Agent Orange was used on
Fort Ord
Here is the Summary of Evidence
Read about how the Armed Forced Pest Management Board is denying the use of Agent Orange and sign our letter
Here is a report from KFF Health News:“Exposed to Agent Orange at US Bases, Veterans Face Cancer Without VA Compensation”
Read this article from Monterey Herald Now:“The VA rejects evidence Agent Orange was used at Fort Ord, leaving ill veterans without aid”
Our researchers documented the heavy use of Agent Orange on Fort Ord, dating back to 1951 and extending during the period of time when hundreds of thousands of soldiers trained for conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. The herbicides were kept on base at least until 1980. 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), is an active ingredient in Agent Orange. It is known as dioxin, one of the deadliest toxins in the world. Dioxin remains in the soil can has a half-life up to 100 years, meaning it may still be harming people today.
A story in USA Today on April 26, 2024 reports that the U.S. government denies the existence of Agent Orange at Fort Ord. The DOD has relied on the work of Dr. Alvin Young who argues that there is a distinction between “tactical herbicides” used in Vietnam, and “commercial herbicides” used on bases in the US. It is nonsense. Dioxin was present in herbicides used at Fort Ord and many other bases in the US.
From Alvin Young, the Pentagon’s lead scientist on Agent Orange: Read it here.
“In scientific fact, 2,4,5-T is considerably less toxic than caffeine. And though most Agent Orange also had traces of dioxin in it, there is a rich scientific literature making clear that a relatively heavy dose of dioxin, inside the body, is required to produce symptoms.”
“Many lessons can be learned from the history of the Agent Orange panic. One is that when a government offers presumptive compensation for diseases, many persons will show up to collect. Some will not even have any disease.” Young said some vets were using Agent Orange “to seek public recognition for their sacrifices in Vietnam” and “to acquire financial compensation during economically depressed times.”
Following are seven specific items that describe the presence and/or use of Agent Orange at Fort Ord:
Photo - Toxicodendron diversilobum - Pacific Poison Oak.
I. U.S. Army Agronomist report on Poison Oak Control Work at Fort Ord documenting a spray rig crew using between 4 to 8 lbs. of acid per acre of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T (experimenting with them separately and in mixture) which would mean a representative acre would take roughly 200 gallons of spray material.
II. Citation of a Veteran claim and sworn testimony, including a December 1980 memorandum from the Dept. of the Army indicating that the Pest Control Shop at Fort Ord had monthly records, from January 1973 on, relating to Agent Orange and herbicide use—including references to 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D usage.
III. A citation in The Military Engineer from 1956 indicating that the use of both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T as brush killers at Fort Ord had been highly successful in preventing poison oak dermatitis and should serve as a “valuable reference in our weed control program.”
IV. Hazardous Waste Minimization Assessment from Fort Ord indicating roughly 80,000 pounds of herbicide use per year including waste classification of 2,4,5-T specifically.
V. Fort Ord’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Closure Plan including a RCRA Part A form where F027 (the EPA hazardous waste number for 2,4,5-T) is listed as stored at estimated 1000 lbs.
VI. Original field plot research on industrial vegetation management report evaluating the effectiveness of herbicides in controlling poison oak at Ord, which sites the use of 2,4,5-T, silvex, and aminotriazole at rates of 1 to 2 pounds per acre in 100 gallons, as proving to provide immediate but not long-lasting control of the poison oak.
VII. Record of Decision Operable Unit 1 Fritzsche Army Airfield Fort Ord, CA in July 1995 where Table 3 cites 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) found after excavation at 3.5 x 10-6 ppm or 3.5 ppt.
Articles documenting the use of Agent Orange on Fort Ord:
April 5, 2024 Evidence of toxic herbicide use including Agent Orange at FortOrd, CA
Virtual Triage provides veterans and their dependents with a method to link the diagnosis of their disease to the exposure of toxins commonly found on military installations. Find your disease and link it to chemicals that are associated with it.
It wasn’t easy settling on the 11 deadliest toxins here. These contaminants are responsible for many military-related cancers and illnesses: 2,4-D & 2,4,5-T (Agent Orange), BENZENE, CARBON TETRACHLORIDE, HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM, METHYLENE CHLORIDE (Dichloromethane), PFOS, PFOA, TETRACHLOROETHYLENE (PCE), TOLUENE, TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE), VINYL CHLORIDE (CHLOROETHENE).
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