smaller local vendors. Based on those two factors, it is a common – but dangerous - assumption that these chemicals must be safe for use. But – “Buyer Beware!” Household pesticides and herbicides contain hidden ingredients that are not provided on the product labels. Under the current laws, manufacturers do not have to divulge all of the ingredients that are used in the production of a pesticide or herbicide. Many of these unidentified ingredients are poisons that could be potentially hazardous to adults and children alike. It is crucial that the labels on these products contain a complete list of the ingredients, as well as any potential hazards. Consumers have a right to this information in order to be able to make informed decisions. There are two categories of ingredients listed on the labels of these products – active and inert. The active ingredients in these products are regulated by the EPA. Active ingredients are those that directly affect the target pest. They must be listed on each container. Problem solved – Right...
Words: 1563 - Pages: 7
...Cultural Competency among Our Heroes Dana Smith NUR 531 June 22, 2015 Instructor: Donna Rose Cultural Competency Among Our Heroes Fear of the unknown. We as a people have the propensity to respond based on our fears due to lack of knowledge or information. We must realize that the effect of any given action (or lack thereof) does not change because we do not know. For example, if we never read the warning on a package of cigarettes and never had anyone to tell us that smoking cigarettes will lead to cancer, it does not stop cancer from taking root. Let’s say that we don’t watch the news and we are not internet surfers to know what’s going on around us and a comet is headed towards the earth. The earth is about to be destroyed. Our not knowing is not going to turn the comet in another direction nor stop it from coming and destroying planet earth. We will simply die, not knowing what or how it happened. So not knowing or being aware can cost a person to lose on a small scale and on a large scale (with the larger being your very life). Not knowing can be a roadblock to learning and intelligence. Being smart, competent and on top of your game leads to success in any given area. Incompetence or ignorance can lead to failure, death, poverty, and all kinds of damage spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and socially (in relationships). Some people think of incompetence as stupidity, or simply not caring about a particular thing. Many use...
Words: 2978 - Pages: 12
...Monsanto Attempts to Balance Stakeholder Interests Monsanto is a company that has been around since 1901. They have renovated their company several times throughout the last century to fulfill a need in society. They have been suppliers for items such as artificial sweeter, saccharine, which was sold to Coca-Cola, vanilla flavoring, petroleum, fibers, packaging roundup herbicide, agent orange, and biotechnology for genetic manipulation of organisms in seeds. This company has seen touch times with ethics, environmentally, socially and business. 1. Does Monsanto maintain an ethical culture that can effectively respond to various stakeholders? Monsanto has let down their shareholders many times ethically. It started out in the 1970’s when they produced Agent Orange (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2013). Agent Orange was just their first of many unethical circumstances. Monsanto does not maintain an ethical culture that can effectively respond to various stakeholders because to build a strong business you have to maintain your sense of respect toward the government and the environment. An example of this is when the FDA had to get involved due to whether or not the seeds that Monsanto was being produced were safe for the environment. 2. Compare the benefits of growing GM seeds for crops with the potential negative consequences of using them. The benefits of growing GM seeds for crops is that when you genetically modify plant seeds you can put herbicides...
Words: 416 - Pages: 2
