3 ms·

my memory is a bit hazy but wasn't the most dangerous part of agent orange the fact that it was contaminated with very toxic dioxins rather than the toxic prope

by pathy 13y ago

my memory is a bit hazy but wasn't the most dangerous part of agent orange the fact that it was contaminated with very toxic dioxins rather than the toxic properties of 'clean' agent orange? Why would Turkey resort to chemical warfare when they don't have to, why risk the wrath of the international community when you can 'just' use tear gas and such?

ars 13y ago
Yes, you are correct. The active ingredient in Agent Orange is routinely in use for weed control. > > It is incredibly toxic and forbidden by the UN after the horrific effects it had on both the Vietnamese and Americans exposed to it. It's not forbidden by the UN, the active ingredient is 2,4-D and is the 3rd most used herbicide in america. The other ingredient 2,4,5-T is non toxic, but making it commonly contaminates it with the very toxic 2,3,7,8.
- mcintyre1994 13y ago
  Thanks for the explanation, I wasn't aware of that. When they say it's a derivative, they probably mean closer to that herbicide then? I still haven't heard anything about it actually being used there, but would that seem at all reasonable to you? A police force that uses tear gas and don't want to kill people, would they plausibly use such a derivative for the same purpose?
  - ars 13y ago
    It would do absolutely nothing to a person. Some other people on the thread theorized that since pepper spray is orange people confused it with that.
  - ptaipale 13y ago
    "When they say it's a derivative, they probably mean closer to that herbicide then?" When they say it's a derivative, they most probably mean that they saw something orange, and that is why they call it Agent Orange. Unfortunately, the average person seeing teargas is fairly ignorant about chemistry and biology. It makes no sense to spread a herbicide in a demonstration. It is harmful in the long term but has no impact on people in the short term, thus is just no use in that situation. Agent Orange was called AO because the containers it came in had an orange strip. The substance itself is colourless, just like the same herbicides today. And is not particularly toxic to humans, the problem in Vietnam was trace amounts of dioxin in manufacturing the 2,4,5-T component.

by pathy 13y ago

ars 13y ago

Yes, you are correct. The active ingredient in Agent Orange is routinely in use for weed control. > > It is incredibly toxic and forbidden by the UN after the horrific effects it had on both the Vietnamese and Americans exposed to it. It's not forbidden by the UN, the active ingredient is 2,4-D and is the 3rd most used herbicide in america. The other ingredient 2,4,5-T is non toxic, but making it commonly contaminates it with the very toxic 2,3,7,8.

mcintyre1994 13y ago
Thanks for the explanation, I wasn't aware of that. When they say it's a derivative, they probably mean closer to that herbicide then? I still haven't heard anything about it actually being used there, but would that seem at all reasonable to you? A police force that uses tear gas and don't want to kill people, would they plausibly use such a derivative for the same purpose?
- ars 13y ago
  It would do absolutely nothing to a person. Some other people on the thread theorized that since pepper spray is orange people confused it with that.
- ptaipale 13y ago
  "When they say it's a derivative, they probably mean closer to that herbicide then?" When they say it's a derivative, they most probably mean that they saw something orange, and that is why they call it Agent Orange. Unfortunately, the average person seeing teargas is fairly ignorant about chemistry and biology. It makes no sense to spread a herbicide in a demonstration. It is harmful in the long term but has no impact on people in the short term, thus is just no use in that situation. Agent Orange was called AO because the containers it came in had an orange strip. The substance itself is colourless, just like the same herbicides today. And is not particularly toxic to humans, the problem in Vietnam was trace amounts of dioxin in manufacturing the 2,4,5-T component.