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Rainbow Herbicides
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Herbicides
The Rainbow Herbicides are a group of chemicals used by the United States military in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Success with Project AGILE field tests with herbicides in South Vietnam in 1961 and inspiration by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s led to the formal herbicidal program Trail Dust (1961–71). Herbicidal warfare is the use of substances primarily designed to destroy the plant-based ecosystem of an agricultural food production and/or destroying foliage which provides the enemy cover.
Background
The United States discovered 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) during World War II. It was recognized as toxic and combined with large amounts of water or oil to function as a weed-killer. Army experiments with the chemical eventually led to the discovery that 2,4-D combined with 2,4,5-T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid) yielded a potent herbicide containing dioxin.
Types
The Agents used in southeast Asia, their active ingredients and years used were as follows:
Agent Pink: 40-60% 2,4,5-T, used during "testing" stages of spray program, prior to 1964
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Pink
Agent Pink is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the pink stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "rainbow herbicides" that included the more infamous Agent Orange. Agent Pink was only used during the early "testing" stages of the spraying program before 1964. Agent Pink's only active ingredient was 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), one of the common phenoxy herbicides of the era. Agent Pink contained about 60%–40% of this active substance. Even prior to Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) it was known that a dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), is produced as a byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T, and was present in any of the herbicides that used it, but to greater proportion in the earlier Agents, such as Pink.
A 2003 Nature paper by Stellman et al., which re-apprised the average TCDD content of Agent Orange from the 3 ppm that USAF had reported to a level of 13 ppm, also estimated that Agent Pink may have had 65.5 ppm of TCDD on average. The comparatively smaller amounts of Pink and Purple—spraying of 50,312 l of Pink is documented, but an additional 413,852 l appear on procurement records—probably deposited a large percentage of the total dioxin.
Agent Green: (n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T) unclear when used
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Green
Agent Green is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the green stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides". Agent Green was only used between 1962 and 1964, during the early "testing" stages of the spraying program.
Agent Green was mixed with Agent Pink and used for crop destruction. A total of 20,000 gallons of Agent Green were procured.
Agent Green's only active ingredient was 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), one of the common phenoxy herbicides of the era. Even prior to Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) it was known that a dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), is produced as a side product of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T, and was thus present in any of the herbicides that used it. Because Agent Green's only active ingredient was 2,4,5-T, along with the similar Agent Pink, and earlier-produced batches of 2,4,5-T having higher TCDD-levels, it contained many times the average level of dioxin found in Agent Orange.
During much of the fighting in the Vietnam War, chemical agents were used by the United States to defoliate the landscape. Although many different chemical agents were used, the most well known today is “Agent Orange,” one of the “Rainbow Herbicides.”
Agent Purple: 50% n-butyl ester of 2,4-D, 30% n-butyl ester of 2,4,5-T, 20% isobutyl ester of 2,4,5-T used 1962–65
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Purple
Agent Purple is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in their herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the purple stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" that included the more infamous Agent Orange. Agent Purple and Orange were also used to clear brush in Canada.
Agent Purple was chemically similar to the better-known Agent Orange, both of them were consisting of a mixture of the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and in both cases the 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T constituted equal shares of the Agent. The difference was in the form of 2,4,5-T. While all the 2,4,5-T in Agent Orange was n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T in Agent Purple the 2,4,5-T was itself mixture of its two salt forms: 60% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T, and 40% isobutyl ester 2,4,5-T. The Agent Purple had then the following composition: 50% n-butyl ester 2,4-D, 30% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T, and 20% isobutyl ester 2,4,5-T.
Even prior to Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) it was known that 2,4,5-T, and thus Agents Purple, Pink, Green and Orange, were contaminated with tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), an extremely toxic and persistent by-product formed during synthesis. Dioxin-levels varied considerably from batch to batch, and even within the same batch; generally, agents produced earlier, such as Purple and Pink suffered from higher levels of contamination. A 2003 Nature paper by Stellman et al., which re-apprised the average TCDD content of Agent Orange from the 3 ppm that USAF had reported to a level of 13 ppm, also estimated that Agent Purple may have had 32.8 ppm of TCDD on average. A sample of Agent Purple archived at Eglin Air Force Base had an even higher content of 45 ppm TCDD.
Agent Purple was used only in the earliest stages of the spraying program, between 1962 and 1965 as well as in earlier tests conducted by the US military outside of Vietnam. About 500,000 gallons were sprayed in Vietnam total. (~1.9 million liters). When the need to clear brush around CFB Gagetown in Canada arose, quantities of Agent Purple and Agent Orange were also sprayed there in a testing program during 1966 and 1967.
Agent Blue (Phytar 560G): cacodylic acid and sodium cacodylate used from 1962–71 in powder and water solution
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Blue
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Agent Blue;(CH3)2AsO.·OH, obtained by the oxidation of cacodyl, and having the properties of an exceedingly stable acid; is one of the "rainbow herbicides" that is known for its use by the United States during the Vietnam War. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, killing rice was a military strategy from the very start of US military involvement in Vietnam. At first, US soldiers attempted to blow up rice paddies and rice stocks, using mortars and hand grenades. But grains of rice were far more durable than they understood, and were not easily destroyed. Every grain that survived was a seed, to be collected and planted again. In a report to the International War Crimes Tribunal (founded by Bertrand Russell) at the end of 1967, it was stated that: "The soldiers discovered that rice is one of the most maddeningly difficult substances to destroy; using thermite metal grenades it is almost impossible to make it burn and, even if one succeeds in scattering the rice, this does not stop it being harvested by patient men. So they went to a bigger and better option that will actually kill off the paddies. The purpose of Agent Blue was narrow-leaf plants and trees (grass, rice, bamboo, banana, etc.) "Operation Ranch Hand", was military code for spraying of herbicides from U.S. Air Force aircraft in Southeast Asia from 1962 through 1971. The widespread use of herbicides in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War was a unique military operation in that it was meant to kill the plants that provided cover. The continued use of Agent Blue, one of the “Rainbow Herbicides”, by the United States was primarily meant as an operation to take away the enemy’s advantage on the terrain as well as deprive them of the resources they gained from the plant life. Between 1962 and 1971, the US used an estimated 20 million gallons of herbicides as chemical weapons for "defoliation and crop destruction" which fell mostly on the forest of South Vietnam, but was eventually used in Laos as well to kill crops in order to deprive the communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops of food. It was sprayed on rice paddies and other crops in an attempt to deprive the Vietcong of the valuable crops the plants provided. Unable to control the Vietcong's access to food supplies or their grassroots village support, the US military response was simple: If you can't control it, kill it. By starving the plants of water this would cause the enemies to starve because the plants were not able to obtain water to survive. Agent Blue is a mixture of two arsenic-containing compounds: sodium cacodylate and cacodylic acid. Agent Blue is chemically unrelated to the more infamous Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the war.
