Was the orange named because it was the color orange, or did the color get its name because of the fruit? Time to take a little language history lesson.

Agent Orange is a mixture of two active chemicals. When they're combined, an unwanted byproduct -- a dioxin called TCDD -- is formed. The EPA calls it a carcinogen (something that causes cancer).

The Gruesome Legacy . In total, the U.S. sprayed more than 20 million gallons of various herbicides over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1961 to 1971. However, according to the EPA, Agent Orange ...

Both of the ingredients that make up Agent Orange became common herbicides in American industrial agriculture. 2,4-D is still used today, but 2,4,5-T use ended in the West in 1985.