Veterans, Civilians and Contractors are all welcome. Thank You!
Drums of Herbicide Were Stored Here in 1969-70 and the POL Depot Used the Rig Below to Spray Weeds Covering a Large Area On and Off Andersen AFB
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Guam & Agent Orange - TCE
This site http://www.guamagentorange.info/home is for people to share their accounts of Agent Orange, TCE, Radiation, or any other contamination on Guam.
Camp LeJeune Adverse Birth Outcomes Study Results
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/AdverseBirthOutcomesStudy.html
Evaluation of contaminated drinking water and preterm birth, small for gestational age, and birth weight at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: A cross-sectional study
Drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE) and vinyl chloride from the 1950s through 1985.
The study included live singleton births 28-47 weeks gestation weighing 500 grams or more. The births occurred between 1968 and 1985 to women who resided on base for at least one week before giving birth. These years were chosen because computerized birth certificates in North Carolina became available in 1968 and the contaminated wells on base were shut down in 1985. The authors cross referenced birth certificate data for Onslow County, NC, where Camp Lejeune is located, with Camp Lejeune housing records and identified 11,896 births that met the study criteria.
Outcomes of interest in this study were preterm birth and fetal growth retardation. Fetal growth retardation was measured by reduced mean birth weight (MBW), term low birth weight (TLBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). Information about these outcomes was obtained from birth certificates. Preterm births were defined as births occurring at less than 37 weeks of gestation. Gestational age was calculated using date of mother’s last menstrual period from the birth certificate. TLBW was defined as full-term babies (37 weeks or more gestation) weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth. SGA births were defined as births weighing less than the 10th percentiles using sex- and race-specific weight by gestational week norms. For the MBW analysis, only full-term infants were included.
READ MORE
Evaluation of contaminated drinking water and preterm birth, small for gestational age, and birth weight at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: A cross-sectional study
The purpose of this study was to determine if maternal exposures to contaminants in drinking water at Camp Lejeune were associated with preterm birth and fetal growth retardation. This study is a reanalysis of a previous study, which incorrectly categorized as “unexposed” some maternal exposures before June 1972 based on information available at the time.
Besides considering the re-categorized births to exposed women, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) recreated monthly estimates of past levels of drinking water contamination using computer models. These estimates were not available when the first study was conducted.Drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE) and vinyl chloride from the 1950s through 1985.
The study included live singleton births 28-47 weeks gestation weighing 500 grams or more. The births occurred between 1968 and 1985 to women who resided on base for at least one week before giving birth. These years were chosen because computerized birth certificates in North Carolina became available in 1968 and the contaminated wells on base were shut down in 1985. The authors cross referenced birth certificate data for Onslow County, NC, where Camp Lejeune is located, with Camp Lejeune housing records and identified 11,896 births that met the study criteria.
Outcomes of interest in this study were preterm birth and fetal growth retardation. Fetal growth retardation was measured by reduced mean birth weight (MBW), term low birth weight (TLBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). Information about these outcomes was obtained from birth certificates. Preterm births were defined as births occurring at less than 37 weeks of gestation. Gestational age was calculated using date of mother’s last menstrual period from the birth certificate. TLBW was defined as full-term babies (37 weeks or more gestation) weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth. SGA births were defined as births weighing less than the 10th percentiles using sex- and race-specific weight by gestational week norms. For the MBW analysis, only full-term infants were included.
READ MORE
NIH scientists determine how environment contributes to several human diseases
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2014/niehs-25.htm
Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers. The work, appearing online Nov. 17 in the journal Nature, provides a possible explanation for how one type of DNA damage may lead to cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Samuel Wilson, M.D., senior NIEHS researcher on the team, explained that the damage is caused by oxidative stress, or the generation of free oxygen molecules, in response to environmental factors, such as ultraviolet exposure, diet, and chemical compounds in paints, plastics, and other consumer products. He said scientists suspected that the DNA polymerase was inserting nucleotides that were damaged by carrying an additional oxygen atom.
“When one of these oxidized nucleotides is placed into the DNA strand, it can’t pair with the opposing nucleotide as usual, which leaves a gap in the DNA,” Wilson said. “Until this paper, no one had actually seen how the polymerase did it or understood the downstream implications.”
READ MORE
Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers. The work, appearing online Nov. 17 in the journal Nature, provides a possible explanation for how one type of DNA damage may lead to cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Until this paper, no one had actually seen how the polymerase did it or understood the downstream implications.”
Time-lapse crystallography was used by National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) researchers to determine that
DNA polymerase, the enzyme responsible for assembling the nucleotides
or building blocks of DNA, incorporates nucleotides with a specific
kind of damage into the DNA strand. Time-lapse crystallography is a
technique that takes snapshots of biochemical reactions occurring in
cells.Samuel Wilson, M.D., senior NIEHS researcher on the team, explained that the damage is caused by oxidative stress, or the generation of free oxygen molecules, in response to environmental factors, such as ultraviolet exposure, diet, and chemical compounds in paints, plastics, and other consumer products. He said scientists suspected that the DNA polymerase was inserting nucleotides that were damaged by carrying an additional oxygen atom.
“When one of these oxidized nucleotides is placed into the DNA strand, it can’t pair with the opposing nucleotide as usual, which leaves a gap in the DNA,” Wilson said. “Until this paper, no one had actually seen how the polymerase did it or understood the downstream implications.”
READ MORE
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Vietnam, Agent Orange, and GMOs
http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/vietnam-agent-orange-and-gmos/
According to Vietnamese media reports, in August that country’s agriculture ministry approved the imports of four corn varieties engineered for food and animal feed processing: MON 89034 and NK 603, products of DeKalb Vietnam (a subsidiary of U.S. multinational Monsanto), and GA 21 and MIR 162 from the Swiss firm Syngenta.
