Agent Orange Zone: April 2014

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

25 Years Ago Today

...and the beat goes on...
In San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson ordered the U.S. government to reconsider the Agent Orange health claims of more than 31,000 veterans because existing rules “sharply tipped the scales” against those exposed to the toxic defoliant.

He struck down the Department of Veterans Affairs’ regulations that denied Agent Orange service-related benefits for cancers and all other diseases except one non-fatal skin condition. In a ruling on a nationwide lawsuit brought on behalf of Agent Orange claimants, Henderson said the department was wrong to require direct proof that the dioxin-containing herbicide caused various diseases. The department, formerly known as the Veterans Administration, would give claimants the benefit of the doubt, Henderson said. Veterans’ advocates praised the decision. Mary Sout, president of Vietnam Veterans of America, said the ruling validated what Vietnam veterans had been saying for years, that the VA had failed to give Agent Orange victims a fair hearing. She said she was optimistic that Congress would act quickly to resolve “this most painful legacy of the Vietnam War.”

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Now, More than ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PVtsF4o-3Q

Oct. 29, 2013, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D CT) introduced S. 1602 a bill to establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a national center for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of health conditions of the descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances during service in the Armed Forces, to provide certain services to those descendants, to establish an advisory board on exposure to toxic substances, and for other purposes. Please Sign the Petition to United States Veterans Administration!

https://www.causes.com/honoravet

Faces of Agent Orange Holds Briefing for S.1602

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PVtsF4o-3Q

Honor veterans by helping their children get the proper care

https://www.causes.com/honoravet

Sign the Petition to United States Veterans Administration

15,116 signed

9,884 more needed

Birth Defect Research for Children wants you to join us in raising public awareness about the continuing effects on children of their parents exposure to toxins during military service. There is power in numbers. The more signatures we receive, the more our voices will be heard. Signing this petition will help thousands of veterans' children that are in dire need of specific medical…

Pledge to join the March Against Monsanto on May 24, 2014!

Read more: Monsanto GM Soy is Scarier Than You Think
Read the study: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans

Agent Orange curse continues to live on

http://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/04/25/agent-orange-curse-continues-live/8152995/
Michael G. Johnson’s April 13 column on veterans’ suffering and the VA’s refusal of treatment was indeed disturbing. He mentioned Vietnam’s Agent Orange legacy. What few know, and the VA refuses to acknowledge, is that the Agent Orange curse continues to be visited upon those who did not even serve in Vietnam.
C-123 “Provider” aircraft were used to spray Agent Orange during the war, and between 1972 and 1982 were flown by USAF Reserve squadrons. Many of those reserve aircrew persons are now developing Agent Orange-related symptoms. VA refuses all medical care. That, despite studies by Columbia University and the Centers for Disease Control (among other agencies and experts) confirming the reserve aircrews’ exposure to Agent Orange residue.
Ironically, the personnel who finally scrapped the remaining C-123’s at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base “boneyard” wore HAZMAT suits to protect them from the toxin. “Patches,” the battle-damaged C-123 retired to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio required three decontaminations to deem it safe for the public tours, yet VA insists the crews who flew “Patches” were not exposed “enough” to receive treatment.
“Thank you for your service” has something of a hollow ring for these patriots.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Contaminated soil in Wildwood being transported to Oklahoma

http://www.kmov.com/news/mobile/Contaminated-soil-in-Wildwood-being-hauled-to-Oklahoma-256431581.html

Contaminated soil in Wildwood has the EPA transporting large volumes of it to another state.
Hundreds of tons of dioxin laced soil are being dug up, placed into special containers, and hauled to an approved landfill in Oklahoma.
The property sits next to a former superfund cleanup site. Three years ago a developer wanted to build some homes on the property next to the Ellisville-Bliss superfund site where dioxin was dumped and a cleanup was finished in 1996. However, nearby residents and the city insisted on testing the soil. As a result, the EPA found elevated levels of dioxin in a portion of the planned development that was set aside for greenspace.
The EPA is halfway through the soil removal. Workers are taking precautionary steps to ensure the soil stays contained during the move

Oregon Veterans Affairs Director petitions Shiseki for C-123 veterans' eligibility for VA Agent Orange exposure benefits

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april232014/smoth-agent-orange-wc.php
Himself a Gulf War veteran, Director Cameron Smith of the State of Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, formally wrote VA Secretary Shinseki detailing C-123 veterans' eligibility for VA Agent Orange exposure benefits!

While mostly symbolic in addressing federal benefits, Director Smith's letter puts the VA on notice that yet another agency concurs with C-123 veterans' claims for having been exposed to Agent Orange and its contaminant, dioxin, during post-Vietnam decade of flying those warplanes. Any decision from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to confront his own Veterans Health Administration regarding its unexplained blanket policy preventing C-123 veterans' access to VA medical care rests with the Secretary, but the moral weight of Oregon now has been offered the affected veterans.

