Agent Orange Awareness Day
Agent Orange Awareness Day is celebrated annually on August 10th to commemorate the day in 1961 when the U.S. began spraying toxic herbicides over Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The herbicide was used to clear foliage from battlefields and expose enemy troops. The use of Agent Orange had a devastating impact on U.S. and Vietnamese troops and civilians, costing hundreds of thousands of lives and continuing to affect survivors today.
The day serves as a reminder of the lasting damage that a single decision can cause. It also aims to raise awareness of the diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure, which include:
- AL Amyloidosis
- Bladder cancer
- Chronic B-cell leukemias
- Chloracne
- Diabetes mellitus type 2
- Hypertension
- Hodgkin's disease
- Hypothyroidism
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Soft tissue sarcoma
Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange may be eligible for disability compensation and health care benefits. More recent evidence suggests that the effects of Agent Orange may also extend to the children and grandchildren of exposed veterans.