The Vietnamese environment ministry has to date issued bio-safety certificates for Monsanto’s MON 89034 and NK 603 corn varieties and Syngenta’s GA 21, meaning farmers can start commercially cultivating the crops. The ministry is considering issuing a similar certificate for the other variety, MR 162. Given the current political landscape, it seems that approval is just a matter of time.
In 2006, the Vietnamese government formulated an ambitious plan to develop GM crops as part of a “major program for the development and application of biotechnology in agriculture and rural development.” Under the blueprint, Vietnam is looking to cultivate its first GM crops by 2015 and have 30-50 percent of the country’s farmland covered with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by 2020.
Environmental activists have noted the irony that just as Americans and people elsewhere around the world are revolting against GMOs in greater numbers, Vietnam is throwing away its great advantage as a non-GMO producer. “Increasingly countries around the world are rejecting GMOs, with public opposition growing daily. Across Europe and much of Asia, Latin America and Africa, people and often their governments are rejecting GMO seeds as an old technology that has failed to deliver on its promises,” said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, senior scientist at the U.S.-based Pesticide Action Network North America.
The has been an unprecedented surge in consumer rejection of GMOs in the U.S., with food companies scrambling to secure non-GMO supplies, according to the New York Times. Europe forced its entire food industry to jettison GMOs altogether. In one prominent case, European authorities shut down 99 percent of corn imports from the U.S. at a time when only 25 percent of the corn was genetically engineered. Last year, China rejected 887,000 tons of U.S. corn because it contained Syngenta’s GM maize MIR 162 – the very same variety that has just been licensed for use in Vietnam.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development report, considered the most exhaustive analysis of agriculture and sustainability in history, concludes that the high costs of seeds and chemicals, uncertain yields, and the potential to undermine local food security make biotechnology a poor choice for the developing world. GMOs in their current state have nothing to offer the cause of feeding the hungry, alleviating poverty, and creating sustainable agriculture, according to the report. Six multinationals – Monsanto, Syngenta, Du Pont, Bayer, Dow, and BASF – now control almost two-thirds of the global market for seeds, three quarters of agro-chemicals sales, and the entire GM seed market, according to a report by Friends of the Earth International, an international network of environmental organizations in 74 countries.
READ MORE
An Agent Orange maker is being welcomed back to Vietnam to grow genetically modified organisms.
Vietnam continues to roll out the red carpet for foreign biotech
giants, including the infamous Monsanto, to sell the controversial
genetically modified (GM) corn varieties in the country. Critics say
that by welcoming Monsanto, Vietnam has been too nice to the main
manufacturer of Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used during the
Vietnam War that left a devastating legacy still claiming victims today.According to Vietnamese media reports, in August that country’s agriculture ministry approved the imports of four corn varieties engineered for food and animal feed processing: MON 89034 and NK 603, products of DeKalb Vietnam (a subsidiary of U.S. multinational Monsanto), and GA 21 and MIR 162 from the Swiss firm Syngenta.
The Vietnamese environment ministry has to date issued bio-safety certificates for Monsanto’s MON 89034 and NK 603 corn varieties and Syngenta’s GA 21, meaning farmers can start commercially cultivating the crops. The ministry is considering issuing a similar certificate for the other variety, MR 162. Given the current political landscape, it seems that approval is just a matter of time.
In 2006, the Vietnamese government formulated an ambitious plan to develop GM crops as part of a “major program for the development and application of biotechnology in agriculture and rural development.” Under the blueprint, Vietnam is looking to cultivate its first GM crops by 2015 and have 30-50 percent of the country’s farmland covered with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by 2020.
Environmental activists have noted the irony that just as Americans and people elsewhere around the world are revolting against GMOs in greater numbers, Vietnam is throwing away its great advantage as a non-GMO producer. “Increasingly countries around the world are rejecting GMOs, with public opposition growing daily. Across Europe and much of Asia, Latin America and Africa, people and often their governments are rejecting GMO seeds as an old technology that has failed to deliver on its promises,” said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, senior scientist at the U.S.-based Pesticide Action Network North America.
The has been an unprecedented surge in consumer rejection of GMOs in the U.S., with food companies scrambling to secure non-GMO supplies, according to the New York Times. Europe forced its entire food industry to jettison GMOs altogether. In one prominent case, European authorities shut down 99 percent of corn imports from the U.S. at a time when only 25 percent of the corn was genetically engineered. Last year, China rejected 887,000 tons of U.S. corn because it contained Syngenta’s GM maize MIR 162 – the very same variety that has just been licensed for use in Vietnam.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development report, considered the most exhaustive analysis of agriculture and sustainability in history, concludes that the high costs of seeds and chemicals, uncertain yields, and the potential to undermine local food security make biotechnology a poor choice for the developing world. GMOs in their current state have nothing to offer the cause of feeding the hungry, alleviating poverty, and creating sustainable agriculture, according to the report. Six multinationals – Monsanto, Syngenta, Du Pont, Bayer, Dow, and BASF – now control almost two-thirds of the global market for seeds, three quarters of agro-chemicals sales, and the entire GM seed market, according to a report by Friends of the Earth International, an international network of environmental organizations in 74 countries.
Excavation begins in Okinawa field where barrels previously found
http://www.stripes.com/news/excavation-begins-in-okinawa-field-where-barrels-previously-found-1.315392
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Workers began excavation Friday on an additional
66 spots at the Okinawa City soccer field where barrels containing
toxic herbicides were found last year.
