The History, Use, Disposition and Environmental Fate of Agent Orange (PDF)

For 40 years, Dr. Alvin L. Young has collected documents, reports, and photographs on the use, disposition, and environmental fate of Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides used in the Vietnam War.  He has published or edited four books and more than 70 peer reviewed publications, commentaries, and editorials on the herbicides (and the associated dioxin contaminant) used in Vietnam.  He completed his Ph.D. in Herbicide Physiology and Environmental Toxicology at Kansas State University in 1968.  He began his Air Force career as a Project Scientist with the United States Air Force in 1968, evaluating both the dissemination characteristics of the Air Force aircraft and the fate of the herbicides used in South Vietnam.  In his 21 years with the Air Force (obtaining the rank of Colonel), he was involved with all phases of the Agent Orange controversy, from test and evaluation of equipment to environmental fate and health impacts.  During his years as Associate Professor at the United States Air Force Academy (1971-1977), Colorado Springs, Colorado, he conducted studies on the environmental fate of TCDD including studies on the biodegredation of massive quantities of Agent Orange.

From 1977-1983, Dr. Young was affiliated with the Epidemiology Division, The School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas, and the Environmental Epidemiology Unit of the Department of Veteran Affairs, Washington, D.C.  His primary responsibilities were the documentation and establishment of exposure assessment protocols for the epidemiological studies of Vietnam Veterans.  From 1983-87, Dr. Young was assigned to the Executive Office of the President, where he provided advice to the White House on the issues of Agent Orange and dioxins.  From 1987-1997, he was a Science Advisor for the United States Department of Agriculture.  From 1997-2001, he was the Director, Center for Risk Excellence, United States Department of Energy, Argonne, Illinois.  From 2002 through 2007 he was a

From the reviews:“This book is a distillation of thousands of pages of written government and scientific documents, oral histories, spraying records, medical records, and pictures and is organized into eight chapters … . Young presents a dispassionate review, a feat difficult for anyone who touches this sensitive topic and especially laudable for an author who has devoted a major portion of his professional career to the subject over 40 years. … Thank you, Dr. Young, for this much-needed book.”­­­ (Mitchell D. Erickson, Environmental Sciences and Pollution Research, Vol. 17, March, 2010)