Long-Term Agent Orange Effects

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistoryLong-Term EffectsIs It Passed Down Through Genes?Disability BenefitsEligibility CriteriaAdditional ResourcesFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

History

Long-Term Effects

Is It Passed Down Through Genes?

Disability Benefits

Eligibility Criteria

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Agent Orange (dioxin) was a plant-killing herbicide and defoliant used in the Vietnam War from 1962–1971. The Agent Orange sprayed in Vietnam during what the U.S. military called Operation Ranch Hand was a mixture of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and otherdioxins. Exposure to Agent Orange is linked to certaincancersand other illnesses.

This article provides a brief history of Agent Orange’s role in the Vietnam War and discusses the long-term effects of exposure to the toxic dioxins in this herbicide.

A Brief History of Agent Orange

Agent Orange gets its name from an orange stripe painted on its storage containers. During the Vietnam War, the United States government commissioned chemical companies like Monsanto and Dow to manufacture Agent Orange under the U.S. Defense Production Act of 1950.

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United States Involvement in Vietnam

In 1962, the United States Department of Defense (DOD) started using herbicides like Agent Orange to defoliate Vietnamese jungles and farmland in an attempt to make it easier for American combat troops to detect enemy forces and disrupt the enemy’s food supply chain.From 1962–1971, the U.S. Air Force sprayed at least 11 million gallons of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Impact on the Vietnamese

Even though the U.S. military stopped spraying Agent Orange in the early 1970s, the dioxins in this herbicide continue to have an impact on Vietnamese people over a half-century later. For example, ponds at a former U.S. air base in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, are still contaminated with Agent Orange in 2023. When Vietnamese people eat fish from these ponds, they are exposed to dioxins.

In December 2022, the United States announced a $29 million contract to clean up dioxin-contaminated soil and water at the Bien Hoa Air Base in southern Vietnam.

How Does Agent Orange Impact the Environment?When Agent Orange is introduced into an ecosystem, it stays there for a very long time. Dioxin has a long half-life and is hydrophobic, meaning that it doesn’t dissolve in water. When dioxins contaminate soil or water supplies, the food generated from these sources can be toxic.

How Does Agent Orange Impact the Environment?

When Agent Orange is introduced into an ecosystem, it stays there for a very long time. Dioxin has a long half-life and is hydrophobic, meaning that it doesn’t dissolve in water. When dioxins contaminate soil or water supplies, the food generated from these sources can be toxic.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Agent Orange?

The dioxins in Agent Orange are highlylipophilic, meaning that they dissolve in fat and are stored in the body’sadipose tissue(body fat). Dioxins metabolize slowly.One of the primary long-term effects of Agent Orange is that it can accumulate in fatty tissue and remain there for decades.

Associated Diseases

The Veterans Administration (VA) recognizes that certain cancers and other so-called “presumptive conditions” are associated with Agent Orange exposure during military service. Veterans and their offspring/children, who may also be Agent Orange victims, might be eligible for benefits if they have one of the following diseases or Agent Orange neurological disorders:

Symptom Visibility

Skin diseasesand a form of acne calledchloracneare visible symptoms associated with exposure to Agent Orange’s main ingredient, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin(TCDD). Chloracne is similar to other types ofacnethat block hair follicles, such asacne vulgaris.That said, the different diseases Agent Orange can cause each has its own visible symptoms.

Agent Orange Effects: Passed Down Through Genes?

The question of whether or not Agent Orange’s effects are passed down through genes is a controversial topic. Although exposure to Agent Orange is linked to serious health complications and possible birth defects in Vietnam veterans and babies exposed to dioxin in the womb, there isn’t a scientific consensus about its intergenerational effects.

In 2018, a systematic review of the long-term health effects of Agent Orange exposure in the Vietnam War concluded that there wasn’t sufficient scientific evidence to confirm a link between tactical herbicide exposure and birth defects in the descendants of Vietnam veterans.

