Agent Orange Institute of Medicine Official COVVHA Testimony
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(IRVINE, CA) - There is a renewed push for the
Institute of Medicine to take seriously the claims made by the Children
of Vietnam Veterans and their families about the birth defects and
illnesses they are suffering from. The adverse affects of the dioxin
laden herbicide sprayed over the jungles of Vietnam, AKA Agent Orange,
have been well known since the government first admitted in 1991 to
cause illnesses in Vietnam Veterans. For years, the veterans and their
families have been saying birth defects and rare illnesses have affected
their children’s health. These anomalies and illnesses are not only
happening in the children of Vietnam Veterans (2nd generation), but now
are showing up in alarming numbers in the grandchildren (3rd Generation)
of Vietnam Veterans as well.
On January 16, 2013, (COVVHA) Children of Vietnam
Veterans Health Alliance INC. participated, in the public hearings for
the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee to Review on the Health
Effects in Vietnam Veterans Exposure to Herbicides (Ninth Biennial
Update) in Irvine, California. Tanya Mack, COVVHA Core Chairperson, and
California resident, gave testimony on behalf of COVVHA to the
committee. Tanya Mack is the Daughter of a recently, deceased Vietnam
Veteran who succumbed service connected Agent Orange illnesses. She was
born with severe hip dysplasia and has developed several rare aggressive
cancers in her thirties which she is currently still fighting.
“The Institute of Medicine is an independent,
nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide
unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public
(From the IOM website).” They have been commissioned to review
biannually, the most current data available about herbicides and the
health effects on our Veterans. In the past, the IOM have been
responsible for getting new illnesses added to the presumptive list for
our ailing Vietnam Veterans. Like On October 13, 2009, when, the
Veterans Affairs added three new medical conditions for Vietnam Veterans
presumptively associated with exposure to herbicides; hairy cell and
other B-cell leukemia’s, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart
disease, to the list of covered illnesses.
READ MORE: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july032013/covva-irvine-kd.php
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