Agent Blue affects plants by causing them to dry out. As rice is highly dependent on water to live, using Agent Blue on these paddies can destroy an entire field and leave it unsuitable for further planting. This is why Agent Blue was also used where food was not a factor, but foliage was. The Vietcong had an advantage while fighting in Vietnam because they were used to the abundance of plant life on the battlefield. The US found themselves at a disadvantage and based on the precedent set by the British in Malaya, decided that the best retaliation would be to take the Vietcong's advantage away from them by removing their cover. Along roads, canals, railroads, and other transportation networks, Ranch Hand cleared several hundred yards using the herbicides to make ambushes more difficult for their enemies. In Laos, the herbicide removed the jungle canopy from the roads and trails used for infiltrating men and supplies, making them more vulnerable to attack from the air.
Approximately 19.6 million gallons of Agent Blue were used in Vietnam during the war, destroying 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) of crops.[not in citation given][not in citation given] From 1965 on the Ansul Chemical Company delivered the herbicide Phytar 560 with the 26.4% sodium cacodylate and 4.7% cacodylic acid in water.
Today, large quantities of the chemical named Agent Blue are still used on lawns and crops throughout the USA. Taken from ZNet Ecology: It has been over twelve years since the last herbicide mission that was done. But there is still big controversy going around about the past missions that were sent out. Agent Blue and White are the least effective of all the herbicides.
“Arsenical herbicides containing cacodylic acid as an active ingredient are still used today as weed-killers. In the US they are used extensively, from golf courses to backyards. They are also sprayed on cotton fields, drying out the cotton plants before harvesting. So common -- and so profitable -- is the original commercial form of Agent Blue that it was among 10 toxic insecticides, fungicides and herbicides partially deregulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in February 2004. Specific limits on toxic residues in meat, milk, poultry, and eggs were removed.”
Agent White (Tordon 101): 21.2% (acid weight basis) triisopropanolamine salts of 2,4-D and 5.7% picloram used 1966–71
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_White
Agent White is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the white stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "rainbow herbicides" that included the more infamous Agent Orange.
Agent White is a 4:1 mixture of 2,4-D and picloram. Unlike the more infamous Agent Orange, Agent White did not contain dioxin, which was a contaminant in the defoliants that included 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). Agent White was a proprietary product of the Dow Chemical Company. Around 1985, Dow Chemical was forced to re-certify picloram after having greatly reduced the amounts of contaminants.
Agent White was often used when Agent Orange was not available, including for several months after the use of Agent Orange was halted in April 1970. Approximately 5.4 million US gallons (20,000 m3) of Agent White was used in Vietnam between 1966 and 1971. In addition the US Military tested Agent White, Tordon 101 and picloram in varying concentrations at test sites in the US and Puerto Rico in the 1960s.
Under the brand name Tordon 101, Dow AgroSciences has commercialized a similar product containing a mixture of 2,4-D and picloram.
Agent Orange or Herbicide Orange, (HO): 50% n-butyl ester 2,4-D and 50% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T used 1965–70[/font][/b]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange - (See separate page)
Agent Orange II: 50% n-butyl ester 2,4-D and 50% isooctyl ester 2,4,5-T used after 1968
Agent Orange III: 66.6% n-butyl 2,4-D and 33.3% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T
Enhanced Agent Orange, Orange Plus, or Super Orange (SO), or DOW Herbicide M-3393: standardized Agent Orange mixture of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T combined with an oil-based mixture of picloram, a proprietary DOW Chemical product called Tordon 101, an ingredient of Agent White.
Use
In Vietnam, the early large-scale defoliation missions (1962-1964) used 8,208 gallons of Agent Green, 122,792 gallons of Pink, and 145,000 of Purple. These were dwarfed by the 11,712,860 gallons of Orange (both versions) used from 1965 to 1970. Agent White started to replace Orange in 1966; 5,239,853 gallons of White were used. The only agent used on a large scale in an anti-crop role was Blue, with 2,166,656 gallons used. The bombardment occurred most heavily in the area of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The Rainbow Herbicides damaged the ecosystems and cultivated lands of Vietnam, and led to buildup of dioxin in the regional food chain. About 4.8 million people were affected.
In addition to testing and using the herbicides in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the US military also tested the "Rainbow Herbicides" and many other chemical defoliants and herbicides in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Korea, India, and Thailand from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s. Herbicide persistence studies of Agents Orange and White were conducted in the Philippines. The Philippine herbicide test program which was conducted in cooperation with the University of the Philippines, College of Forestry and was also described in a 1969 issue of The Philippine Collegian, the college's newspaper. Super or enhanced Agent Orange was tested by representatives from Fort Detrick and Dow chemical in Texas, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii and later in Malaysia in a cooperative project with the International Rubber Research Institute. Picloram in Agent White and Super-Orange was contaminated by Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) a dioxin-like carcinogen. The Canadian government also tested these herbicdes and used them to clear vegetation for artillery training.
A 2003 study in Nature found that the military underreported its use of rainbow herbicides by 9,440,028 liters.
Long-term effects
Vietnam remains heavily contaminated by dioxin, which is classified as a Persistent Organic Pollutant. It remains in the water table and built up in the tissues of local fauna. However, it has begun to deteriorate, and the forest canopy has regrown somewhat since the Vietnam War.
Dioxin is an endocrine disruptor and may have effects on the children of people who were exposed.
Soldiers exposed to Rainbow Herbicides in Southeast Asia reported long term health effects, which led to several lawsuits against the U.S. government and the manufacturers of the chemical.
See also
List of Rainbow Codes
U.S. Army Biological Warfare Laboratories
References
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Ornitz, Sheri L. "Agent Orange and its Continuing Effects". British Travel Health Association Journal, vol. 10. Winter 2007.
Jump up ^ Stellman, Jeanne; Stellman, Steven D.; Christian, Richard; Weber, Tracy; Tomasallo, Carrie (17 April 2003). "The extent and patterns of usage of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam" (PDF). Nature 422 (6933): 681–7. doi:10.1038/nature01537. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 12700752.
^ Jump up to: a b Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides; Institute of Medicine (1994). Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam. National Academies Press. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-0-309-55619-4.
Jump up ^ Alvin L. Young. The History, Use, Disposition and Environmental Fate of Agent Orange. Springer. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-387-87486-9.
Jump up ^ Stephen Bull (2004). Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-57356-557-8.
Jump up ^ Daniel Vallero (2011). Biomedical Ethics for Engineers: Ethics and Decision Making in Biomedical and Biosystem Engineering. Academic Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-08-047610-0.