A 2014 scientific paper claims that Agent Orange exposure may have caused epigenetic changes in sperm, such as DNAmethylationand histone modification, that can be passed down through genes in the male germ line.

To learn more about benefits for children of Agent Orange victims with birth defects, call the VA’s Birth Defects Benefits line at888-820-1756or TDD (hearing impaired) at800-829-4833.

Disability Benefits for Agent Orange Exposure

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs allocates disability benefits for Agent Orange exposure. You canfile a disability claim onlineusing VA Form 21-526EZ (Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits).

You can alsodownload this form, print it out, and mail it to this address:

Department of Veterans AffairsClaims Intake CenterPO Box 4444Janesville, WI 53547-4444

The VA also offerssurvivors' benefitsto spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents of veterans who died of a presumptive condition linked to Agent Orange exposure.

To qualify for VA disability benefits related to Agent Orange exposure, both of the following must be true:

Additional Resources for Agent Orange Victims

If you are an Agent Orange victim and need one-on-one help filing or appealing a claim, you can reach out to a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for help. There are two ways to find a VSO:

For general inquiries, you can call the Agent Orange helpline at800-749-8387 (TTY: 711)or send an email toGW/AOHelpline@vba.va.gov.

Summary

Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide that the U.S. military used during the Vietnam War. The most harmful ingredient in Agent Orange is called2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), or simply dioxin. Exposure to dioxins can cause numerous health problems and diseases, such as cancer. Because dioxins have a long half-life (seven to 11 years), they can stay in the body or contaminate food-providing soil and water for decades.

The U.S. military is still in the process of cleaning up Agent Orange contamination in Vietnam. Some children of Vietnam veterans may be eligible for VA benefits if they’re living with a permanent mental or physical disability linked to their parents' Agent Orange exposure.

Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide, continues to affect people directly exposed to it during the Vietnam War and their children. Agent Orange contains dioxin, a known carcinogen. Dioxins are stored in fatty (adipose) tissue and can take decades to leave the body.Learn MoreDioxins: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide, continues to affect people directly exposed to it during the Vietnam War and their children. Agent Orange contains dioxin, a known carcinogen. Dioxins are stored in fatty (adipose) tissue and can take decades to leave the body.

Learn MoreDioxins: What They Are and How to Avoid Them

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There isn’t a specific test to show if you are an Agent Orange victim. However, the Veterans Administration (VA) has anAgent Orange Registry health examthat alerts veterans of possible long-term “presumptive” health issues that are linked to Agent Orange exposure during someone’s military service. Contact aVA Environmental Health Coordinatorfor details.

22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Frumkin H.Agent orange and cancer: an overview for clinicians.CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2003;53(4):245-255. doi:10.3322/canjclin.53.4.245Pirkle JL, Wolfe WH, Patterson DG, et al.Estimates of the half‐life of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin in Vietnam veterans of Operation Ranch Hand.Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. 1989;27(2):165-171. doi:10.1080/15287398909531288U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects linked to Agent Orange.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation.Olson KR, Speidel DR.Agent Orange chemical plant locations in the United States and Canada: environmental and human health impacts.OJSS. 2022;12(08):363-426. doi:10.4236/ojss.2022.128016Science.Agent Orange revisited.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Presumptive disability benefits.National Institutes of Health Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides.Veterans and Agent Orange: health effects of herbicides used in Vietnam. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1994. 2, History of the Controversy Over the Use of Herbicides.U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.Durant JT, Boivin TG, Pohl HR, Sinks TH.Public health assessment of dioxin-contaminated fish at former U.S. airbase, Bien Hoa, Vietnam.International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 2015;25(3):254-264. doi:10.1080/09603123.2014.938026Voice of America (VOA).U.S. pays to clean up Agent Orange on Vietnam War anniversary.Tuyet-Hanh TT, Vu-Anh L, Ngoc-Bich N, Tenkate T.Environmental health risk assessment of dioxin exposure through foods in a dioxin hot spot—Bien Hoa City, Vietnam.IJERPH. 2010;7(5):2395-2406. doi:10.3390/ijerph7052395World Health Organization (WHO).Dioxins and their effects on human health.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Veterans' diseases associated with Agent Orange.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea veterans.Patterson AT, Kaffenberger BH, Keller RA, Elston DM.Skin diseases associated with Agent Orange and other organochlorine exposures.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2016;74(1):143-170. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2015.05.006U.S. Veterans Association.Agent Orange and intergenerational effects.The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).Veterans and Agent Orange.Soubry A, Hoyo C, Jirtle RL, Murphy SK.A paternal environmental legacy: evidence for epigenetic inheritance through the male germ line.BioEssays. 2014;36(4):359-371. doi:10.1002/bies.201300113Benefits.gov.Payments for children of women Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Benefits overview for Agent Orange exposure.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Birth defects in children of women Vietnam Veterans.

