Agent Orange Information
on Behalf of the Silver Rose organization
"The battle we fight today is for the war we fought years ago. Yet the work for the recognition of our illness has taken a toll as great, if not greater, than our brothers and sisters recognized by their names on the wall. Yet we dare not fail, nor give up - for the stakes are beyond our imagination. The chemicals we brought back to our family and loved ones will continue to do their work for generations to come. The system under which we served must recognize the need to treat, care for and continue research for all who are affected by not only the war itself, but for the known and unknown side effects of the chemical agents to which we were exposed. Many of us sit in discomfort and pain, and many have bodies that have deteriorated to levels even we can’t imagine. And, if it is not we ourselves who are infected, we know or knew of someone who is. For them and for ourselves we must leave a legacy for those who will walk in our boots. Let our generation be the last generation to experience bureaucratic eyes that can’t see and voices that will not speak when it comes to caring for our Veterans and their families." -"Let no person's ghost say your lack of concern and involvement caused their downfall."
Let it be known that it is our duty, each and every one of us, to carry the banner of justice for the neglected Veterans and their families.
Signed a agent orange victim.
Paul Kasper
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Please read this notice on agent orange-December 04, 2002
| All of the diseases on the VA's list of conditions linked to the herbicide exposure appear in the left-hand column. If there is a requirement that the disease appear within a certain period of time, the period of time appears in the right-hand column. |
| DISEASES RECOGNIZED BY THE VA AS CONNECTED TO AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE | LENGTH OF TIME REQUIREMENTS: (WHEN SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE HAVE TO APPEAR AND RESULT IN A DISABILITY AT LEAST 10 PERCENT DISABLING IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR BENEFITS.) |
| TYPES OF CANCER | |
| Cancer of the Bronchus | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| Cancer of the Larnyx | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| Lung Cancer | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first
appears.) |
| Cancer of the Trachea | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| Prostate Cancer | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| Hodgkin's Disease | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| Multiple Myeloma | No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia
| No time requirement (veteran qualifies no matter when the disease first appears.) |
| TYPES OF SOFT TISSUE SARCOMA | TIME REQUIREMENT |
Adult Fibrosarcoma
Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma
Angiosarcoma
Clear Cell Sarcoma of Aponeuroses
Clear Cell Sarcoma of Tendons
Congenital Fibrosarcoma
Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
Ectomesenchymoma
Epithelioid Malignant Leiomyosarcoma
Epithelioid Malignant Schwannoma
Epithelioid Sarcoma
Extraskeltal Ewing's Sarcoma
Hemangiosarcoma
Infantile Fibrosarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Liposarcoma
Lymphangiosarcoma
Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma
Malignant Giant Cell Tumor of the Tendon
Sheath
Malignant Glandular Schwannoma
Malignant Glomus Tumor
Malignant Hemangiopericytoma
Malignant Mesenchymoma
Malignant Schwannoma with Rhabdomyoblastic differentiation
Prolifertationg (systemic)Angiendotheliomatosis
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Synovial Sarcoma | No Time Requirement
(veteran qualifies no matter when sarcoma first appears) |
| DISEASES OTHER THAN CANCER | TIME REQUIREMENT |
| Peripheral Neuropathy (acute or subacute)
| Within months of exposure to agent orange in Vietnam and cured within 2 years after symptoms first appear
(Note: this time requirement is written so narrowly it appears to be impossible for any Vietnam veteran to qualify) |
| Chloracne | Within one year of the last day the veteran served in Vietnam. |
| Porphyria Cutanea Tarda | Within one year of the last day the veteran served in Vietnam. |
Diabetes
Complications:
Skin Conditions:
diabetic dermopathy
necrobiosis lipoidica
diabeticorum
diabetic blisters
eruptive xanthomatosis
Gum Disease:
Oral Infection
Fungal Infection
Poor Healing
Dry Mouth
Eye Disease:
Blindness
Retinopathy
Glaucoma
Cataracts
Kidney Disease
Transplantation:
Kidney
Pancreas
Neuropathy:
Charcot’s joint
Cranial neuropathy
Autonomic neuropathy
Compression mononeuropathy
Femoral neuropathy
Thoracic or lumbar radiculopathy
Unilateral foot drop
Cardiovascular Health:
Heart Attack
Stroke
| No Time Requirement
(veteran qualifies no matter when Diabetes first appears) |
| DISABILITIES IN CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS | TIME REQUIREMENT |
| Spina Bifida | Child must have been conceived after veteran first arrived in Vietnam. |
| BIRTH DEFECTS IN CHILDREN OF FEMALE VIETNAM VETERANS | TIME REQUIREMENT |
Once final rules are issued, the birth defects that qualify for benefits will be listed on NVLSP's website and here. http://www.nvlsp.org
| Child must have been conceived after veteran first arrived in Vietnam. |
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Some questions that have come about from others on Agent Orange!
