Because Agent Orange (and other Vietnam-era herbicides) contained dioxin in the form of TCDD, it had immediate and long-term effects
Dioxin is considered as one of the major causes of "...immediate and long-term effects." since it was a chemical in Agent Orange.
Vietnam claims half a million children have been born with serious birth defects, while as many 2 million people are suffering from cancer or other illness caused by Agent Orange.
Based on this statement, millions of children had to suffer as a result of Agent Orange as half a million children were born with genetic disorders.
It was later proven to cause serious health issues—including cancer, birth defects, rashes and severe psychological and neurological problems—among the Vietnamese people as well as among returning U.S. servicemen and their families.
As a result of the herbicide, not only the Vietnamese population had serious health issues, but also the "...U.S. servicemen and their families..."which supports the idea of how none of this was beneficial to both America and Vietnam. Serious health issues included: rashes, birth defects, neurological problems, and severe psychological problems.
Agent Orange was a powerful herbicide used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops.
From this statement, it is clear that the American's real intention were to "...eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops..." which establishes an idea of how the Americans could have possibly done it without awareness of what it would really do to the health of the Vietnamese population.
From 1961 to 1971, the U.S. military sprayed a range of herbicides across more than 4.5 million acres of Vietnam to destroy the forest cover and food crops used by enemy North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops.
According to this passage, "...the U.S. military sprayed a range of herbicides across more than 4.5 million acres of Vietnam..." in 10 years (1961 to 1971). The fact that the U.S. military were able to cover this much area in 10 years is unimaginable as it follows to an idea of how many people could have been badly affected in those 10 years.
More than 13 million gallons of Agent Orange was used in Vietnam, or almost two-thirds of the total amount of herbicides used during the entire Vietnam War.
It turns out, "...more than 13 million gallons of Agent Orange was used... during the entire Vietnam war.." which shows how desperate the U.S. military were and how they took advantage of this powerful chemical as they used it "...during the entire Vietnam War."
Agent Orange, which contained the deadly chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used herbicide.
Based on this statement, Agent Orange is considered as a herbicide that is only supposed to eradicate unwanted plants and not the Vietnamese population and the following generations.