Jump up ^ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District (4 April 2012). Archives Search Report Findings for Field Testing of 2,4,5-T and Other Herbicides (PDF) (Report). p. 116. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Corcoran, Charles A. (December 1968). "Operational Evaluation of Super-Orange (U)- unclassified". Military Assistance Command Vietnam(MAC-V) to Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) message for CINCPAC, USARPAC Ofc Science Adviser. via National Security Archives at George Washington University.
Jump up ^ DGSC-PI Memorandum for the record: Herbicides reformulation thereof (Operation Guns and Butter meeting) (Report). DOW Chemical Company. September 9, 1966.
Jump up ^ "Herbicides" entry in Spencer C. Tucker, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-961-0.
^ Jump up to: a b Wright, Laura. "New Study Finds Agent Orange Use Was Underestimated". Scientific American, April 17, 2003.
Jump up ^ "Herbicide Tests and Storage in the U.S.". Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
Jump up ^ "Herbicide Tests and Storage Outside the U.S.". Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
Jump up ^ Fryer, J. D.; Blackman, G. E. (January 1972). "Preliminary Proposals for the Study of Persistence of Herbicides in Forest and Mangrove Soil". NAS committee on the effect of Herbicides in Vietnam. National Academy of Science, (NAS).
Jump up ^ Pelletier, Richard. "Agent Purple Deadlier than Agent Orange." Bangor Daily News, 1 July 2005.
Further reading
Alvin L. Young, The History of the US Department of Defense Programs for the Testing, Evaluation, and Storage of Tactical Herbicides, December 2006, www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/operation_and_plans/NuclearChemicalBiologicalMatters/TacticalHerbicides.pdf. A more abbreviated version: doi:10.1007/978-0-387-87486-9_2
"Update #1 to INFORMATION PAPER Agent Orange/Agent Purple and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown". Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management; Maine Veterans’ Services. February 9, 2006.
Herbicidal Warfare Vietnam 1961-1971. ONEOFMANYFEATHERS. 2/1/2014.
www.maine.gov/dvem/bvs/CFB%20Gagetown%20Agent%20Orange%20Information%20Paper%20Update%201.pdf
John W. Libby Major General Commissioner 207-626-4205
Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management Maine Veterans’ Services
117 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0117
Tel.: 207-626-4464
February 9, 2006
Update #1
to INFORMATION PAPER Agent Orange/Agent Purple and
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown
1. Background Information:
a. Agent Orange was a mixture of chemicals containing equal amounts of the two active ingredients, 2, 4-D and 2,4,5-T. The name, "Agent Orange," came from the orange stripe on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored. Other herbicides, including Agent Purple a less well known but more toxic agent, were also used in Vietnam, but to a much lesser extent. Republic of Korea forces used small amounts of Agent Orange in 1968-69 in the area from the Civilian Control line to the southern boundary of the Demilitarized Zone. Since the initial use of Agent Orange, significant studies and validation of effects on personnel have resulted in various national programs and assistance for affected veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently maintains an active VA Agent Orange Registry and provides medical treatment or disability compensation to Vietnam veterans. In 2001, the program expanded to examinations of Korean veterans who served in Korea in 1968 and 1969 and may have been exposed to dioxin or other toxic substances while serving in the military.
Additional information, fact sheets, and newsletters are available online at www.va.gov/agentorange or call the toll-free helpline at 1-800-749-8387.
b. In June of 2005, the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) announced that for three days in June 1966 (14-16) and four days in June 1967 (21-24), testing of various defoliants, including Agent Orange and Agent Purple, took place over a limited portion of the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown, New Brunswick. Additionally, according to the Canadian DND and the Canadian Forces (CF) website, “the testing was conducted under strictly controlled conditions, ensuring minimal spray drift, in an area of the base that was difficult to access,” “the testing did not involve wide-spread spraying,” and “these tests are the only known instances, based on available information, in which Agents Orange and Purple were sprayed at CFB Gagetown.” According to the Canadian DND and the Canadian Forces, the testing area consisted of two small areas covering approximately 83 acres of the 180,000 plus acres of CFB Gagetown. Additional information is available at the Canadian DND/CF website: (http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=1685).
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Peter W. Ogden Director 207-626-4464
2. What the State of Maine is doing for those who may have been exposed to Agent Orange while training at CFB Gagetown:
a. The Maine National Guard and the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services take very seriously the health and safety concerns of both present soldiers and our veterans. In that regard, on July 6, 2005 a link was established on the Maine National Guard internet website (http://www.me.ngb.army.mil/Default.htm) to provide updates regarding this issue as information became available. In addition, soldiers and veterans were afforded the opportunity to be added to a contact list of soldiers who trained at CFB Gagetown. Those without internet access could call the Bureau of Veteran’s Services in Augusta, Maine at 207- 626-4464 to obtain updates and manually register.
b. The Director of Maine Veterans’ Services met with The Adjutant General of the Maine National Guard, the Togus VA Medical Center Director, and the VA Regional Office Director in early July 2005 to determine the best way to move forward with providing information to Maine’s veterans and to discuss the handling of potential claims for possible exposure to Agent Orange at CFG Gagetown. Both the Medical Center Director and the Regional Office Director have been very supportive in the development of this information paper and are just as concerned for the welfare of our veterans as we are.
c. The Director of Maine Veterans’ Services wrote to Maine’s Congressional Delegation in July 2005 informing them of the Agent Orange issue at CFB Gagetown and requesting their support in working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist Maine’s National Guard members with any Agent Orange issues they may have.
d. The Director of Maine Veterans’ Services wrote to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in October 2005 asking for clarification of how Maine National Guardsmen and women could get the AOR screening and file claims with the VA for Agent Orange issues. The results of this letter are: CFB Gagetown is on the approved DOD list of potential Agent Orange exposure areas; the VA will adjudicate claims for those illness that are presumptively attributed to Agent Orange; and veterans, as defined by the VA, can receive an Agent Orange Registry examination if they so chose.
e. Maine Veterans’ Services and the Maine National Guard is producing a map that will show the habitual training areas frequented by Maine National Guard units while training at CFB Gagetown. This map will be available for viewing at all Maine Army National Guard Armories and Maine Veterans’ Services offices by April 15, 2006. A copy of this map will be provided to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office at Togus to assist in adjudicating claims for exposure to Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown.
f. This information paper will be made available to the individuals on the contact list, veteran’s organizations in Maine, Maine National Guard Armories, local media outlets, and the other states whose National Guard and Reserve soldiers trained at CFB Gagetown.
