What was Agent Orange?
Image of Arthur Galston
Barrels that contained Agent Orange
Agent Orange was a code name for a herbicide that was a mix of two chemicals, which were 2, 4, D (dichorophenoxyacetic), and 2, 4, 5, T (trichlorophenoxyacetic acid). This herbicide was created during the World War II era when Arthur Galston discovered that 2, 4, D and 2, 4, 5, T combined would make a defoliant. The code name "Agent Orange" was chosen due to the fact that the barrels that contained this herbicide were labeled with orange bands. It is also a defoliant that is part of the "Rainbow Herbicides" and also "Operation Ranch Hand". Operation Ranch Hand was an operation from the U.S. military that involved spraying defoliants over rural areas of South Vietnam. The other defoliants that were included to this operation were, agent green, pink, purple, blue and white ("Rainbow Herbicides"). Although Agent Orange was developed during the World War II era, it wasn't used until the Vietnam War, between the years of 1961-1971.