22 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Frumkin H.Agent orange and cancer: an overview for clinicians.CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2003;53(4):245-255. doi:10.3322/canjclin.53.4.245Pirkle JL, Wolfe WH, Patterson DG, et al.Estimates of the half‐life of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin in Vietnam veterans of Operation Ranch Hand.Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. 1989;27(2):165-171. doi:10.1080/15287398909531288U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects linked to Agent Orange.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation.Olson KR, Speidel DR.Agent Orange chemical plant locations in the United States and Canada: environmental and human health impacts.OJSS. 2022;12(08):363-426. doi:10.4236/ojss.2022.128016Science.Agent Orange revisited.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Presumptive disability benefits.National Institutes of Health Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides.Veterans and Agent Orange: health effects of herbicides used in Vietnam. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1994. 2, History of the Controversy Over the Use of Herbicides.U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.Durant JT, Boivin TG, Pohl HR, Sinks TH.Public health assessment of dioxin-contaminated fish at former U.S. airbase, Bien Hoa, Vietnam.International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 2015;25(3):254-264. doi:10.1080/09603123.2014.938026Voice of America (VOA).U.S. pays to clean up Agent Orange on Vietnam War anniversary.Tuyet-Hanh TT, Vu-Anh L, Ngoc-Bich N, Tenkate T.Environmental health risk assessment of dioxin exposure through foods in a dioxin hot spot—Bien Hoa City, Vietnam.IJERPH. 2010;7(5):2395-2406. doi:10.3390/ijerph7052395World Health Organization (WHO).Dioxins and their effects on human health.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Veterans' diseases associated with Agent Orange.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea veterans.Patterson AT, Kaffenberger BH, Keller RA, Elston DM.Skin diseases associated with Agent Orange and other organochlorine exposures.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2016;74(1):143-170. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2015.05.006U.S. Veterans Association.Agent Orange and intergenerational effects.The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).Veterans and Agent Orange.Soubry A, Hoyo C, Jirtle RL, Murphy SK.A paternal environmental legacy: evidence for epigenetic inheritance through the male germ line.BioEssays. 2014;36(4):359-371. doi:10.1002/bies.201300113Benefits.gov.Payments for children of women Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Benefits overview for Agent Orange exposure.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Birth defects in children of women Vietnam Veterans.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Frumkin H.Agent orange and cancer: an overview for clinicians.CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2003;53(4):245-255. doi:10.3322/canjclin.53.4.245Pirkle JL, Wolfe WH, Patterson DG, et al.Estimates of the half‐life of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin in Vietnam veterans of Operation Ranch Hand.Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. 1989;27(2):165-171. doi:10.1080/15287398909531288U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects linked to Agent Orange.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation.Olson KR, Speidel DR.Agent Orange chemical plant locations in the United States and Canada: environmental and human health impacts.OJSS. 2022;12(08):363-426. doi:10.4236/ojss.2022.128016Science.Agent Orange revisited.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Presumptive disability benefits.National Institutes of Health Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides.Veterans and Agent Orange: health effects of herbicides used in Vietnam. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1994. 2, History of the Controversy Over the Use of Herbicides.U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.Durant JT, Boivin TG, Pohl HR, Sinks TH.Public health assessment of dioxin-contaminated fish at former U.S. airbase, Bien Hoa, Vietnam.International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 2015;25(3):254-264. doi:10.1080/09603123.2014.938026Voice of America (VOA).U.S. pays to clean up Agent Orange on Vietnam War anniversary.Tuyet-Hanh TT, Vu-Anh L, Ngoc-Bich N, Tenkate T.Environmental health risk assessment of dioxin exposure through foods in a dioxin hot spot—Bien Hoa City, Vietnam.IJERPH. 2010;7(5):2395-2406. doi:10.3390/ijerph7052395World Health Organization (WHO).Dioxins and their effects on human health.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Veterans' diseases associated with Agent Orange.U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea veterans.Patterson AT, Kaffenberger BH, Keller RA, Elston DM.Skin diseases associated with Agent Orange and other organochlorine exposures.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2016;74(1):143-170. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2015.05.006U.S. Veterans Association.Agent Orange and intergenerational effects.The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).Veterans and Agent Orange.Soubry A, Hoyo C, Jirtle RL, Murphy SK.A paternal environmental legacy: evidence for epigenetic inheritance through the male germ line.BioEssays. 2014;36(4):359-371. doi:10.1002/bies.201300113Benefits.gov.Payments for children of women Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Benefits overview for Agent Orange exposure.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Birth defects in children of women Vietnam Veterans.

