Public Health

Agent Orange was a tactical herbicide used by the U.S. military for control of vegetation. It was named for the orange band around the storage barrel. The military sprayed Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides during the Vietnam War. Veterans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange include Veterans who served in different locations, including Vietnam, the Korean Demilitarized Zone, on Thai Air Force bases, at other locations, and who flew on or worked on C-123 Aircraft.

VA offers eligible Veterans a free Agent Orange Registry health exam for possible long-term health problems related to exposure. VA also offers health care, disability compensation, and other benefits to eligible Veterans for certain disease conditions, as well as benefits for children of Vietnam Veterans who have spina bifida. Dependents and survivors may also be eligible for other benefits.

Related Diseases

• Veterans' Diseases
• Birth Defects in Children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans

Benefits

• Benefits Overview
• Registry Exam
• Health Care

Exposure Locations

• Vietnam
• Korean Demilitarized Zone
• C-123 Airplanes

Provider Resources

• Diagnosis & Treatment
• Patient Education
• Research Studies

Research Studies

Publications & Reports

Agent Orange

One of several blends of tactical herbicides [equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)] the U.S. military sprayed to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover.

The U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides on trees and vegetation during the Vietnam War. For detailed information on who may have been exposed as a result of the use, testing, or storage of Agent Orange, visit: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/index.asp.

Canada, Southeast Asia, USA, East Asia

Cold War, Vietnam War, Korean War, World War II

TCDD is the most toxic of the dioxins and is classified as a human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Certain cancers and other health problems are associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service.

• AL Amyloidosis
• Bladder Cancer
• Chronic B-cell Leukemias
• Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
• Hypertension
• Hypothyroidism
• Ischemic Heart Disease
• Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• Parkinsonism
• Parkinson's Disease
• Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides)
• Prostate Cancer
• Cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)
• Spina bifida (except spina bifida occulta) in offspring

• Agent Orange webpage
• https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/index.asp

• Agent Orange Locations webpage
• https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/index.asp

• ATSDR - Chlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs) FAQs
• https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts104.pdf

Selected National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine reports

• NASEM - Veterans and Agent Orange, Update 11 (2018)
• https://www.nap.edu/read/25137/chapter/1

• NASEM - Veterans and Agent Orange, Update 2014
• https://www.nap.edu/read/21845/chapter/12

• IOM - Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft (2015)
• https://www.nap.edu/read/18848/chapter/1

Get a Registry Evaluation

• Environmental Health Coordinator
• https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/coordinators.asp

Contact your local https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/coordinators.asp or VA Primary Care Team about getting a registry evaluation.

• War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC)
• https://www.warrelatedillness.va.gov/WARRELATEDILLNESS/referral/index.asp

For evaluation for difficult-to-diagnose conditions, contact your local https://www.warrelatedillness.va.gov/WARRELATEDILLNESS/referral/index.asp.

• https://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/claims-postservice-agent_orange.asp

• In the Republic of Vietnam, or
• Aboard a U.S. military vessel that operated in the inland waterways of Vietnam, or
• On a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia
• Or you must have served in at least one of these locations that we’ve added based on the PACT Act:
• Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976, or
• Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969, or
• Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969, or
• Guam or American Samoa or in the territorial waters off Guam or American Samoa from January 9, 1962, through July 31, 1980, or
• Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977 Or at least one of these must be true for you:
• You served in or near the Korean DMZ for any length of time between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971, or
• You served on active duty in a regular Air Force unit location where a C-123 aircraft with traces of Agent Orange was assigned, and had repeated contact with this aircraft due to your flight, ground, or medical duties, or
• You were involved in transporting, testing, storing, or other uses of Agent Orange during your military service, or
• You were assigned as a Reservist to certain flight, ground, or medical crew duties at one of the locations listed here
• Eligible Reserve locations, time periods, and units include:
• Lockbourne/Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio, 1969 to 1986 (906th and 907th Tactical Air Groups or 355th and 356th Tactical Airlift Squadrons)
• Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts, 1972 to 1982 (731st Tactical Air Squadron and 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, or 901st Organizational Maintenance Squadron)
• Pittsburgh International Airport in Pennsylvania, 1972 to 1982 (758th Airlift Squadron)
• For more service requirement details, review these sources:
• Public Law 116-23 (Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019) on Congress.gov
• Air Force specialty codes and units for affected C-123 aircraft
• Dates and locations of herbicide tests and storage outside Vietnam (https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/index.asp).

*For more information, visit:

1962 1975 Vietnam War Canada, Southeast Asia, USA, East Asia

• https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/benefits/registry-exam.asp

Vietnam

• Veterans who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975, regardless of length of time.
• Veterans who served aboard smaller river patrol and swift boats that operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam (also known as \"Brown Water Veterans\").
• “Blue Water Navy” Veterans who served on a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia as defined in Public Law 116-23.

Korea

• Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) anytime between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971.

Thailand

• U.S. Air Force Veterans who served on Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bases near U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang, near the air base perimeter anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975.
• U.S. Army Veterans who provided perimeter security on RTAF bases in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975.
• U.S. Army Veterans who were stationed on some small Army installations in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. However, the Amy Veteran must have been a member of a military police (MP) unit or was assigned a military occupational specialty whose duty placed him or her at or near the base perimeter.
• C-123 Airplanes - Veterans (including some Reservists) who state that they flew on or worked on a C-123 aircraft between 1969 and 1986.

Other Potential Agent Orange Exposures

• Veterans who may have been exposed to herbicides during a military operation or as a result of testing, transporting, or spraying herbicides for military purposes.

For more information, visit: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/benefits/registry-exam.asp

1961 1975 Cold War, Vietnam War USA, Canada, Southeast Asia