The announcement to investigate the magnetic anomalies — thought to be
more barrels or other metal objects — was made Thursday by the Okinawa
Defense Bureau. Should any barrels or substances that indicate the
presence of defoliants be found, the bureau plans to notify the city and
prefectural governments immediately.
The excavation comes on the heels of a report released by the Japanese
government in July that found while 83 barrels already unearthed in the
reclaimed land adjacent to the Kadena Air Base fence line contained
ingredients used in Agent Orange, they were of the incorrect consistency
and quantities however, leading officials to instead believe they were
used in a common herbicide.
The barrels caused a stir amongst both locals and U.S. military
personnel and dependents when they were found. Veterans who have claimed
exposure to Agent Orange while stationed on Okinawa said it confirmed
what they had been saying all along. Parents of students at the nearby
Amelia Earhart Intermediate School, Bob Hope Primary School and the
Kadena middle and high schools expressed concern. Activists and local
media also seized on the issue.
The U.S. military’s position has been that Agent Orange — which
defoliated jungles during the Vietnam War and has been blamed for a slew
of health problems in veterans — was never stored, shipped through or
used on Okinawa. A study commissioned by the DOD has backed that
assertion. The military discontinued use of Agent Orange in the early
1970s.
The defense bureau has said it was unlikely the barrels posed a health
risk. Tests have shown the air and water, on and off base, are safe.
The excavation report will be released by the end of March, a bureau spokesman said.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
83-year-old woman cares for Agent Orange patients for 30 years
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/vietnam-in-photos/116005/images--83-year-old-woman-cares-for-agent-orange-patients-for-30-years.html
VietNamNet Bridge – For the past three decades, Dr. Ta Thi Chung has been on the staff of the Hoa Binh (Peace) Village, teaching nearly 200 children who have been affected by Agent Orange.
Every day, Mrs. Chung goes to the Hoa Binh Village of the Tu Du Hospital
in Ho Chi Minh City at 6am to help prepare food for disadvantaged kids,
to wake them up for breakfast and to go to school.
Mrs. Chung, 83, a native of Ben Tre province, was the vice director of Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital from 1975 to 1998.
She is also one of the founders of the Hoa Binh Village for AO child patients and disabled kids.
Currently, the village is the home to 60 children who are victims of Agent Orange; some of them were abandoned by parents.
"To me, the great joy is to see the kids – although with a disability - still striving to learn and training themselves to become useful citizens. I only wish that they can go to school and find a job in the future," Mrs. Chung said.
Chung has worked at the village for nearly 39 years.
MORE
VietNamNet Bridge – For the past three decades, Dr. Ta Thi Chung has been on the staff of the Hoa Binh (Peace) Village, teaching nearly 200 children who have been affected by Agent Orange.
Mrs. Chung, 83, a native of Ben Tre province, was the vice director of Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital from 1975 to 1998.
She is also one of the founders of the Hoa Binh Village for AO child patients and disabled kids.
Currently, the village is the home to 60 children who are victims of Agent Orange; some of them were abandoned by parents.
"To me, the great joy is to see the kids – although with a disability - still striving to learn and training themselves to become useful citizens. I only wish that they can go to school and find a job in the future," Mrs. Chung said.
Chung has worked at the village for nearly 39 years.
MORE
Agent Orange in Okinawa
http://thediplomat.com/2014/11/agent-orange-in-okinawa/
Determined citizens are working to uncover “one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War era.”
While the ongoing debate over the heavy presence of U.S. military forces in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa continues to make international headlines – including the decades-long struggle of residents to protect their island region from unsafe aircraft, sexual assaults, and the extinction of a local sea mammal – there is another story that until now has remained almost completely untold: the use of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants in Okinawa.
Determined to end this silence, a group of Japan-based citizens including journalists, professors, and environmental activists have been gathering evidence and speaking out regarding the existence of toxic substances, including Agent Orange, that were found to have been stored, sprayed, buried and dumped in and around Okinawa by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War era.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on October 30, 2014, just ahead of a November 1-2 symposium at Okinawa Christian University titled “Agent Orange and the Politics of Poisons,” three of the symposium’s presenters outlined the journey to begin telling this story – and to attain justice for those who have been impacted by its legacy.
“The usage of Agent Orange and military defoliants in Okinawa is one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War,” said symposium keynote speaker Jon Mitchell, a Tokyo-based journalist who has been covering the story since 2011, and who has recently published a book in Japanese exposing this history and its subsequent cover-up.
READ MORE
Determined citizens are working to uncover “one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War era.”
While the ongoing debate over the heavy presence of U.S. military forces in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa continues to make international headlines – including the decades-long struggle of residents to protect their island region from unsafe aircraft, sexual assaults, and the extinction of a local sea mammal – there is another story that until now has remained almost completely untold: the use of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants in Okinawa.
Determined to end this silence, a group of Japan-based citizens including journalists, professors, and environmental activists have been gathering evidence and speaking out regarding the existence of toxic substances, including Agent Orange, that were found to have been stored, sprayed, buried and dumped in and around Okinawa by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War era.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on October 30, 2014, just ahead of a November 1-2 symposium at Okinawa Christian University titled “Agent Orange and the Politics of Poisons,” three of the symposium’s presenters outlined the journey to begin telling this story – and to attain justice for those who have been impacted by its legacy.
“The usage of Agent Orange and military defoliants in Okinawa is one of the best kept secrets of the Cold War,” said symposium keynote speaker Jon Mitchell, a Tokyo-based journalist who has been covering the story since 2011, and who has recently published a book in Japanese exposing this history and its subsequent cover-up.
