2,4-D wasn't the really bad part of Agent Orange. The defoliant 2,4,5-T. was worse.
And civilian 2,4,5-T wasn't as bad as the batches made by Monsanto for the military, because they used a cheaper, faster process that produced more of the known contaminant TCDD.
TCDD is the real villain of the piece, after the DoD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...
Agent Orange was an herbicide
and defoliant.
It was a 50:50 mixture of 2,4-D
and the defoliant 2,4,5-T.
Production of 2,4,5-T by Monsanto sometimes had accidental overheating, resulting in increased contamination with the dioxin compound 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), an extremely toxic, carcinogenic, persistent synthetic auxin. TCDD does cause birth defects in mice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2...
This should remind us that a chemical can be tested "safe" in a lab, but sloppy manufacture can cause it to contain dangerous or even unknown side-products.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...
The following reminds me that most harm caused by toxic chemcials is caused by their being used improperly and in excess:
12% of South Vietnam was sprayed with a total of 20 million gallons.
The average concentration was 13 times the recommended USDA rate for domestic use.
"In 1965, 42 percent of all herbicide spraying was dedicated to food crops."
The following reminds me of the horror of chemical warfare:
"Furthermore, Dr. James R. Clary (a former government scientist with the Chemical Weapons Branch, BW/CW Division ) has stated that "When we (military scientists) initiated the herbicide program in the 1960’s, we were aware of the potential for damage due to dioxin contamination in the herbicide.
We were even aware that the ‘military' formulation had a higher dioxin concentration than the ‘civilian’ version due to the lower cost and speed of manufacture. However, because the material was to be used on the ‘enemy’, none of us were overly concerned."[43][44]"
• ^ "Chemical companies, US authorities knew dangers of Agent Orange" by Jon Dillingham; August 10, 2009 (accessed 2013-07-21)
http://thewe.cc/weplanet/asia/...
• REPORT TO SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS AND EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE as Reported by Special Assistant Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., May 5, 1990 (accessed: 2013-07-21)
http://www.bluewaternavy.org/n...