Director Smith cited the fact that VA's refusal to permit C-123 veterans' claims to be approved violates both the spirit and the letter of several regulations, which he proceeded to detail.

Not touched on but directly applicable is another foundation of the C-123 veterans' legal claim, that of the Federal Register of 8 May 2001 page 21366 where VA states veterans exposed to herbicides outside the scope of the Vietnam War (boots on the ground) will be treated the same as Vietnam War veterans. This is where VA is unscientifically, redefining "exposure" specifically to block C-123 veterans' exposure claims. VA repeated their commitment to treat exposures in the 31 August 2010 Federal Register, but continues to utilize its unique redefinition of exposure.

VA has recently integrated into their view of exposure the separate toxicological concept of bioavailability. VA insists bioavailability is necessary before C-123 exposure can be conceded. Bioavailability means the impact in some way that is measurable of a substance upon the body.

For example, drinking coffee usually elevates one's blood pressure. Only at that point, VA would concede the drinker's exposure to coffee.

This is wrong. In toxicology, bioavailability happens after an exposure. One must first be exposed to coffee by drinking it to then experience its bioavailability. Exposure and bioavailability are separate events, not one as redefined by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans accuse the VA of a verbal slight-of-hand with the word exposure.

READ MORE: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april232014/smoth-agent-orange-wc.php

Agent Orange - the Thing That Won't Go Away

The science and
circumstances
surrounding the
defoliant Agent Orange
and its lasting legacy

Monday, April 21, 2014

Agent Orange Town Hall Meetings

http://www.abc12.com/story/25285703/town-hall-meeting-to-be-held-saturday-on-effects-of-agent-orange

April 25, 2014

Indianapolis, IN

Vietnam Veterans of America Indiana State Council, 7 pm

9450 E 59th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46216-1057

For more information: Contact Pat Bessigano

PatBessig@aol.com

April 26th 2014

Northville, Michigan

9am-3:30 pm

Northville High School

Northville, MI

Contact: Dennis Whaling 734-846-8798

April 29th 2014

Smyrna, Tennessee

6PM - 9PM

Parkway Baptist Church

1715 Lee Victory Parkway

Smyrna, Tennessee

Contact: Barry Rice barryrice.tsc@gmail.com

Friday, April 18, 2014

Take the Monsanto Stock Plunge!

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/divest_Monsanto__now/?referring_akid=1197.422813.9KpAhz&source=taf

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It’s time to take the fight to Monsanto – hit them where it hurts – their wallet! Every voice counts!

US Army – Military Bases on EPA Superfund List; 28 May 2013

Click on the link for information about a specific base

Thursday, April 17, 2014

What Month Is It?

http://www.parkinsonsaction.org/

The United States Senate declared April "Parkinson's Awareness Month." By doing so, our elected officials have helped us bring more awareness to a disease that affects between 500,000 and 1.5 million people.
http://www.parkinsonsaction.org/
Additionally, April is also the kick-off for PAN's annual fundraising and awareness effort, the Tulip Tribute Garden. Since our launch of this year's Tulip Tribute Garden two weeks ago, many people have honored or remembered their moms, dads, daughters, sons, relatives, and friends who have been affected by Parkinson's disease. You can read their inspiring messages on the Tulip Tribute Garden Wall by clicking here.
You too can be part of this outreach effort. Click here to make a gift of $25, and you can leave a message in honor of or in memory of a loved one on the Tulip Tribute Garden Wall. With a contribution of $60, we will send you or a loved one a tulip-inspired truffle confection. If you donate $250, you will be sent a beautiful bouquet of fresh tulips.
Send your loved one a message of hope, a chocolate truffle gift, or a bouquet of fresh tulips today!

Thank you again for your support. Please be as generous as you can by making a donation of $25, $60, $75, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, or more.Note: Administrative Professional's Day is April 23rd – order your chocolates or tulips by April 18th for the administrative professional in your life.

VA Says Disability Claims Backlog Down Almost by Half Over Last Year

http://www.fedweek.com/item-view.php?tbl=3&ID=5704
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it lowered the number of pending disability claims from 611,000 in March 2013 to 344,000 a year later, and that decisions are being made 119 days sooner. The VA, which instituted mandatory overtime to help tackle the backlog and was not subject to sequestration furloughs last year, said the backlog is now at its lowest since March 2011. After that the backlog shot up because of the need to re-adjudicate 150,000 previously decided cases involving exposure to the Vietnam-era defoliant, Agent Orange. (Re-adjudication was mandated by court order, but also resulted from the department adding ischemic heart disease, certain leukemias, and Parkinson's disease to the list of conditions presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure, the VA said.) A sizable backlog remains, however. The White House fiscal 2015 budget request includes $138.7 million in the veterans claims intake program to help expedite claims, and the VA remains under pressure from Congress to do more, with some in Congress heavily critical of VA management. For example a bill was introduced in the House earlier this year that would make it easier to fire or demote VA senior executive service employees or equivalent based on performance. House leaders recently expressed their intent to call that bill to a floor vote soon. A separate bill calls for a five-year ban on SES performance bonuses at the VA.

