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Title
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Operation Ranch Hand: Legacy of Agent Orange
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Description
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From 1962 to 1971, the U.S. military’s Operation Ranch Hand sprayed over 19 million gallons of herbicides over South Vietnam, including more than 12 million gallons (45 million liters) of Agent Orange, to destroy forest cover and enemy crops. This act is a significant event in American Environmental History, despite its overseas nature, as it represents one of the largest-scale uses of chemical defoliants in warfare, an act often described as "ecocide." The spraying destroyed an estimated 5 million acres of upland and mangrove forests, leading to a catastrophic loss of biodiversity. As this image shows, the ecological effects were destructive to the livelihoods of people that lived in that area. Because Agent Orange was contaminated with the persistent toxin dioxin, it remains in Vietnam's soil and water decades later, poisoning the food chain and preventing the long-term recovery of these complex ecosystems.
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Date
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1962 – 1971
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Location - Physical Location
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GV29+F2W, An Thới Đông, Cần Giờ, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Name
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Adrian Lizardo
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cites
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The Aspen Institute. "What is Agent Orange?" Agent Orange in Vietnam Program. Accessed October 23, 2025. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/agent-orange-in-vietnam-program/what-is-agent-orange/.
