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Agent Orange was a toxic, plant-killing chemical (herbicide) that the U.S. military used to clear foliage during the Vietnam conflict. Exposure to the herbicide causes Agent Orange effects, which include cancer, congenital (birth) disorders and life-threatening health complications.
Agent Orange’s side effects are often long-term and can affect the daily quality of life of exposed veterans. Veterans who worked with Agent Orange may be more susceptible to various forms of cancer and could benefit from VA health care and disability benefits to get them through diagnoses and treatments and makeup lost income as a result.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide that the U.S. military used during the Vietnam War. The most harmful ingredient in Agent Orange is called 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD), or simply dioxin. Exposure to dioxins can cause numerous health problems and diseases, such as cancer.
VA recognizes certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.
1. Agent Orange was a herbicide and defoliant used in Vietnam. Agent Orange was a blend of tactical herbicides the U.S. military sprayed from 1962 to 1971 during the Vietnam War to remove the leaves of trees and other dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover.
Side Effects of Agent Orange. Agent Orange is a toxin and can result in serious side effects. Short-term side effects may have seemed minor and inconvenient to soldiers during the Vietnam War. These short-term side effects, such as skin and eye irritation, are not unusual for a chemical herbicide.
The research shows that exposures to Agent Orange herbicidal chemicals damage frontal lobe brain tissue of laboratory rats with molecular and biochemical abnormalities that are similar to those found in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
Exposure to Agent Orange could have occurred when the chemicals were breathed in, ingested in contaminated food or drinks, or absorbed through the skin. Exposure might have been possible through the eyes or through breaks in the skin, as well.
This is the home page of VA's Agent Orange website with links to information on Agent Orange exposure, related health effects, health care and other VA benefits.
Hypertension (high blood pressure): condition where pressure in your blood vessels is too high. Hodgkin’s Disease: A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia.