The tests of the highly toxic defoilants were apparently conducted at the request of the US military, which used Agent Orange to flush out communist Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam war.

“The government has named an official to take charge of the investigation into the events that occurred in Gagetown,” said Jae Malana, a military spokseman.

Ottawa hopes to determine if any people may have been affected by the lethal herbicides, he said.

Investigators will meet with active and retired members of the Canadian military and retired civilian employees who were present during the tests, officials said in a statement.

In 1966 and 1967, various defoliants were used to clear forests in New Brunswick. The thick vegetation in the province reminded US military experts of the dense jungles in Vietnam and thus seemed a good place to test the agents.

They were also sprayed over 0.03 percent of the military base in Gagetown as part of a top secret operation that was not exposed until the 1980s.

Last year, Ottawa admitted that its soldiers, civilian contractors and local residents may have been exposed to the agents and as a result may have suffered health problems.

The herbicides can cause leukemia and diabetes and other major health problems, including congenital malformations and miscarriage.