Agent Orange

Agent Orange

noun

Definition of AGENT ORANGE

: an herbicide widely used as a defoliant in the Vietnam War that is composed of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and contains dioxin as a contaminant

Origin of AGENT ORANGE

so called from the identifying color stripe on its container

First Known Use: 1970

Agent Orange

noun \-ˈär-inj, -ˈär(-ə)nj, -ˈȯr-inj, -ˈȯr(-ə)nj\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of AGENT ORANGE

: an herbicide widely used as a defoliant in the Vietnam War that is composed of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T and contains dioxin as a contaminant

Agent Orange

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Mixture of herbicides. It contains approximately equal amounts of esters of 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 2,4,5-T (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and trace amounts of dioxin. About 13 million gallons were sprayed by U.S. military forces onto Vietnam's forests and crops during the Vietnam War, with the dual purpose of destroying cover for enemy movements and destroying food sources. Exposure to Agent Orange has been blamed for an abnormally high incidence of miscarriages, skin diseases, cancers, birth defects, and malformations among Vietnamese and of cancers and other disorders in U.S., Australian, and New Zealand servicemen and their families.