READ MORE
Vietnam dismisses Taiwanese media reports on dioxin-tainted tea
http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/vietnam-dismisses-taiwanese-media-reports-on-dioxintainted-tea-34163.html
On Monday, officials in Da Lat dismissed Taiwanese media reports
alleging a mass dioxin contamination among Lam Dong Province's tea
plantations as part of a fallacious smear campaign.
Le Van Minh, director of Lam Dong’s Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development, said roughly 70 containers of Lam Dong's Oolong tea
were flagged by Taiwanese customs agents following media reports about
the alleged contamination.
“Since late September, seven TV channels, four newspapers and one
news website in Taiwan have claimed that tea plantations in Lam Dong are
contaminated with dioxin,” Minh said.
Based on maps of the US' war-era defoliation campaign and other
related documents, Lam Dong’s Military Command has affirmed that the
province's tea plantations couldn't possibly have been affected by the
persistent organic pollutant, Minh said.
He further alleged that Taiwanese tea growers have spread the
rumors in an effort to avoid honest competition with Lam Dong's low
prices.
Ta Ling Wu, deputy head of the Taiwanese Trade Association in
Vietnam, said his agency would hold a press conference in Taipei on
November 24 to prove that Lam Dong’s tea plantations are dioxin-free.
The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is home to around 3,000
hectares of high-quality tea plantations whose tea leaves are processed
for export to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Europe.
READ MORE
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS: DOD Keeping Toxic Exposure to Veterans Hidden from Public
http://www.politichicks.tv/2014/11/exclusive-documents-dod-keeping-toxic-exposure-veterans-hidden-public/
Veterans and civilian workers who worked at Ft. McClellan, Alabama
between 1935 and 1999 were exposed to a number of toxic chemicals. Ft.
McClellan was used for a multitude of purposes, including Military
Police Corps, Women’s Army Corps, Chemical Corps and Vietnam Training.
At any given time, Ft. McClellan had a population of 10,000 people.
5,000 were permanently assigned and 1,500 civilians were employed.
The base closed in 1999 and the Military Police School and Army Chemical School were relocated to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Currently, the Alabama National Guard operates Ft. McClellan, where the National Guard Officer Candidate School takes place. The Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is also housed on base.
Those who were at Ft. McClellan from 1935-1999 experienced toxic exposure from: Agent Orange, Agent Blue, Sarin, VX, Uranium, Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) and Trichloroethylene (TCE). Army post
Here’s what these chemicals are used for:
Cancer. Tumors. Leukemia. Kidney failure. Malignant Melanoma. Fetal death and miscarriage. Problems with short-term memory. These are just a very few of the side effects. A website dedicated to helping Ft. McClellan Veterans has a page dedicated to the symptoms caused by each of the known toxins.
READ MORE
The base closed in 1999 and the Military Police School and Army Chemical School were relocated to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Currently, the Alabama National Guard operates Ft. McClellan, where the National Guard Officer Candidate School takes place. The Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is also housed on base.
Those who were at Ft. McClellan from 1935-1999 experienced toxic exposure from: Agent Orange, Agent Blue, Sarin, VX, Uranium, Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) and Trichloroethylene (TCE). Army post
Here’s what these chemicals are used for:
- Agent Orange: used by U.S. military as means of killing plants in a regional area (known as herbicidal warfare program during Vietnam War)
- Agent Blue: kills plants by drying them out
- VX: no known uses except in chemical warfare as a nerve agent
- Uranium: tinting and shading in early photography; ammunition, shielding material used to store and transport radioactive materials
- Polychlorinated Biphenyl: primarily used as dielectric and coolant fluids
- Trichloroethylene: drying out remainder of water for production of 100% ethanol; dry cleaning solvent; clean kerosene-fueled rocket engines
Cancer. Tumors. Leukemia. Kidney failure. Malignant Melanoma. Fetal death and miscarriage. Problems with short-term memory. These are just a very few of the side effects. A website dedicated to helping Ft. McClellan Veterans has a page dedicated to the symptoms caused by each of the known toxins.
READ MORE
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Call To Action!
HELP! We have a serious problem and need the help of all concerned veterans. Please share!
WE NEED YOU TO CALL YOUR TWO SENATORS ON MONDAY TO SUPPORT NAVY VETERANS DYING OF AGENT ORANGE RELATED DISEASES.
The
ship bill is in jeopardy. It was amended to the National Defense Act
and will be worked on any day. We cannot afford to let this die. If
passed it will reduce the cost of HR 543 to a passable bill. The first
and most important thing action you can take is on Monday morning to call your 2 senators to request they pass this amendment (Section 1062 of Senate Bill 2410, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015).
Here
is the story. Section 1062 of Senate Bill 2410, the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 contains a requirement that the
Navy pinpoint the closest approach to land for all ships deployed to
Vietnam. This will allow the crew of any ship that entered the rivers or
tied up to a pier to receive the presumption of exposure to Agent
Orange and increase the chances of these who entered bays such as Da
Nang Harbor to receive that presumption. This measure has passed the
House of Representatives twice in two different bills.
The
Navy is fighting back saying that they do not want to do the study
because it would cost $5 million. Our experts disagree and notes that
the Navy has inflated the number of log pages that would have to be
reviewed.
In
fact, 305 of the 713 ships that deployed have already been confirmed to
have entered rivers or tied up to a pier. So almost half of the job has
already been done for them. In addition to getting benefits to
thousands of folks who are sick with Agent Orange related diseases, this
study will allow the Congressional Budget Office to determine the cost
of another bill, which will formally extend the presumption of exposure
to the territorial seas. That bill has been held up for four years in
Committee, because we cannot determine the actual cost.
