How were Agent Orange and napalm used during the Vietnam War?
1 Answer
Agent Orange was a defoliant and napalm was an anti personnel chemical.
Explanation:
Both of these "weapons" were highly controversial in a number of ways.
Agent Orange was used to strip huge areas of jungle so that the Vietcong and NVA had no cover.
Agent Orange contained dioxin which has a damaging effect on DNA. Although the manufacturers and the American government knew of this they continued to use it.
Over 10 million gallons were used in Vietnam. The effects have been catastrophic for both Vietnamese exposed to it and American veterans who were involved in the spraying.
In both cases not only have those who came into contact with it suffered severe iliness and premature death, but it has been passed on to successive generations.
Babies have been stillborn or born with severe deformities such as no arms, eyes or legs.
It has also meant that large areas of Vietnam cannot besides for food production for decades if not centuries.
Napalm is a highly inflammable petroleum based jelly like substance, which, when coming into contact with human flesh is highly adhesive.
Images of the use of napalm, particularly on a brother and sister who were in a village mistakenly bombed by the Americans, with their skin hanging off became one of the most iconic images around which opposition to the war focused