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3. Agent Orange Registry:
a. In order for individuals to be eligible for the Agent Orange Registry (AOR), they must first have veteran status. National Guard personnel can qualify as veterans by:
(1) having been called to active duty by presidential order and having completed the full period of time they were called to active duty;
(2) having a prior active duty period; or
(3) having a VA adjudicated service-connected condition or disability. National Guard personnel who were on active duty for training (ADT) only are not eligible for the AOR examination unless they have a VA adjudicated service-connected disability or condition.
b. If you are veteran who has had exposure to Agent Orange, you are eligible for a free Agent Orange Registry examination. Veterans who participate in the registry program are asked a series of questions about their possible exposure to herbicides. A medical history is taken, a physical examination is performed, and a series of basic laboratory tests, such as a chest x-ray (if appropriate), urinalysis, and blood tests are done. If the examining physician thinks it is medically indicated, consultations with other physicians are scheduled.
c. Results of the examinations, including a review of military service and exposure history, are entered into special, computerized databases called registries. These databases assist the VA in analyzing the types of health conditions being reported by veterans. Registry participants are advised of the results of their examinations in personal consultations. Veterans wishing to participate should contact the nearest VA health care facility for an examination. Additionally, the VA has established an Agent Orange Helpline at 1-800-749- 8387. As with the Korean veterans (1968-1969), the VA currently will only provide Agent Orange Registry examinations to those veterans who were in CFB Gagetown during 1966-1967 and are exhibiting symptoms of one of the Agent Orange presumptive illnesses.
d. National Guard personnel who served in Vietnam and CFB Gagetown and have not participated in the Agent Orange Registry examination should request the examination for their Vietnam service as this provides a broader period of eligibility and the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange.
4. Filing a claim with the VA for exposure to Agent Orange:
a. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently offers service-connected compensation for certain diseases believed to be associated with Agent Orange exposure. The following conditions are now presumptively recognized for service-connection for Vietnam veterans and other veterans based on exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides: chloracne (a skin disorder); porphyria cutanea tarda, acute or subacute; transient peripheral neuropathy (a nerve disorder); Type 2 diabetes; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; soft tissue sarcoma; Hodgkin’s disease; multiple myeloma; prostate cancer; and respiratory cancers (including cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus). In addition, Vietnam veterans’ children with the birth defect spina bifida are eligible for certain benefits and services. Spina bifida benefits are also provided to
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the children of veterans who served at or near the Korean DMZ from April 1968 to July 1969. In 1999, the VA announced that statutory authority would be sought for similar benefits and services for children with birth defects who were born to women Vietnam veterans.
b. If an individual who trained in CFB Gagetown suffers from one of the above presumptive illnesses attributed to Agent Orange, he/she should file a claim with the VA. A veteran who served in Vietnam (boots on the ground) is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange because of the large volume and the widespread use of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Individuals who trained at CFB Gagetown will not have the same presumption of exposure given to Vietnam Veterans due to the limited use of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown. National Guardsmen and women will have to provide credible evidence that they were in Gagetown and in the area where Agent Orange was used. Surviving spouses and/or children of National Guard members who trained at CFB Gagetown and died of one of the presumptive illnesses can also file a claim with the VA.
c. Current and former Maine National Guard members can get copies of their orders showing duty at CFB Gagetown from the Maine National Guard Records Holding Facility at Camp Keyes. We recommend that anyone having a computer request their records by email at the following address: RECORDS@ME.NGB.ARMY.MIL. The subject line should include: CFB Gagetown Records. All requests will require the completion and submission of the Maine National Guard Request For Information Disclosure Form prior to the information being released. The form can be mailed or faxed to Camp Keyes. The request should be processed within 30 days of receipt depending on the volume of requests for records.
5. Where to get help in filing a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs or information on Agent Orange/Agent Purple:
a. Maine Veterans’ Services (MVS): MVS has offices in seven locations throughout the state staffed by Veterans Advocates that are familiar with Agent Orange issues and are ready to assist Maine’s National Guard member’s with claims assistance.
(1) Bangor (2) Caribou (3) Lewiston (4) Machias (5)Springvale (6) Waterville (7) Togus
(207) 941-3005 (207) 492-1173 (207) 783-5306 (207) 255-3306 (207)324-1839 (207) 872-7846 (207) 623-5732
b. Veteran Service Organizations: The following service organizations have service officers familiar with Agent Orange issues and are ready to assist in the claims process.
(1) American Legion
(2) Disabled American Veterans (3) Veterans of Foreign Wars
(207) 623-5726 (207) 623-5725 (207) 623-5723
Togus Office Togus Office Togus Office
c. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): A veteran can get an Agent Orange Registry examination by calling the VA 1-877-421-8263, ext 4733. If the veteran wishes to file a
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claim with the VA themselves they can do that by visiting the VA website: www1.va.gov/agentorange/ or calling 1-800-827-1000. The VA stands ready to assist any veteran who wishes to file a claim for service-connected injuries/illnesses.
6. VA Health Care for exposure to Agent Orange:
a. The VA provides treatment to any veteran who, while serving in Vietnam or other approved areas, may have been exposed to dioxin or to a toxic substance in a herbicide or defoliant used for military purposes, for conditions related to such exposure.
b. There are some restrictions. VA cannot provide such care for (1) a disability which VA determines did not result from exposure to Agent Orange, or (2) a disease which the National Academy of Sciences has determined that there is “limited/suggestive” evidence of no association between occurrence of the disease and exposure to a herbicide agent.
7. Future updates: There has been much speculation about other spraying periods of Agent Orange and/or other dioxins at CFB Gagetown. As new and substantiated information becomes available we will update the information on our websites and provide that information to the individuals on our contact list.
8. Questions concerning this information paper should be directed to the undersigned at (207) 626-4464.
Peter W. Ogden Director
Enclosure: Maine National Guard Request For Information Disclosure
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, VETERANS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Military Bureau
JFHQ Maine National Guard
State House Station #33
Camp Keyes, Augusta, Maine 04333-0033
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_Herbicides
The Rainbow Herbicides are a group of chemicals used by the United States military in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Success with Project AGILE field tests with herbicides in South Vietnam in 1961 and inspiration by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s led to the formal herbicidal program Trail Dust (1961–71). Herbicidal warfare is the use of substances primarily designed to destroy the plant-based ecosystem of an agricultural food production and/or destroying foliage which provides the enemy cover.
Background
The United States discovered 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) during World War II. It was recognized as toxic and combined with large amounts of water or oil to function as a weed-killer. Army experiments with the chemical eventually led to the discovery that 2,4-D combined with 2,4,5-T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid) yielded a potent herbicide containing dioxin.
