U.S. military (Operation Ranch Hand)

U.S. Air Force herbicide campaign in Vietnam (1962-1971); military records show 17.6M gallons sprayed over 3.6M acres in 1965-71 alone

Agency· United States · in the record since Sep 2026

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Military records show Operation Ranch Hand sprayed 17.6 million gallons of herbicide over about 3.6 million acres of Vietnam from August 1965 to February 1971.

Aug 1965 to Feb 1971Amount is US gallons; covers only part of the 1962-1971 program. Other estimates for the full campaign run to about 19-20 million gallons.

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Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 1998, chapter on exposure assessmentDocumentHerbicides were used extensively in Vietnam by the U.S. Air Force's Operation Ranch Hand to defoliate inland hardwood forests, coastal mangrove forests, and to a lesser extent, cultivated land, by aerial spraying from C-123 aircraft and helicopters. According to military records of Operation Ranch Hand, from August 1965 to February 1971, a total of 17.6 million gallons of herbicide was sprayed over approximately 3.6 million acres in Vietnam (NAS, 1974).

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