Editing Agent Orange (section)

==Ecological impact==
{{see also|Environmental impact of war}}
About 17.8% or {{convert|3100000|ha|sqkm sqmi}} of the total forested area of Vietnam was sprayed during the war, which disrupted the ecological equilibrium. The persistent nature of dioxins, erosion caused by loss of tree cover, and loss of seedling forest stock meant that reforestation was difficult (or impossible) in many areas.{{sfn|Furukawa|2004|p=215}} Many defoliated forest areas were quickly invaded by aggressive pioneer species (such as [[bamboo]] and [[cogon grass]]), making forest regeneration difficult and unlikely. Animal species [[biodiversity|diversity]] was also impacted; in one study a [[Harvard University|Harvard]] biologist found 24 species of birds and 5 species of mammals in a sprayed forest, while in two adjacent sections of unsprayed forest there were, respectively, 145 and 170 species of birds and 30 and 55 species of mammals.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chiras |first= Daniel D.|title=Environmental science|year=2010|edition=8th|publisher=Jones & Bartlett|isbn=978-0-7637-5925-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/environmentalsci8thechir/page/499 499]|url=https://archive.org/details/environmentalsci8thechir|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Dioxins from Agent Orange have persisted in the Vietnamese environment since the war, settling in the soil and sediment and entering the [[food chain]] through animals and fish which feed in the contaminated areas. The movement of dioxins through the [[food web]] has resulted in [[bioconcentration]] and [[biomagnification]].<ref name="Vallero">{{cite book|last=Vallero |first= Daniel A.|title=Biomedical ethics for engineers: ethics and decision making in biomedical and biosystem engineering|year=2007|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-7506-8227-5|page=73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AeT56Pi8LFYC&pg=PA73|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331131023/https://books.google.com/books?id=AeT56Pi8LFYC&pg=PA73|archive-date=2017-03-31|url-status=live}}</ref> The areas most heavily contaminated with dioxins are former U.S. air bases.{{sfn|Furukawa|2004|pages=221–222}}