Types
The Agents used in southeast Asia, their active ingredients and years used were as follows:
Agent Pink: 40-60% 2,4,5-T, used during "testing" stages of spray program, prior to 1964
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Pink
Agent Pink is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the pink stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "rainbow herbicides" that included the more infamous Agent Orange. Agent Pink was only used during the early "testing" stages of the spraying program before 1964. Agent Pink's only active ingredient was 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), one of the common phenoxy herbicides of the era. Agent Pink contained about 60%–40% of this active substance. Even prior to Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) it was known that a dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), is produced as a byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T, and was present in any of the herbicides that used it, but to greater proportion in the earlier Agents, such as Pink.
A 2003 Nature paper by Stellman et al., which re-apprised the average TCDD content of Agent Orange from the 3 ppm that USAF had reported to a level of 13 ppm, also estimated that Agent Pink may have had 65.5 ppm of TCDD on average. The comparatively smaller amounts of Pink and Purple—spraying of 50,312 l of Pink is documented, but an additional 413,852 l appear on procurement records—probably deposited a large percentage of the total dioxin.
Agent Green: (n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T) unclear when used
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Green
Agent Green is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the green stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides". Agent Green was only used between 1962 and 1964, during the early "testing" stages of the spraying program.
Agent Green was mixed with Agent Pink and used for crop destruction. A total of 20,000 gallons of Agent Green were procured.
Agent Green's only active ingredient was 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), one of the common phenoxy herbicides of the era. Even prior to Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) it was known that a dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), is produced as a side product of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T, and was thus present in any of the herbicides that used it. Because Agent Green's only active ingredient was 2,4,5-T, along with the similar Agent Pink, and earlier-produced batches of 2,4,5-T having higher TCDD-levels, it contained many times the average level of dioxin found in Agent Orange.
During much of the fighting in the Vietnam War, chemical agents were used by the United States to defoliate the landscape. Although many different chemical agents were used, the most well known today is “Agent Orange,” one of the “Rainbow Herbicides.”
Agent Purple: 50% n-butyl ester of 2,4-D, 30% n-butyl ester of 2,4,5-T, 20% isobutyl ester of 2,4,5-T used 1962–65
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Purple
Agent Purple is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in their herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the purple stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" that included the more infamous Agent Orange. Agent Purple and Orange were also used to clear brush in Canada.
Agent Purple was chemically similar to the better-known Agent Orange, both of them were consisting of a mixture of the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and in both cases the 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T constituted equal shares of the Agent. The difference was in the form of 2,4,5-T. While all the 2,4,5-T in Agent Orange was n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T in Agent Purple the 2,4,5-T was itself mixture of its two salt forms: 60% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T, and 40% isobutyl ester 2,4,5-T. The Agent Purple had then the following composition: 50% n-butyl ester 2,4-D, 30% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T, and 20% isobutyl ester 2,4,5-T.
Even prior to Operation Ranch Hand (1962-1971) it was known that 2,4,5-T, and thus Agents Purple, Pink, Green and Orange, were contaminated with tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), an extremely toxic and persistent by-product formed during synthesis. Dioxin-levels varied considerably from batch to batch, and even within the same batch; generally, agents produced earlier, such as Purple and Pink suffered from higher levels of contamination. A 2003 Nature paper by Stellman et al., which re-apprised the average TCDD content of Agent Orange from the 3 ppm that USAF had reported to a level of 13 ppm, also estimated that Agent Purple may have had 32.8 ppm of TCDD on average. A sample of Agent Purple archived at Eglin Air Force Base had an even higher content of 45 ppm TCDD.
Agent Purple was used only in the earliest stages of the spraying program, between 1962 and 1965 as well as in earlier tests conducted by the US military outside of Vietnam. About 500,000 gallons were sprayed in Vietnam total. (~1.9 million liters). When the need to clear brush around CFB Gagetown in Canada arose, quantities of Agent Purple and Agent Orange were also sprayed there in a testing program during 1966 and 1967.
Agent Blue (Phytar 560G): cacodylic acid and sodium cacodylate used from 1962–71 in powder and water solution
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Blue
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.
This article's factual accuracy is disputed. (June 2013). This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (June 2013).
Agent Blue;(CH3)2AsO.·OH, obtained by the oxidation of cacodyl, and having the properties of an exceedingly stable acid; is one of the "rainbow herbicides" that is known for its use by the United States during the Vietnam War. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, killing rice was a military strategy from the very start of US military involvement in Vietnam. At first, US soldiers attempted to blow up rice paddies and rice stocks, using mortars and hand grenades. But grains of rice were far more durable than they understood, and were not easily destroyed. Every grain that survived was a seed, to be collected and planted again. In a report to the International War Crimes Tribunal (founded by Bertrand Russell) at the end of 1967, it was stated that: "The soldiers discovered that rice is one of the most maddeningly difficult substances to destroy; using thermite metal grenades it is almost impossible to make it burn and, even if one succeeds in scattering the rice, this does not stop it being harvested by patient men. So they went to a bigger and better option that will actually kill off the paddies. The purpose of Agent Blue was narrow-leaf plants and trees (grass, rice, bamboo, banana, etc.) "Operation Ranch Hand", was military code for spraying of herbicides from U.S. Air Force aircraft in Southeast Asia from 1962 through 1971. The widespread use of herbicides in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War was a unique military operation in that it was meant to kill the plants that provided cover. The continued use of Agent Blue, one of the “Rainbow Herbicides”, by the United States was primarily meant as an operation to take away the enemy’s advantage on the terrain as well as deprive them of the resources they gained from the plant life. Between 1962 and 1971, the US used an estimated 20 million gallons of herbicides as chemical weapons for "defoliation and crop destruction" which fell mostly on the forest of South Vietnam, but was eventually used in Laos as well to kill crops in order to deprive the communist Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops of food. It was sprayed on rice paddies and other crops in an attempt to deprive the Vietcong of the valuable crops the plants provided. Unable to control the Vietcong's access to food supplies or their grassroots village support, the US military response was simple: If you can't control it, kill it. By starving the plants of water this would cause the enemies to starve because the plants were not able to obtain water to survive. Agent Blue is a mixture of two arsenic-containing compounds: sodium cacodylate and cacodylic acid. Agent Blue is chemically unrelated to the more infamous Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the war.
Agent Blue affects plants by causing them to dry out. As rice is highly dependent on water to live, using Agent Blue on these paddies can destroy an entire field and leave it unsuitable for further planting. This is why Agent Blue was also used where food was not a factor, but foliage was. The Vietcong had an advantage while fighting in Vietnam because they were used to the abundance of plant life on the battlefield. The US found themselves at a disadvantage and based on the precedent set by the British in Malaya, decided that the best retaliation would be to take the Vietcong's advantage away from them by removing their cover. Along roads, canals, railroads, and other transportation networks, Ranch Hand cleared several hundred yards using the herbicides to make ambushes more difficult for their enemies. In Laos, the herbicide removed the jungle canopy from the roads and trails used for infiltrating men and supplies, making them more vulnerable to attack from the air.
