Kenneth R. Olson and Mike Tharp. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 75(2), March 2020, pp. 33A-37A.
"The Passaic River parallels the Hudson River and was an industrial river, which included plants that manufactured Agent Orange that was used in the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Stretches of river along Newark are postindustrial, abandoned landscapes, and the sediment at the mouth of the Passaic River near Newark Bay remains contaminated with dioxin TCDD, PCBs, and Hg. The USEPA designated a 27 km (16 mi) stretch of the Passaic River as a Superfund site." Rutgers-restricted Access
Susan Cohen. (M.A. Thesis) Rutgers University Newark, 2021.
"During the 1960s and 1970s, the chemical, Agent Orange, was produced in Newark and then used as a defoliant in Vietnam. However, as Agent Orange is made up of Dioxin, it is toxic to both people and the environment. Within years of the production and use of Agent Orange, people in both Newark and Vietnam suffered the ill effects of the toxin. I argue that exploring the production, use, and ways that both the people of Newark and the people of Vietnam worked to hold the chemical companies accountable for the production of Agent Orange showcases a significant transnational history as the people of Newark and the people of Vietnam were influenced by one another."
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Diamond Alkali Company manufactured agricultural chemicals, including the herbicides used in the defoliant known as “Agent Orange” on Lister Avenue in Newark. A by-product of these manufacturing processes was 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin), an extremely toxic chemical.