Unit 9. Military Use of Pesticides. Toxicity of Agent Blue.

The present topic is called “Warfare use of pesticides. Toxicity of Agent Blue”. During the Vietnam War, Agent Blue and other herbicides were sprayed by U.S. military forces at a very great amount with the purpose to kill crops and destroy the basic food of Vietcong and North Vietnamese troops. Agent Blue was used in South Vietnam for rapid defoliation, grassy plant control and rice destruction.  More than 4 million liters of Agent Blue, were dispensed in this military rice-killing operation. Agent Blue contained 4.7 % cacodylic acid, which is 54 % arsenic. The routes of entry of cacodylic acid in the human body are by ingestion, inhalation, skin and eye contact. Cacodylic acid is more readily absorbed into the bloodstream when inhaled. It is metabolized by the liver and bioaccumulates in it. The mechanism of toxicity of arsenic include enzyme inhibition and oxidative stress, as well as immune, endocrine, and epigenetic effects.