Chemical weapons of the Vietnam War, which ended 49 years ago

QUESTION 1

During the war, U.S. forces used ◣, substances that, when applied to a plant, cause its leaves to fall o . The U.S. sprayed ◣

over forests to deprive North Vietnamese forces of foliage cover.

What is ◣?

QUESTION 2

The most infamous example of ◣ (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.

QUESTION 3

Britain was the first country to use ◣ (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.

QUESTION 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 di icult to destroy, even with fire. The mixture killed these plants by dehydrating them. Fill in the blank.

QUESTION 5

The use of this substance has been banned against civilian populations since 1980, but its use a ected civilians during the Vietnam War. Its e ects were the subject of a famous photo taken in 1972 by Nick Ut. It burns, spreads easily, and sticks to surfaces.

Name it.

Answers to April 25 quiz:

Ans: Three-fourths

Ans: Anniyam

Myriad

Ans: Kharab

Ans:

Ans: Billiard

Visual: Clever Hans

First contact: Brahanya Sankar | Rajmohan V. | Sahil Tukdi | Shiva Nigam | Muhammed Shahid

PUBLIC DOMAIN Visual: At a U.N. conference in June 1972, this man described the e ects of ◣ (from Q1) in Vietnam as “ecocide” and wanted it designated an international crime. Name him.