VA & USAF Defy FOIA – Withheld VA & AF Data Dooms IOM C-123 Study's Scientific Accuracy

http://www.c123agentorange.com/

An Institute of Medicine investigation of C-123 Agent Orange issues will begin June 16 – but with essential, unclassified VA and USAF data withheld. Although directly relevant to the assignment given IOM by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the committee will not have vital information for their studies. Without all available C-123 information made available to the IOM, their committee report will be fatally flawed, and the affected veterans harmed.

Both VA and AF have relevant, unclassified information about this 60-year old airplane and its Agent Orange history. This information has been improperly refused release to the public in defiance of Freedom of Information Act. Complete and valid requests go back over a year in each case, but they have been ignored.

In stark defiance of the Freedom of Information Act, it is clear that both Departments prefer at least some documents demanded by the veterans not to be released and available to the IOM. Although relief has been sought through the US District Court of Washington D.C. to force release of the materials, there is no possibility of court action before the June 16 workshop. READ MORE: http://www.c123agentorange.com/

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Dioxin exposure and autistic traits?

http://questioning-answers.blogspot.com/2014/03/dioxin-exposure-and-autistic-traits.html
As promised in a previous post, today I'm turning my attention to the paper by Muneko Nishijo and colleagues [1] and their conclusion of "a specific impact of perinatal TCDD [2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin] on autistic traits in childhood, which is different from the neurotoxicity of total dioxins (PCDDs/Fs) [polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans]".

TCDD @ Wikipedia

With all the recent chatter about [surrogate] environmental markers and the numbers of cases of autism spectrum disorders and environmental toxicants and autism risk it is indeed timely that the Nishijo paper comes to publication now. Environmental factors, however you wish to define this, are certainly no stranger to autism research, and are fast finding a place in the autism research psyche, perhaps in part due to the rise and rise of the science of epigenetics (see here) as a bridge between genetics and environment. Genes, or rather the blueprint that is your genome, might not necessarily be your destiny and all that jazz...READ MORE: http://questioning-answers.blogspot.com/2014/03/dioxin-exposure-and-autistic-traits.html

Veterans' health today, our children and grandchildren tomorrow?

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140322/COL04/303220022/Veterans-health-today-our-children-grandchildren-tomorrow-
The impact of health issues on the nation’s veterans will in time confront our children and grandchildren in the form of genetically modified organisms (GMO).
The greatest threat to public health is genetically modified organism (GMO) plant production by Monsanto Company (Agent Orange and Bt cotton) and Pfizer, Inc. (Zyklon B. Holocaust gas). Both have research facilities in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta to produce GMO’s.
Our nation’s veterans suffered from the impact of Agent Orange for years before the Veterans Administration acknowledged causation of toxic exposure to dioxin, a defoliant used in Vietnam to kill the jungle like conditions that provided cover for the enemy. The herbicide utilized two chemicals--2, 4-D and 2, 4, 5-T that was linked to a variety of health disorders: headaches, liver and blood disorders, nerve damage, cancer.
Now we know that veterans, who served in Vietnam and were exposed to Agent Orange, had their DNA mutated by exposure to herbicides, and unknowingly passed on genetic mutations to their unborn. Interesting enough the male and female veterans may have children born with spina bifida, but the woman veteran exposed to dioxin may have child with a whole host of different medical conditions supporting genetic mutation.
READ MORE: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140322/COL04/303220022/Veterans-health-today-our-children-grandchildren-tomorrow-

Institute of Medicine - we need experts' letters of support, or interpretation

from Wes Carter, C-123 Veterans Association

http://www.change.org/organizations/c-123_veterans_association

Portland's The Oregonian newspaper posted a hard copy of the complete Environmental Research article about C-123 exposures. The article details the exposure to TCDD by aircrew and maintenance personnel during the decade 1972-1982.

PLEASE: If you have scientists or physician educators who can offer expert comment on this, get them involved. We need support for this article, and for our exposures, before the June 18 Institute of Medicine workshop. As far as I can tell, this is the only juried article.

Against it, VA will use Al Young's C-123 study and the AF Consultative Letter. Neither was juried, and Young's was a simple review of his own conclusions, not new work. The AF Consultative Letter was partly authored by the lead researcher (Lurker) on the Environmental Research piece, showing he did not agree with what the AF did with their science.