So
please call both of your Senators. You can google their names to get
their phone numbers or google "U. S. Senate delegation" and the name of
your State. They do listen to these messages and it will help. Don’t
worry about your Member of Congress, the bill has passed the House.
Please call your Senators. Then if you have time, call the offices of
the Senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Their names are
attached. Make sure you say this is Section 1062 of the 2015 National
Defense Authorization Act Senate Bill 2410.
Respiratory Cancers and Agent Orange
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp
About respiratory cancers;
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Visit Medline Plus to learn more about treatment of cancer and the latest research from the National Institutes of Health
Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange
http://www.publichealth.va.
VA assumes that certain diseases can be related to a Veteran’s qualifying military service. We call these "presumptive diseases." VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.
Veterans
who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and
were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military
service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and
service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability
compensation.
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
About respiratory cancers
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
- Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
- Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
- Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
- Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Veterans
who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and
were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military
service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and
service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability
compensation. - See more at:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/respiratory_cancers.asp#sthash.IoCHCTvI.dpuf
Veterans who develop respiratory
cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and were exposed to Agent
Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a
connection between their disease and service to be eligible to receive
VA health care and disability compensation.About respiratory cancers;
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Visit Medline Plus to learn more about treatment of cancer and the latest research from the National Institutes of Health
Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange
http://www.publichealth.va.
VA assumes that certain diseases can be related to a Veteran’s qualifying military service. We call these "presumptive diseases." VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.
Veterans
who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and
were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military
service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and
service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability
compensation.
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
About respiratory cancers
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
- Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
- Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
- Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
- Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Veterans
who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and
were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military
service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and
service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability
compensation.
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
READ MORE
About respiratory cancers
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
- Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
- Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
- Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
- Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Veterans
who develop respiratory cancer (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea) and
were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military
service do not have to prove a connection between their disease and
service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability
compensation.
Respiratory cancers are cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus.
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
About respiratory cancers
Symptoms vary, depending on the location of the cancer:
- Lung cancer—a new cough or cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain, hoarseness
- Cancer of the trachea—dry cough, hoarseness, breathlessness, difficulty swallowing
- Cancer of the larynx (at the top of the trachea)—hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat or earache, feeling of a lump in the throat
- Cancer of the bronchus—cough, chest pain, coughing blood
Vietnamese, US leaders meet
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/government/116489/vietnamese--us-leaders-meet-on-east-asia-summit-s-fringes.html
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and US President Barack Obama lauded encouraging progress made in the relations between the two countries, especially since they set up the comprehensive partnership in 2013, during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on November 13.
At the event held on the sidelines of the ninth East Asia Summit and other summits, the two leaders highlighted bilateral co-operation in economy, trade, investment, education, health care, humanitarian activities and clean energy, regular dialogues on security-defence and human rights, and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations.
Dung suggested the US increase funding for cleaning up dioxin and support Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims and the clearance of war-era unexploded ordnances. He also asked the US to completely lift the ban on the sale of lethal arms to Viet Nam.
He said Viet Nam's resolve to work closely with the US and other countries to accelerate the TPP negotiation on the basis of balancing interests of all participating parties and giving developing members, including Viet Nam, an appropriate transitional period to realise the treaty. He spoke highly of the role of President Obama in the work.
Obama renewed his commitment to enhancing relations with a focus on areas benefiting the two peoples.
He applauded the two countries' signing of the agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy and said ties would be fostered in economy, security-defence, education-training, people-to-people exchange, and clean energy.
He pledged to continue assisting Viet Nam with dioxin detoxification and bomb and mine clearance while welcoming the country's joining of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the other Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Regarding TPP negotiations, President Obama said he would consider flexibilities for Viet Nam that served both sides.
He said saw the Mekong Sub-region as important, including the effective and sustainable use of water resources, adding that the US would expand assistance to Viet Nam and other countries within the Lower Mekong Initiative.
The two sides also exchanged views on important regional and international issues with a view to bolstering bilateral affiliation within relevant ASEAN forums and contributing to regional peace, stability, security and co-operation.
READ MORE
VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and US President Barack Obama lauded encouraging progress made in the relations between the two countries, especially since they set up the comprehensive partnership in 2013, during a meeting in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on November 13.
At the event held on the sidelines of the ninth East Asia Summit and other summits, the two leaders highlighted bilateral co-operation in economy, trade, investment, education, health care, humanitarian activities and clean energy, regular dialogues on security-defence and human rights, and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations.
Dung suggested the US increase funding for cleaning up dioxin and support Vietnamese Agent Orange/Dioxin victims and the clearance of war-era unexploded ordnances. He also asked the US to completely lift the ban on the sale of lethal arms to Viet Nam.
He said Viet Nam's resolve to work closely with the US and other countries to accelerate the TPP negotiation on the basis of balancing interests of all participating parties and giving developing members, including Viet Nam, an appropriate transitional period to realise the treaty. He spoke highly of the role of President Obama in the work.
Obama renewed his commitment to enhancing relations with a focus on areas benefiting the two peoples.
He applauded the two countries' signing of the agreement on peaceful uses of nuclear energy and said ties would be fostered in economy, security-defence, education-training, people-to-people exchange, and clean energy.
He pledged to continue assisting Viet Nam with dioxin detoxification and bomb and mine clearance while welcoming the country's joining of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the other Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Regarding TPP negotiations, President Obama said he would consider flexibilities for Viet Nam that served both sides.