Approximately 19.6 million gallons of Agent Blue were used in Vietnam during the war, destroying 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) of crops.[not in citation given][not in citation given] From 1965 on the Ansul Chemical Company delivered the herbicide Phytar 560 with the 26.4% sodium cacodylate and 4.7% cacodylic acid in water.
Today, large quantities of the chemical named Agent Blue are still used on lawns and crops throughout the USA. Taken from ZNet Ecology: It has been over twelve years since the last herbicide mission that was done. But there is still big controversy going around about the past missions that were sent out. Agent Blue and White are the least effective of all the herbicides.
“Arsenical herbicides containing cacodylic acid as an active ingredient are still used today as weed-killers. In the US they are used extensively, from golf courses to backyards. They are also sprayed on cotton fields, drying out the cotton plants before harvesting. So common -- and so profitable -- is the original commercial form of Agent Blue that it was among 10 toxic insecticides, fungicides and herbicides partially deregulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in February 2004. Specific limits on toxic residues in meat, milk, poultry, and eggs were removed.”
Agent White (Tordon 101): 21.2% (acid weight basis) triisopropanolamine salts of 2,4-D and 5.7% picloram used 1966–71
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_White
Agent White is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its herbicidal warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the white stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. Largely inspired by the British use of herbicides and defoliants during the Malayan Emergency, it was one of the so-called "rainbow herbicides" that included the more infamous Agent Orange.
Agent White is a 4:1 mixture of 2,4-D and picloram. Unlike the more infamous Agent Orange, Agent White did not contain dioxin, which was a contaminant in the defoliants that included 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). Agent White was a proprietary product of the Dow Chemical Company. Around 1985, Dow Chemical was forced to re-certify picloram after having greatly reduced the amounts of contaminants.
Agent White was often used when Agent Orange was not available, including for several months after the use of Agent Orange was halted in April 1970. Approximately 5.4 million US gallons (20,000 m3) of Agent White was used in Vietnam between 1966 and 1971. In addition the US Military tested Agent White, Tordon 101 and picloram in varying concentrations at test sites in the US and Puerto Rico in the 1960s.
Under the brand name Tordon 101, Dow AgroSciences has commercialized a similar product containing a mixture of 2,4-D and picloram.
Agent Orange or Herbicide Orange, (HO): 50% n-butyl ester 2,4-D and 50% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T used 1965–70[/font][/b]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange - (See separate page)
Agent Orange II: 50% n-butyl ester 2,4-D and 50% isooctyl ester 2,4,5-T used after 1968
Agent Orange III: 66.6% n-butyl 2,4-D and 33.3% n-butyl ester 2,4,5-T
Enhanced Agent Orange, Orange Plus, or Super Orange (SO), or DOW Herbicide M-3393: standardized Agent Orange mixture of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T combined with an oil-based mixture of picloram, a proprietary DOW Chemical product called Tordon 101, an ingredient of Agent White.
Use
In Vietnam, the early large-scale defoliation missions (1962-1964) used 8,208 gallons of Agent Green, 122,792 gallons of Pink, and 145,000 of Purple. These were dwarfed by the 11,712,860 gallons of Orange (both versions) used from 1965 to 1970. Agent White started to replace Orange in 1966; 5,239,853 gallons of White were used. The only agent used on a large scale in an anti-crop role was Blue, with 2,166,656 gallons used. The bombardment occurred most heavily in the area of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The Rainbow Herbicides damaged the ecosystems and cultivated lands of Vietnam, and led to buildup of dioxin in the regional food chain. About 4.8 million people were affected.
In addition to testing and using the herbicides in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the US military also tested the "Rainbow Herbicides" and many other chemical defoliants and herbicides in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Korea, India, and Thailand from the mid-1940s to the late 1960s. Herbicide persistence studies of Agents Orange and White were conducted in the Philippines. The Philippine herbicide test program which was conducted in cooperation with the University of the Philippines, College of Forestry and was also described in a 1969 issue of The Philippine Collegian, the college's newspaper. Super or enhanced Agent Orange was tested by representatives from Fort Detrick and Dow chemical in Texas, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii and later in Malaysia in a cooperative project with the International Rubber Research Institute. Picloram in Agent White and Super-Orange was contaminated by Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) a dioxin-like carcinogen. The Canadian government also tested these herbicdes and used them to clear vegetation for artillery training.
A 2003 study in Nature found that the military underreported its use of rainbow herbicides by 9,440,028 liters.
Long-term effects
Vietnam remains heavily contaminated by dioxin, which is classified as a Persistent Organic Pollutant. It remains in the water table and built up in the tissues of local fauna. However, it has begun to deteriorate, and the forest canopy has regrown somewhat since the Vietnam War.
Dioxin is an endocrine disruptor and may have effects on the children of people who were exposed.
Soldiers exposed to Rainbow Herbicides in Southeast Asia reported long term health effects, which led to several lawsuits against the U.S. government and the manufacturers of the chemical.
See also
List of Rainbow Codes
U.S. Army Biological Warfare Laboratories
References
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Ornitz, Sheri L. "Agent Orange and its Continuing Effects". British Travel Health Association Journal, vol. 10. Winter 2007.
Jump up ^ Stellman, Jeanne; Stellman, Steven D.; Christian, Richard; Weber, Tracy; Tomasallo, Carrie (17 April 2003). "The extent and patterns of usage of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam" (PDF). Nature 422 (6933): 681–7. doi:10.1038/nature01537. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 12700752.
^ Jump up to: a b Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides; Institute of Medicine (1994). Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam. National Academies Press. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-0-309-55619-4.
Jump up ^ Alvin L. Young. The History, Use, Disposition and Environmental Fate of Agent Orange. Springer. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-387-87486-9.
Jump up ^ Stephen Bull (2004). Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-57356-557-8.
Jump up ^ Daniel Vallero (2011). Biomedical Ethics for Engineers: Ethics and Decision Making in Biomedical and Biosystem Engineering. Academic Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-08-047610-0.
Jump up ^ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District (4 April 2012). Archives Search Report Findings for Field Testing of 2,4,5-T and Other Herbicides (PDF) (Report). p. 116. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Corcoran, Charles A. (December 1968). "Operational Evaluation of Super-Orange (U)- unclassified". Military Assistance Command Vietnam(MAC-V) to Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) message for CINCPAC, USARPAC Ofc Science Adviser. via National Security Archives at George Washington University.
Jump up ^ DGSC-PI Memorandum for the record: Herbicides reformulation thereof (Operation Guns and Butter meeting) (Report). DOW Chemical Company. September 9, 1966.
Jump up ^ "Herbicides" entry in Spencer C. Tucker, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-961-0.