Let us disabuse you of your misinformation which you characterize as "Bull",
point-by-point;
1). Isn't it true that the unit that used agent orange to defoliate jungles
drank a cup of it during training? NO. In speaking with several dozen of the
men who served in Ranch Hand, none ever told of this and, in fact when asked
directly about drinking the herbicide, stated emphatically that they did not
do so nor where they required to do so. This story allegedly comes from a
professor who, to demonstrate the "safety" of the herbicide, did so in front
of a class to make a point. Not sure what the point was, but that's the
story.
2). That they also got it all over them. Again, from personal interviews
with Ranch Hand personnel, they did occasionally get the herbicide on their
uniforms and there were some
accidents where spray handlers were drenched in
chemical; but, that was the rarity - not the norm.
3). That the Vietnam Veterans have a cancer rate the same as the national
average. Overall, the cancer rate is slightly above the national norm for
men and women in this age category. HOWEVER, the rates for cancers like
non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and reproductive cancers are as
much as 8-10 time higher than the national norm.
4). That the Dioxin that was dropped was heavily diluted. NO, the herbicide
used in Vietnam was 200-300 times more potent than required. Dilution
occurred only when the herbicide was mixed (50-50) with Diesel fuel, which
created yet another deadly carcinogen. There were approximately 16 pounds of
a combination of 2,4,5,T and 2,4,D in each 55 gallon drum used in Vietnam.
5). Degraded in
2-3 days. Absolute BS! There are areas in Vietnam today (as
well as right here in the US) where areas upon which the herbicide was
applied that show readings 500 times what the US government and the World
Health Organization term as safe to human habitation.
6). Was not used as a tactical weapon and in fact could not be used as one.
FALSE - was designed as a tactical weapon and used as such over more than 2
million hectares of land in Vietnam.
7). The Jungle areas that were sprayed quickly grew back. FALSE - regrowth
did not take place for 2-3 decades and large swaths of land in Vietnam are
still barren.
8). And that the Communists claim that "Agent Orange" has done this and that
even though they won't allow outside people to look openly at their claims.
AGAIN -FALSE: The Hatfield Group, an internationally
respected and renowned
research group from Vancouver, BC, Canada has been doing studies in Vietnam
for over 9 years and the governments of Vietnam and the US signed an MOU in
March 2002 to undertake JOINT studies throughout south Vietnam, in all the
major population areas where the herbicide was used during the war.
9). But the point is their claims are nonsense and junk science. This is
just like that Gulf War syndrome crap. The claims of Vietnam veterans and
those of Gulf War veterans are and have been documented by highly-respected
researchers and those studies are the basis for changes in the law that have
and will continue to make a difference in the quality of life for Vietnam
and Gulf War veterans, as well as their families.
VVA has been in the forefront of the fight to learn all we can about the use
of herbicides in Vietnam and
elsewhere in the world since 1978.
Thank you for the opportunity to set the record straight. You are obviously
misinformed or have some other "axe to grind".
Paul L. Sutton, Chair
VVA National Agent Orange/Dioxin Committee
Diseases and Disabilities Having the Best Chance of Being Added in the Future -
-- Abnormal Sperm Parameters and Infertility
-- Birth Defects (Other than Spina Bifida in Children of Vietnam Veterans)
-- Bone Cancer
-- Breast Cancer
-- Childhood Cancer (in Children of Vietnam Veterans)
-- Chronic Peripheral Nervous System Disorders
-- Circulatory Disorders
-- Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
-- Female Reproductive Cancers (cervical, uterine, ovarian)
-- Hepatobiliary Cancers
-- Immune System Disorders
-- Leukemia
-- Liver Cancer
-- Low Birthweight (in Children of Vietnam Veterans)
-- Metabolic and Digestive Disorders (diabetes, changes in liver enzymes, lipid abnormalities, ulcers)
-- Motor or Coordination Dysfunction
-- Nasal or Nasopharyngeal Cancer
-- Neonatal or Infant Death and Stillbirths
-- Renal Cancer
-- Respiratory Disorders
-- Skin Cancer
-- Spontaneous Abortion
-- Testicular Cancer