He said saw the Mekong Sub-region as important, including the effective and sustainable use of water resources, adding that the US would expand assistance to Viet Nam and other countries within the Lower Mekong Initiative.
The two sides also exchanged views on important regional and international issues with a view to bolstering bilateral affiliation within relevant ASEAN forums and contributing to regional peace, stability, security and co-operation.
READ MORE
Dioxin Case: International Paper Cleared, Waste Management Settles
Dioxin Case: International Paper Cleared, Waste Management Settles
International Paper corporation
has been cleared of responsibility by a jury after being accused by
Harris County of polluting the San Jacinto River with Dioxin.
Co-defendant Waste Management agreed to a $29.2 million settlement in an agreement negotiated before the verdict was reached.
Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan was asking the jury to assess billions of dollars in fines against the two companies.
Waste Management and International
Paper absorbed two operations responsible for dumping Dioxin laced
material in the San Jacinto Waste Pits back in the mid 1960's.
The County claims much of that poisonous material has leaked into the river and the companies responsible did nothing to stop it.
Environmental activists called the settlement a win for residents of surrounding neighborhoods.
"I think for the community members this is a victory along our journey. The fight over the waste pits and the San Jacinto River is far from over, but the company
that created the site now settling I think it is a victory along our
way," said Jackie Young of the San Jacinto River Coalition.
Houston based Waste Management says it's pleased with the settlement.
" Our focus remains, as it always has, on fully participating in the very structured and well-defined EPA process, established to evaluate and determine the appropriate remedy for the site. We're fully committed to a final cleanup plan that rigorously protects public health and the environment," said Toni Beck, Waste Management's VP of Corporate Communication.
The Environmental Protection Agency is deterring the future of the San Jacinto Waste Pits.
The EPA may leave the waste stored where it is or could require Waste Management and International Paper to pay for complete removal of the toxic material.
The Harris County Attorney's Office says the settlement proceeds will be split equally with the State of Texas.
International Paper corporation
has been cleared of responsibility by a jury after being accused by
Harris County of polluting the San Jacinto River with Dioxin.Co-defendant Waste Management
agreed to a $29.2 million settlement in an agreement negotiated before the verdict was reached.Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan was asking the jury to assess billions of dollars in fines against the two companies.
Waste Management and International
Paper absorbed two operations responsible for dumping Dioxin laced
material in the San Jacinto Waste Pits back in the mid 1960's.The County claims much of that poisonous material has leaked into the river and the companies responsible did nothing to stop it.
Environmental activists called the settlement a win for residents of surrounding neighborhoods.
"I think for the community members this is a victory along our journey. The fight over the waste pits and the San Jacinto River is far from over, but the company
that created the site now settling I think it is a victory along our
way," said Jackie Young of the San Jacinto River Coalition.Houston based Waste Management says it's pleased with the settlement.
" Our focus remains, as it always has, on fully participating in the very structured and well-defined EPA process, established to evaluate and determine the appropriate remedy for the site. We're fully committed to a final cleanup plan that rigorously protects public health and the environment," said Toni Beck, Waste Management's VP of Corporate
Communication.The Environmental Protection
Agency is deterring the future of the San Jacinto Waste Pits.The EPA may leave the waste stored where it is or could require Waste Management and International Paper to pay for complete removal of the toxic material.
The Harris County Attorney's Office says the settlement proceeds will be split equally with the State of Texas.
Seoul court rules against Vietnam War defoliant victims in retrial
http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141114000832
A Seoul appellate court, in a retrial, ruled Friday against South Korean Vietnam War veterans demanding compensation for their exposure to defoliant.
Ruling in favor of two U.S. producers of toxic chemicals, the Seoul High Court did not recognize epidemiological correlations between the defoliant and diseases such as lymphoma suffered by the more than 5,000 plaintiffs.
"Agent Orange producers did not thoroughly verify harmful effects of dioxin on human beings," the court said in its ruling.
The court, however, said it cannot be concluded that the exposure to the defoliant directly caused such diseases. "The causes of these diseases are very complicated," the court said.
A total of 16,579 South Korean veterans and their families filed two separate lawsuits in 1999 against Dow Chemical Co. and Monsanto, seeking more than 5 trillion won ($4.9 billion) in damages, but a district court ruled against the plaintiffs.
In 2006, the Seoul High Court, in a landmark ruling, overturned the decision and ordered the two firms to pay compensation ranging from 6 million won to 46 million won to the veterans for physical handicaps they sustained from the defoliant.
It marked the first time for a South Korean court to rule against the U.S. defoliant manufacturers responsible for using Agent Orange in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s in order to deny the People's Army of Vietnam refuge in the jungle terrain.
The Supreme Court, however, in 2013 reversed the lower court ruling and sent the case back for review, excluding a favorable ruling on 39 soldiers who have suffered from chemical acne.
Upholding the lower court's decision for compensation, the Supreme Court recognized the link between their exposure to the defoliant and the disease for the first time in the world.
More than 4.7 million Vietnamese are said to continue to suffer from a range of illnesses, including birth defects, cardiovascular disease, cancer and nervous disorders because of the chemical defoliant dropped during the war. South Korea fought alongside the U.S against communist North Vietnam in the war.
South Korea dispatched about 320,000 soldiers to Vietnam to become the largest foreign contingent of U.S. allies fighting in the war, with 5,000 killed in action and nearly 11,000 others wounded, according to official government data.
South Korean activists estimate the number of Korean victims of the chemicals at around 150,000. (Yonhap)
A Seoul appellate court, in a retrial, ruled Friday against South Korean Vietnam War veterans demanding compensation for their exposure to defoliant.
