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January 23rd, 2004

"Study Links Agent Orange and Cancer Risk"

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 2.33 times higher among Air Force veterans once responsible for spraying Agent Orange than in the national population.

An analysis of the study will be published in the February edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The article was written by members of an Air Force group that has studied Agent Orange exposure for over 20 years. The study will be reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences, which will report its results to the Veterans Affairs Department.

Between 1962 and 1971, the Air Force sprayed around 11 million gallons of defoliants over the Vietnamese jungle, attempting to destroy potential cover for communist troops. The campaign, known as Operation Ranch Hand, mostly used Agent Orange, although other defoliants were sprayed as well. American veterans and many Vietnamese citizens have claimed that exposure to Agent Orange has caused birth defects, cancers, and nervous disorders.

The US government claims that there is no proven direct link between dioxin and these illnesses, while the government of Vietnam says that around 1 million Vietnamese are victims of Agent Orange.

The Air Force began health examinations of veterans in 1982, and continues to study the issue of whether long-term health problems among the Ranch Hand flyers and ground crews could be attributed to Agent Orange exposure.