Agent Purple
Encyclopedia
Agent Purple is the code name for a powerful herbicide
and defoliant
used by the U.S. military
and the Canadian Government in their Herbicidal Warfare
program during the Vietnam War
. The name comes from the purple stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. It was one of the so-called "rainbow herbicides
" that included the more infamous Agent Orange
.
Agent Purple is chemically similar to the better-known Agent Orange, consisting of a mixture of the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. It was later discovered that during the manufacture of 2,4,5-T that Agents Orange and Purple were contaminated with varying levels of tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), a dioxin that is a toxic and persistent substance. Agent Purple is reputed to have three times the dioxin levels of Agent Orange, 45 parts per million as opposed to 13 parts per million in Agent Orange.
Agent Purple was produced at the Hercules Chemical Plant in Jacksonville, Arkansas. This plant is adjacent to Little Rock AFB. The affluent was delivered to the Little Rock AFB Fire Department and was burned in training fires.
Agent Purple was used only in the earliest stages of the spraying program, between 1962 and 1965 as well as in earlier tests conducted by the US military outside of Vietnam. About 500,000 gallons were sprayed in Vietnam total. (~1.9 million liters).
Herbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
and defoliant
Defoliant
A defoliant is any chemical sprayed or dusted on plants to cause its leaves to fall off. A classic example of a highly toxic defoliant is Agent Orange, which the United States armed forces used abundantly to defoliate regions of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1970.Defoliants differ...
used by the U.S. military
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
and the Canadian Government in their Herbicidal Warfare
Herbicidal warfare
Herbicidal warfare is a form of Chemical warfare in which the objective is to destroy the plant-based ecosystem of an area. In contrast to other forms, its use is not prohibited by international agreement...
program during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The name comes from the purple stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. It was one of the so-called "rainbow herbicides
Rainbow Herbicides
The Rainbow Herbicides are a group of chemicals used by the United States military in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Success with Project AGILE field tests with herbicides in South Vietnam in 1961 led to the formal herbicidal program Trail Dust...
" that included the more infamous Agent Orange
Agent Orange
Agent Orange is the code name for one of the herbicides and defoliants used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth...
.
Agent Purple is chemically similar to the better-known Agent Orange, consisting of a mixture of the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. It was later discovered that during the manufacture of 2,4,5-T that Agents Orange and Purple were contaminated with varying levels of tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), a dioxin that is a toxic and persistent substance. Agent Purple is reputed to have three times the dioxin levels of Agent Orange, 45 parts per million as opposed to 13 parts per million in Agent Orange.
Agent Purple was produced at the Hercules Chemical Plant in Jacksonville, Arkansas. This plant is adjacent to Little Rock AFB. The affluent was delivered to the Little Rock AFB Fire Department and was burned in training fires.
Agent Purple was used only in the earliest stages of the spraying program, between 1962 and 1965 as well as in earlier tests conducted by the US military outside of Vietnam. About 500,000 gallons were sprayed in Vietnam total. (~1.9 million liters).