Frumkin H.Agent orange and cancer: an overview for clinicians.CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2003;53(4):245-255. doi:10.3322/canjclin.53.4.245

Pirkle JL, Wolfe WH, Patterson DG, et al.Estimates of the half‐life of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin in Vietnam veterans of Operation Ranch Hand.Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. 1989;27(2):165-171. doi:10.1080/15287398909531288

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects linked to Agent Orange.

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation.

Olson KR, Speidel DR.Agent Orange chemical plant locations in the United States and Canada: environmental and human health impacts.OJSS. 2022;12(08):363-426. doi:10.4236/ojss.2022.128016

Science.Agent Orange revisited.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Presumptive disability benefits.

National Institutes of Health Institute of Medicine (U.S.) Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides.Veterans and Agent Orange: health effects of herbicides used in Vietnam. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1994. 2, History of the Controversy Over the Use of Herbicides.

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

Durant JT, Boivin TG, Pohl HR, Sinks TH.Public health assessment of dioxin-contaminated fish at former U.S. airbase, Bien Hoa, Vietnam.International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 2015;25(3):254-264. doi:10.1080/09603123.2014.938026

Voice of America (VOA).U.S. pays to clean up Agent Orange on Vietnam War anniversary.

Tuyet-Hanh TT, Vu-Anh L, Ngoc-Bich N, Tenkate T.Environmental health risk assessment of dioxin exposure through foods in a dioxin hot spot—Bien Hoa City, Vietnam.IJERPH. 2010;7(5):2395-2406. doi:10.3390/ijerph7052395

World Health Organization (WHO).Dioxins and their effects on human health.

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Veterans' diseases associated with Agent Orange.

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.Birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea veterans.

Patterson AT, Kaffenberger BH, Keller RA, Elston DM.Skin diseases associated with Agent Orange and other organochlorine exposures.Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2016;74(1):143-170. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2015.05.006

U.S. Veterans Association.Agent Orange and intergenerational effects.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).Veterans and Agent Orange.

Soubry A, Hoyo C, Jirtle RL, Murphy SK.A paternal environmental legacy: evidence for epigenetic inheritance through the male germ line.BioEssays. 2014;36(4):359-371. doi:10.1002/bies.201300113

Benefits.gov.Payments for children of women Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Benefits overview for Agent Orange exposure.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.Birth defects in children of women Vietnam Veterans.

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