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“ From 1962 to 1971, the US military sprayed herbicides over Vietnam to strip the thick jungle canopy that could conceal opposition forces, to destroy crops that those forces might depend on, and to clear tall grasses and bushes from the perimeters of US base camps and outlying fire-support bases. Mixtures of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), picloram, and cacodylic acid made up the bulk of the herbicides sprayed. The main chemical mixture sprayed was Agent Orange, a 50:50 mixture of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. At the time of the spraying, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), the most toxic form of dioxin, was an unintended contaminant generated during the production of 2,4,5-T and so was present in Agent Orange and some other formulations sprayed in Vietnam.
Because of complaints from returning Vietnam veterans about their own health and that of their children combined with emerging toxicologic evidence of adverse effects of phenoxy herbicides and TCDD, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was asked to perform a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange, other herbicides used in Vietnam, and the various components of those herbicides, including TCDD. Updated evaluations are conducted every two years to review newly available literature and draw conclusions from the overall evidence.Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2012 reviews peer-reviewed scientific reports concerning associations between health outcomes and exposure to TCDD and other chemicals in the herbicides used in Vietnam that were published in October 2010--September 2012 and integrates this information with the previously established evidence database. This report considers whether a statistical association with herbicide exposure exists, taking into account the strength of the scientific evidence and the appropriateness of the statistical and epidemiological methods used to detect the association; the increased risk of disease among those exposed to herbicides during service in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and whether there exists a plausible biological mechanism or other evidence of a causal relationship between herbicide exposure and the disease.”
Because of complaints from returning Vietnam veterans about their own health and that of their children combined with emerging toxicologic evidence of adverse effects of phenoxy herbicides and TCDD, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) was asked to perform a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange, other herbicides used in Vietnam, and the various components of those herbicides, including TCDD. Updated evaluations are conducted every two years to review newly available literature and draw conclusions from the overall evidence.Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2012 reviews peer-reviewed scientific reports concerning associations between health outcomes and exposure to TCDD and other chemicals in the herbicides used in Vietnam that were published in October 2010--September 2012 and integrates this information with the previously established evidence database. This report considers whether a statistical association with herbicide exposure exists, taking into account the strength of the scientific evidence and the appropriateness of the statistical and epidemiological methods used to detect the association; the increased risk of disease among those exposed to herbicides during service in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam era; and whether there exists a plausible biological mechanism or other evidence of a causal relationship between herbicide exposure and the disease.”
Veterans and Agent Orange
Posted from ncbi.nlm.nih.govPosted in these groups: Vietnam War Agent OrangeNational Institutes of Health What Would You Do Health
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 8
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 4 y ago
Agent Orange is a horrible legacy for the Vietnamese as it has become part of their land and waters.
What is disheartening is the wide spread deregulation of the EPA to include more lenient use of chemical spraying.
What is disheartening is the wide spread deregulation of the EPA to include more lenient use of chemical spraying.
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Posted 4 y ago
Thank you for the share Mary, the business that I work for use to sell a lot of the 2 4 D to area farmers.
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Posted 4 y ago
I was diagnosed with Prostate cancer in 2015. I was treated (brachytherapy). When I learned I had the cancer, I filed for disability, providing the required documents; 1. I was in Vietnam. 2. I had Prostate cancer. Took about 2 1/2 months and I got awarded 100%. About 1 year after I was treated, that disability was lowered to 40%, which I still draw. I get an annual check up by my VA urologist in addition to my annual VA physical. So far, so good.
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SPC Joseph Kopac
4 y
My friend had it too and was rated 100%. He told me they tried to lower his rating but somehow got it to remain at 100%
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SSgt James McChesney
4 y
I pray you will not be revisited with this horrible disability. My husband was denied for 10 years for the VA to only pay him out for the last 1-1/2 yrs. He was 100% disabled and not able to return to work. After going to congressional help (Ted Cruz) he was immediately considered and given 100%. Little did I know he was on his last 2 years and helped on to die by the volunteer doctors in the ER in Shreveport, LA.
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