From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rainbow Herbicides
Rainbow Herbicides
The Rainbow Herbicides are a group of chemicals used by • Agent Orange II (50% butyl ester 2,4-D and 50%
the United States military in Southeast Asia during the isooctyl ester 2,4,5-T) after 1969
Vietnam War. Success with Project AGILE field tests with In addition to testing and using the herbicides in Viet-
herbicides in South Vietnam in 1961 led to the formal nam, Laos and Cambodia, the US military also tested the
herbicidal program Trail Dust (1961 - 1971). Herbicidal "Rainbow Herbicides" and many other chemical defo-
warfare is a form of chemical warfare, in which the ob- liants and herbicides in the US[2], Canada, Puerto Rico,
jective is to destroy the plant-based ecosystem of an agri- Korea, India, Okinawa, and Thailand[3] from the mid
cultural food production and/or destroying plants which 1940s to the late 1960s.
provide cover to an enemy.
The Agents used in southeast Asia, their active ingre-
dients and years used were as follow:[1]
References
• Agent Pink (60% - 40% n-Butyl: isobutyl ester of [1] Stellman, Jeanne et al. "The extent and patterns of
2,4,5-T) used in 1961, 1965 usage of Agent Orange and other herbicides in
• Agent Green (n-Butyl ester 2,4,5-T) unclear when Vietnam." Nature Vol 422, pg 681
used but believed to be at the same time as Pink [2] Agent Orange: Herbicide Tests and Storage in the U.S.
• Agent Purple (50% n-Butyl ester 2,4-D, 30% n-Butyl Veterans Administration Website. Retrieved
ester 2,4,5-T, 20% isobutyl ester 2,4,5-T) used from 2010-06-16
1962 - 1965 [3] Agent Orange: Herbicide Tests and Storage Outside the
• Agent Blue (Cacodylic acid and sodium Cacodylate) U.S. Veterans Administration Website. Retrieved
used from 1962 - 1971 (in powder and water solution) 2010-06-16
• Agent White (acid weight basis:21.2% tri-
isopropanolamine salts of 2,4-D and 5.7% picloram)
used from 1966 - 1971
See also
• Agent Orange (50% n-Butyl ester 2,4-D and 50% n- • Smilex
Butyl ester 2,4,5-T) used from 1965 - 1970 • U.S. Army Biological Warfare Laboratories
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rainbow_Herbicides&oldid=460709401"
Categories:
• Weapon stubs
• Defoliants
• Military equipment of the Vietnam War
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