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more_legal_areas agent_orangeVeterans in the Vietnam War came into contact with the most hazardous dioxin tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin, or TCDD. TCDD is an ingredient of Agent Orange, a toxic defoliant that left Vietnam veterans and local villagers exposed to it with massive health problems and its lingering effects.
Linked to multiplied risk of several cancers, as well as increasing the chance of immune system disorders and liver problems, Agent Orange veterans who became ill after Vietnam struggled for years before the U.S. government would acknowledge the contact with the dioxin had occurred and resulted in adverse health effects because of it.
Researchers estimated that 650,000 Agent Orange veterans victims suffer from chronic illnesses in Vietnam alone, and another 500,000 have already died. A recent study stated that two million more gallons of Agent Orange and other defoliants had been sprayed over Vietnam than earlier estimates suggested.
Since the 1970s, Agent Orange veterans have been fighting for compensation, mostly resulting in out of court settlements after court proceedings and negotiations that dragged on for years. Poor record keeping of toxic exposures - most of which mysteriously disappeared – hampered the Agent Orange veterans'' abilities to recover compensation.
Agent Orange veterans describe a wide range of adverse health effects that they attribute to Agent Orange exposure, including bowel conditions, stomach problems, nerve and muscle damage, leg and arm spasms, different types of cancers, various skin conditions, nail deformities, mental disorders, and even death. When Agent Orange veterans described the lingering effects of exposure to Veterans Affairs (VA), the VA told them the cancer or other health developments had to develop within the first year of their return to qualify for benefits.
The frustration of being told benefits did not apply because of the one-year Agent Orange veterans’ loophole is a story many veterans tell. In 1978, a former helicopter crew chief that had flown almost daily through clouds of herbicides discharged by C-123 cargo planes filed a $10 million suit against chemical companies that manufactured Agent Orange. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, a few months after his death lawyers made the suit a class action on behalf of other veterans and families, later settled for $180 million in 1984.
After the funds were filtered down, there was very little left for the Agent Orange veterans that were exposed to the dioxins at very high amounts. Third generation of grandchildren of the war and its victims are still being born with birth defects as a result of the contamination of Agent Orange.
In a 1984 Air Force government study, The Health Effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam War Veterans, it announced there was a “reassuring” study showing there were no ill health problems as compared to the normal veteran, which was used to deny Agent Orange veterans compensation for legitimate claims and the government from liability. Still, years later, numerous Agent Orange veterans are discouraged with the VA over compensation benefits and treatment, which has stretched into a battle lasting for years for many. Today, Agent Orange veterans continue to fight and to be heard, with many veterans groups pressuring the government to grant Agent Orange sufferers the prestigious Purple Heart.
Agent Orange is the herbicide used by the Americans in Vietnam and blamed for causing birth defects and cancer. According to a January 2004 released report, military researchers found Air Force veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War have a higher than average risk of prostate and skin cancer.
The ongoing Agent Orange study of 2,000 Vietnam veterans shows for the first time an elevated risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Agent Orange melanoma risk was not shown to be as high in previous studies as the increased risks of prostate cancer, chronic lymphocystic leukemia and diabetes.
Dioxin is a component of Agent Orange, and the most hazardous dioxin is tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin, which was included in Agent Orange. The new analysis of Agent Orange melanoma risk and prostate cancer incidence among Air Force veterans of the Vietnam War included those who sprayed Agent Orange and other herbicides, according to the Air Force Surgeon Generals office in a statement.
An estimated 20 million gallons of herbicides, including Agent Orange, were used to deforest Vietnam to make bombing easier, but veterans exposed to the dioxins for years complained of a wide variety of health problems resulting from exposure. Since the 1970s, Agent Orange victims and their families have been fighting for compensation.
As early as 1978, the Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) service officers were urging veterans to apply for Agent Orange compensation but the VA refused to assume government responsibility. The VFW had been pushing for the VA and Congress to acknowledge a service connection between Agent Orange melanoma and a wide range of other diseases, but it was years before any veterans received compensation.
According to the World Health Organization, Agent Orange is the cause of dozens of critical diseases. Because the dioxins and other toxic chemicals stay in the body for so long, third generation of grandchildren of the war and its victims are still being born with birth defects as a result of the contamination of Agent Orange.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay retroactive benefits to Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to » Read More
After following a report from Parliament''s health select committee released in October, New Zealand''s government has apologized to Vietnam veterans for their exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants from more than 30 years ago.
The ...
The Air Force recently conducted a study that found an increased risk of prostate cancer and melanoma in Air Force veterans of the Vietnam War who were exposed to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. The study found a cancer incidence that was 1.46 to ...