Ruling in favor of two U.S. producers of toxic chemicals, the Seoul High Court did not recognize epidemiological correlations between the defoliant and diseases such as lymphoma suffered by the more than 5,000 plaintiffs.
"Agent Orange producers did not thoroughly verify harmful effects of dioxin on human beings," the court said in its ruling.
The court, however, said it cannot be concluded that the exposure to the defoliant directly caused such diseases. "The causes of these diseases are very complicated," the court said.
A total of 16,579 South Korean veterans and their families filed two separate lawsuits in 1999 against Dow Chemical Co. and Monsanto, seeking more than 5 trillion won ($4.9 billion) in damages, but a district court ruled against the plaintiffs.
In 2006, the Seoul High Court, in a landmark ruling, overturned the decision and ordered the two firms to pay compensation ranging from 6 million won to 46 million won to the veterans for physical handicaps they sustained from the defoliant.
It marked the first time for a South Korean court to rule against the U.S. defoliant manufacturers responsible for using Agent Orange in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s in order to deny the People's Army of Vietnam refuge in the jungle terrain.
The Supreme Court, however, in 2013 reversed the lower court ruling and sent the case back for review, excluding a favorable ruling on 39 soldiers who have suffered from chemical acne.
Upholding the lower court's decision for compensation, the Supreme Court recognized the link between their exposure to the defoliant and the disease for the first time in the world.
More than 4.7 million Vietnamese are said to continue to suffer from a range of illnesses, including birth defects, cardiovascular disease, cancer and nervous disorders because of the chemical defoliant dropped during the war. South Korea fought alongside the U.S against communist North Vietnam in the war.
South Korea dispatched about 320,000 soldiers to Vietnam to become the largest foreign contingent of U.S. allies fighting in the war, with 5,000 killed in action and nearly 11,000 others wounded, according to official government data.
South Korean activists estimate the number of Korean victims of the chemicals at around 150,000. (Yonhap)
Friday, November 14, 2014
Hatfield Partners with CDM International to Conduct Environmental Assessment and Planning for Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase
http://www.hatfieldgroup.com/news/news-releases/hatfield-partners-with-cdm-international-to-conduct-environmental-assessment-and-planning-for-dioxin-remediation-at-bien-hoa-airbase/
Hatfield is partnering with CDM Smith
International to provide technical support services to The United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Viet Nam to
assess dioxin remediation alternatives at the Bien Hoa Airbase. The
study will determine the nature and extent of dioxin contamination at
the Airbase as well as assess the effectiveness, implementability, cost,
and environmental impact of a number of dioxin remediation alternatives
for the Airbase.
Hatfield and CDM Smith are consulting
with government agencies, and surveying local institutions and community
groups to obtain feedback on the Environmental Assessment (EA), which
also includes a Gender Assessment. Hatfield will develop responses to
feedback received from the U.S. State Department and other U.S.
Government partners, the Government of Viet Nam, Vietnamese citizens,
NGOs and the government of Dong Nai Province.
The Airbases and Airports at Da Nang,
Bien Hoa, and Phu Cat have been referred to as dioxin “hot spots” due to
high dioxin concentrations remaining decades after large volumes of
Agent Orange and other defoliants were handled at these sites during the
US-Viet Nam War. The Government of Viet Nam has requested foreign
assistance to support dioxin remediation efforts. Hatfield and CDM
Smith are also currently working with the U.S. Government to support
dioxin clean-up efforts at the Da Nang Airport site. Hatfield has been involved in the Agent Orange dioxin issue in Viet Nam since 1994. READ MORE
A haunted legacy: The multi-generational effects of Agent Orange
http://mountainx.com/living/a-haunted-legacy-the-multi-generational-effects-of-agent-orange/
Ted Minnick has been a military man all his life. You can see it in his disciplined posture, his purposeful gait, his even gaze. What you cannot see, however, are the wounds he suffered as a result of his service — not from gunfire or shrapnel, but from exposure to a deadly, now-infamous herbicide known as Agent Orange.
Minnick served as an artillery battery commander in Vietnam and now suffers from leukemia — one of many illnesses linked to exposure to the dioxin-based chemical. But during an Oct. 25 Agent Orange Town Hall held in Asheville, he spoke not for himself but for his daughter and the many other children of veterans who illnesses might be linked to what happened to him in Vietnam. Minnick addressed a room filled with other veterans and their families: “I don’t hold any grudge against the U.S. government,” he said. “What I hold is guilt for bringing it back.”
While his illness has been covered by the VA, Minnick’s had no success getting help for his youngest daughter, Sarah, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1997. “I’m scared – I’m not mad,” Sarah said. “I want the government to realize that we need centers to do research to find where these conditions come from.”
Joining more than 400 Vietnam veterans and their families at the Enka Campus of A-B Tech, the Minnicks urged passage of the Toxic Research Act of 2014, which would, among other actions, call for researching the health effects caused by exposure to toxic substances like Agent Orange.
READ MORE
Ted Minnick has been a military man all his life. You can see it in his disciplined posture, his purposeful gait, his even gaze. What you cannot see, however, are the wounds he suffered as a result of his service — not from gunfire or shrapnel, but from exposure to a deadly, now-infamous herbicide known as Agent Orange.
Minnick served as an artillery battery commander in Vietnam and now suffers from leukemia — one of many illnesses linked to exposure to the dioxin-based chemical. But during an Oct. 25 Agent Orange Town Hall held in Asheville, he spoke not for himself but for his daughter and the many other children of veterans who illnesses might be linked to what happened to him in Vietnam. Minnick addressed a room filled with other veterans and their families: “I don’t hold any grudge against the U.S. government,” he said. “What I hold is guilt for bringing it back.”