^ Jump up to: a b Wright, Laura. "New Study Finds Agent Orange Use Was Underestimated". Scientific American, April 17, 2003.
Jump up ^ "Herbicide Tests and Storage in the U.S.". Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
Jump up ^ "Herbicide Tests and Storage Outside the U.S.". Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
Jump up ^ Fryer, J. D.; Blackman, G. E. (January 1972). "Preliminary Proposals for the Study of Persistence of Herbicides in Forest and Mangrove Soil". NAS committee on the effect of Herbicides in Vietnam. National Academy of Science, (NAS).
Jump up ^ Pelletier, Richard. "Agent Purple Deadlier than Agent Orange." Bangor Daily News, 1 July 2005.
Further reading
Alvin L. Young, The History of the US Department of Defense Programs for the Testing, Evaluation, and Storage of Tactical Herbicides, December 2006, www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/operation_and_plans/NuclearChemicalBiologicalMatters/TacticalHerbicides.pdf. A more abbreviated version: doi:10.1007/978-0-387-87486-9_2
"Update #1 to INFORMATION PAPER Agent Orange/Agent Purple and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown". Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management; Maine Veterans’ Services. February 9, 2006.
Herbicidal Warfare Vietnam 1961-1971. ONEOFMANYFEATHERS. 2/1/2014.
www.maine.gov/dvem/bvs/CFB%20Gagetown%20Agent%20Orange%20Information%20Paper%20Update%201.pdf
John W. Libby Major General Commissioner 207-626-4205
Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management Maine Veterans’ Services
117 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0117
Tel.: 207-626-4464
February 9, 2006
Update #1
to INFORMATION PAPER Agent Orange/Agent Purple and
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown
1. Background Information:
a. Agent Orange was a mixture of chemicals containing equal amounts of the two active ingredients, 2, 4-D and 2,4,5-T. The name, "Agent Orange," came from the orange stripe on the 55-gallon drums in which it was stored. Other herbicides, including Agent Purple a less well known but more toxic agent, were also used in Vietnam, but to a much lesser extent. Republic of Korea forces used small amounts of Agent Orange in 1968-69 in the area from the Civilian Control line to the southern boundary of the Demilitarized Zone. Since the initial use of Agent Orange, significant studies and validation of effects on personnel have resulted in various national programs and assistance for affected veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently maintains an active VA Agent Orange Registry and provides medical treatment or disability compensation to Vietnam veterans. In 2001, the program expanded to examinations of Korean veterans who served in Korea in 1968 and 1969 and may have been exposed to dioxin or other toxic substances while serving in the military.
Additional information, fact sheets, and newsletters are available online at www.va.gov/agentorange or call the toll-free helpline at 1-800-749-8387.
b. In June of 2005, the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) announced that for three days in June 1966 (14-16) and four days in June 1967 (21-24), testing of various defoliants, including Agent Orange and Agent Purple, took place over a limited portion of the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown, New Brunswick. Additionally, according to the Canadian DND and the Canadian Forces (CF) website, “the testing was conducted under strictly controlled conditions, ensuring minimal spray drift, in an area of the base that was difficult to access,” “the testing did not involve wide-spread spraying,” and “these tests are the only known instances, based on available information, in which Agents Orange and Purple were sprayed at CFB Gagetown.” According to the Canadian DND and the Canadian Forces, the testing area consisted of two small areas covering approximately 83 acres of the 180,000 plus acres of CFB Gagetown. Additional information is available at the Canadian DND/CF website: (http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=1685).
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Peter W. Ogden Director 207-626-4464
2. What the State of Maine is doing for those who may have been exposed to Agent Orange while training at CFB Gagetown:
a. The Maine National Guard and the Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services take very seriously the health and safety concerns of both present soldiers and our veterans. In that regard, on July 6, 2005 a link was established on the Maine National Guard internet website (http://www.me.ngb.army.mil/Default.htm) to provide updates regarding this issue as information became available. In addition, soldiers and veterans were afforded the opportunity to be added to a contact list of soldiers who trained at CFB Gagetown. Those without internet access could call the Bureau of Veteran’s Services in Augusta, Maine at 207- 626-4464 to obtain updates and manually register.
b. The Director of Maine Veterans’ Services met with The Adjutant General of the Maine National Guard, the Togus VA Medical Center Director, and the VA Regional Office Director in early July 2005 to determine the best way to move forward with providing information to Maine’s veterans and to discuss the handling of potential claims for possible exposure to Agent Orange at CFG Gagetown. Both the Medical Center Director and the Regional Office Director have been very supportive in the development of this information paper and are just as concerned for the welfare of our veterans as we are.
c. The Director of Maine Veterans’ Services wrote to Maine’s Congressional Delegation in July 2005 informing them of the Agent Orange issue at CFB Gagetown and requesting their support in working with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to assist Maine’s National Guard members with any Agent Orange issues they may have.
d. The Director of Maine Veterans’ Services wrote to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in October 2005 asking for clarification of how Maine National Guardsmen and women could get the AOR screening and file claims with the VA for Agent Orange issues. The results of this letter are: CFB Gagetown is on the approved DOD list of potential Agent Orange exposure areas; the VA will adjudicate claims for those illness that are presumptively attributed to Agent Orange; and veterans, as defined by the VA, can receive an Agent Orange Registry examination if they so chose.
e. Maine Veterans’ Services and the Maine National Guard is producing a map that will show the habitual training areas frequented by Maine National Guard units while training at CFB Gagetown. This map will be available for viewing at all Maine Army National Guard Armories and Maine Veterans’ Services offices by April 15, 2006. A copy of this map will be provided to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office at Togus to assist in adjudicating claims for exposure to Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown.
f. This information paper will be made available to the individuals on the contact list, veteran’s organizations in Maine, Maine National Guard Armories, local media outlets, and the other states whose National Guard and Reserve soldiers trained at CFB Gagetown.
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3. Agent Orange Registry:
a. In order for individuals to be eligible for the Agent Orange Registry (AOR), they must first have veteran status. National Guard personnel can qualify as veterans by:
(1) having been called to active duty by presidential order and having completed the full period of time they were called to active duty;
(2) having a prior active duty period; or
(3) having a VA adjudicated service-connected condition or disability. National Guard personnel who were on active duty for training (ADT) only are not eligible for the AOR examination unless they have a VA adjudicated service-connected disability or condition.
b. If you are veteran who has had exposure to Agent Orange, you are eligible for a free Agent Orange Registry examination. Veterans who participate in the registry program are asked a series of questions about their possible exposure to herbicides. A medical history is taken, a physical examination is performed, and a series of basic laboratory tests, such as a chest x-ray (if appropriate), urinalysis, and blood tests are done. If the examining physician thinks it is medically indicated, consultations with other physicians are scheduled.
c. Results of the examinations, including a review of military service and exposure history, are entered into special, computerized databases called registries. These databases assist the VA in analyzing the types of health conditions being reported by veterans. Registry participants are advised of the results of their examinations in personal consultations. Veterans wishing to participate should contact the nearest VA health care facility for an examination. Additionally, the VA has established an Agent Orange Helpline at 1-800-749- 8387. As with the Korean veterans (1968-1969), the VA currently will only provide Agent Orange Registry examinations to those veterans who were in CFB Gagetown during 1966-1967 and are exhibiting symptoms of one of the Agent Orange presumptive illnesses.
d. National Guard personnel who served in Vietnam and CFB Gagetown and have not participated in the Agent Orange Registry examination should request the examination for their Vietnam service as this provides a broader period of eligibility and the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange.
