A Vietnamese flag flies atop the State Bank building, near the Vietcombank and Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam buildings, in central Hanoi, Vietnam November 23, 2017.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Questions:
1. During the war, U.S. forces used X, substances that, when applied to a plant, cause its leaves to fall off. The U.S. sprayed X en masse over forests to deprive North Vietnamese forces from using them as cover. What is X?
2. The most infamous example of X (from Q1) used during the war was called Y. It’s a mixture of two compounds called 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D in a 1:1 ratio. After the war, more than a million people in Vietnam were estimated to have developed major illnesses due to exposure to Y. Name Y.
3. Britain was the first country to use X (from Q1) as a weapon of war, during the Malayan Emergency. It prepared a substance nearly identical to Y (from Q2) but in a way that also contained a toxin called Z. Z was the culprit in the Seveso disaster of 1976. Name Z.
4. Alongside Y (from Q2), the U.S. developed a mixture of cacodylic acid, sodium cacodylate, and water to destroy ____ plants. These plants were otherwise very difficult to destroy, even with fire. The mixture killed these plants by dehydrating them. Fill in the blank.
5. The use of this substance has been banned against civilian populations since 1980, but its use affected civilians during the Vietnam War. Its effects were the subject of a famous photo taken in 1972 by Nick Ut. It burns, spreads easily, and sticks to surfaces. Name it.
Visual:
At a U.N. conference in June 1972, this man described the effects of X (from Q1) in Vietnam as “ecocide” and wanted it designated an international crime. Name him.
Answers:
1. Defoliants
2. Agent Orange
3. Dioxin
4. Rice
5. Napalm
Visual: Olof Palme
