Scope and Contents

The collection consists of approximately one linear foot of materials pertaining to Colonel Alvin Young's research on Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides used during the Vietnam War. The materials include books, reports, and articles. The materials are dated 1975-2025.

Biographical / Historical

Alvin Lee Young was born 3 August 1942 in Laramie, WY. He joined the Air Force ROTC at the University of Wyoming in June 1964 and completed Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Science. He completed his PhD in Herbicide Physiology and Environmental Toxicology at Kansas State University in 1968. He began his military 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 25 years with the Air Force (retiring in 1989 at 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) in Colorado Springs, CO, he conducted studies on the environmental fate of TCDD including studies on the biodegradation of massive quantities of Agent Orange.

From 1977-1983, he was affiliated with the Epidemiology Division of the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks AFB, TX and the Environmental Epidemiology Unit of the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington, DC. His primary responsibilities were the documentation and establishment of exposure assessment protocols for the epidemiological studies of Vietnam veterans. From 1983-1987, he was assigned to the Executive Office of the President in Washington, DC, 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 of the Center for Risk Excellence at the United States Department of Energy in Argonne, IL. From 2002-2007, he was a Visiting Professor and Senior Fellow with the Institute for Science and Public Policy at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. He is currently President of A.L. Young Consulting Inc. in Cheyenne, WY. His scientific specialty is on the use, toxicology, and human and environmental risks associated with the military herbicides used in South Vietnam from 1961-1972.