4. Filing a claim with the VA for exposure to Agent Orange:
a. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently offers service-connected compensation for certain diseases believed to be associated with Agent Orange exposure. The following conditions are now presumptively recognized for service-connection for Vietnam veterans and other veterans based on exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides: chloracne (a skin disorder); porphyria cutanea tarda, acute or subacute; transient peripheral neuropathy (a nerve disorder); Type 2 diabetes; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; soft tissue sarcoma; Hodgkin’s disease; multiple myeloma; prostate cancer; and respiratory cancers (including cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus). In addition, Vietnam veterans’ children with the birth defect spina bifida are eligible for certain benefits and services. Spina bifida benefits are also provided to
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the children of veterans who served at or near the Korean DMZ from April 1968 to July 1969. In 1999, the VA announced that statutory authority would be sought for similar benefits and services for children with birth defects who were born to women Vietnam veterans.
b. If an individual who trained in CFB Gagetown suffers from one of the above presumptive illnesses attributed to Agent Orange, he/she should file a claim with the VA. A veteran who served in Vietnam (boots on the ground) is presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange because of the large volume and the widespread use of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Individuals who trained at CFB Gagetown will not have the same presumption of exposure given to Vietnam Veterans due to the limited use of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown. National Guardsmen and women will have to provide credible evidence that they were in Gagetown and in the area where Agent Orange was used. Surviving spouses and/or children of National Guard members who trained at CFB Gagetown and died of one of the presumptive illnesses can also file a claim with the VA.
c. Current and former Maine National Guard members can get copies of their orders showing duty at CFB Gagetown from the Maine National Guard Records Holding Facility at Camp Keyes. We recommend that anyone having a computer request their records by email at the following address: RECORDS@ME.NGB.ARMY.MIL. The subject line should include: CFB Gagetown Records. All requests will require the completion and submission of the Maine National Guard Request For Information Disclosure Form prior to the information being released. The form can be mailed or faxed to Camp Keyes. The request should be processed within 30 days of receipt depending on the volume of requests for records.
5. Where to get help in filing a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs or information on Agent Orange/Agent Purple:
a. Maine Veterans’ Services (MVS): MVS has offices in seven locations throughout the state staffed by Veterans Advocates that are familiar with Agent Orange issues and are ready to assist Maine’s National Guard member’s with claims assistance.
(1) Bangor (2) Caribou (3) Lewiston (4) Machias (5)Springvale (6) Waterville (7) Togus
(207) 941-3005 (207) 492-1173 (207) 783-5306 (207) 255-3306 (207)324-1839 (207) 872-7846 (207) 623-5732
b. Veteran Service Organizations: The following service organizations have service officers familiar with Agent Orange issues and are ready to assist in the claims process.
(1) American Legion
(2) Disabled American Veterans (3) Veterans of Foreign Wars
(207) 623-5726 (207) 623-5725 (207) 623-5723
Togus Office Togus Office Togus Office
c. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): A veteran can get an Agent Orange Registry examination by calling the VA 1-877-421-8263, ext 4733. If the veteran wishes to file a
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claim with the VA themselves they can do that by visiting the VA website: www1.va.gov/agentorange/ or calling 1-800-827-1000. The VA stands ready to assist any veteran who wishes to file a claim for service-connected injuries/illnesses.
6. VA Health Care for exposure to Agent Orange:
a. The VA provides treatment to any veteran who, while serving in Vietnam or other approved areas, may have been exposed to dioxin or to a toxic substance in a herbicide or defoliant used for military purposes, for conditions related to such exposure.
b. There are some restrictions. VA cannot provide such care for (1) a disability which VA determines did not result from exposure to Agent Orange, or (2) a disease which the National Academy of Sciences has determined that there is “limited/suggestive” evidence of no association between occurrence of the disease and exposure to a herbicide agent.
7. Future updates: There has been much speculation about other spraying periods of Agent Orange and/or other dioxins at CFB Gagetown. As new and substantiated information becomes available we will update the information on our websites and provide that information to the individuals on our contact list.
8. Questions concerning this information paper should be directed to the undersigned at (207) 626-4464.
Peter W. Ogden Director
Enclosure: Maine National Guard Request For Information Disclosure
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, VETERANS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Military Bureau
JFHQ Maine National Guard
State House Station #33
Camp Keyes, Augusta, Maine 04333-0033
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION DISCLOSURE
PLEASE PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE MAY FACILITATE PROCESSING YOUR REQUEST
LAST NAME: ______________________________FIRST NAME: _________________MI: _____ SSN: ___________________________SVC#:_____________________DOB:_______________ DISCHARGE DATE: ______________RANK: __________PHONE#: ___________________ UNIT: ________________________________REQUESTORS NAME: _________________________ HOME ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP: __________________________________________________________________ INFORMATION NEEDED: DD214 ________ NGB FM22 ________ NGBFM23________ MEDICAL RECORDS________ IMMUNIZATIONS_________
OTHER: ______________________________________________________________________________ THIS INFORMATION IS NEEDED FOR: ________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
“THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 (5 USC 552a) REQUIRES THAT WE OBTAIN YOUR WRITTEN CONSENT PRIOR TO DISCLOSURE OF THE REQUESTED INFORMATION”
I CONSENT TO THE REQUESTED DISCLOSURE: ________________________________________ (YOUR SIGNATURE /DATE REQUIRED HERE)
***DO NOT FILL OUT BELOW THIS LINE-OFFICE USE ONLY***
REQUEST FILLED ON: DATE: _________________BY:_____________________________________
IF MAILING, RETURN TO: DEPT OF DEFENSE, VETERANS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
ATTN: PUBSME
STATE HOUSE STATION #33 AUGUSTA, MAINE 04333-0033
TELEPHONE: (207) 626-HELP (4357) FAX: (207) 626-4233
ISB OOS FORM 001 DTD 9 September 2005
EDITION OF 4 APRIL 2001 IS OBSOLETE
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