While his illness has been covered by the VA, Minnick’s had no success getting help for his youngest daughter, Sarah, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1997. “I’m scared – I’m not mad,” Sarah said. “I want the government to realize that we need centers to do research to find where these conditions come from.”
Joining more than 400 Vietnam veterans and their families at the Enka Campus of A-B Tech, the Minnicks urged passage of the Toxic Research Act of 2014, which would, among other actions, call for researching the health effects caused by exposure to toxic substances like Agent Orange.
READ MORE
The 40-year war Agent Orange casualties keep mounting
http://www.pennlive.com/projects/2014/agent-orange/
In 1967, about to graduate from Steelton High School, John Galinac wanted more than just a job at the steel mill. He wanted to go to college.
The 19-year-old, second-generation Croatian-American enlisted in the Air Force with his sights on the G.I. Bill.
Within months, he became a military police officer, patrolling the perimeter of Phu Cat Air Base in the Binh Dinh Province in what was then South Vietnam. The jungle around the coastal air base, like much of the Southeast Asian country, was a dense, canopied world that provided a safe haven for the enemy.
But fate put Galinac — and thousands of others — in the path of a killer as deadly but far more stealthy than their North Vietnamese foe. And more than 40 years later, the strategy the U.S. military deployed to decimate that jungle has leveled a lethal legacy.
Galinac is among the roughly 2.8 million U.S. military personnel — out of 7.4 million total — who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 and were exposed to Agent Orange, one of several potent defoliants deployed by the military to destroy the Vietnamese jungle and, along with it, the enemy's hiding place.
Galinac died at the age of 64 on April 24, 2013, almost two years after being diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, common among Vietnam veterans.
His story — and that of the other men profiled in this account and thousands of others with untold stories — traces the trajectory of Vietnam veterans, who contend with deadly maladies caused by exposure to Agent Orange and a U.S. government that has, at times, been unresponsive to their needs.
READ MORE
In 1967, about to graduate from Steelton High School, John Galinac wanted more than just a job at the steel mill. He wanted to go to college.
The 19-year-old, second-generation Croatian-American enlisted in the Air Force with his sights on the G.I. Bill.
Within months, he became a military police officer, patrolling the perimeter of Phu Cat Air Base in the Binh Dinh Province in what was then South Vietnam. The jungle around the coastal air base, like much of the Southeast Asian country, was a dense, canopied world that provided a safe haven for the enemy.
But fate put Galinac — and thousands of others — in the path of a killer as deadly but far more stealthy than their North Vietnamese foe. And more than 40 years later, the strategy the U.S. military deployed to decimate that jungle has leveled a lethal legacy.
Galinac is among the roughly 2.8 million U.S. military personnel — out of 7.4 million total — who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 and were exposed to Agent Orange, one of several potent defoliants deployed by the military to destroy the Vietnamese jungle and, along with it, the enemy's hiding place.
Galinac died at the age of 64 on April 24, 2013, almost two years after being diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, common among Vietnam veterans.
His story — and that of the other men profiled in this account and thousands of others with untold stories — traces the trajectory of Vietnam veterans, who contend with deadly maladies caused by exposure to Agent Orange and a U.S. government that has, at times, been unresponsive to their needs.
READ MORE
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
Deja vu All Over Again, Again - How Many Soldiers Were Exposed to Chemical Weapons in Iraq?
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/07/how-many-soldiers-were-exposed-to-chemical-weapons-in-iraq/?_r=0
One of the more scandalous secrets from America’s decade in Iraq is coming to light.
Defense officials have now acknowledged
that, since 2003, more than 600 American service members have reported
that they believe they were exposed to chemical warfare agents in Iraq.
The Pentagon failed to recognize the scope of the problem, track it
adequately or offer proper treatment to those who may have been injured.
In fact the problem only became public when The Times’s Chris Chivers reported last month
on the cases of 17 American service members who were injured by sarin
or sulfur mustard agent. Since then, he has learned of eight more cases.
Meanwhile the Pentagon, at Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s urging, has
done an internal review of its records, suggesting the scope of the
problem is far greater.
The stories of service
members who believed they were exposed to chemical weapons, and ignored
by their own military, are heartbreaking. A former Army sergeant was
exposed to a sulfar mustard agent when he helped destroy buried chemical
artillery shells in 2008. When he later developed health problems and
raised a possible connection to chemical weapons, he said no one
believed him and the link was dismissed.
READ MORE
U.S. Former US Rep Lane Evans, Veterans Advocate, Dies
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-rep-lane-evans-veterans-advocate-dies-26730389
Former U.S. Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois died late Wednesday after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, said his legal guardian, Mike Malmstrom. Evans was 63.
Malmstrom, who served on the Rock Island
Democrat's staff, said Evans died at a nursing home in East Moline,
where he had been living for nearly two years.
Evans was a partner in a private legal aid service in Rock Island when he was elected to the House in 1982. He served in Congress until 2006.
Evans served in the Marines from 1969 to 1971 and then got a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington.
Rep. Cheri Bustos said Evans "represented everything that is right about public service. He was a champion for our region in the halls of Congress and a strong advocate for veterans and working families across the country. Lane will be sorely missed by all who he touched, but his legacy of service will never be forgotten."
Sen. Dick Durbin said Illinois "lost one of its kindest, most caring public servants."
READ MORE
Former U.S. Rep. Lane Evans of Illinois died late Wednesday after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, said his legal guardian, Mike Malmstrom. Evans was 63.
Evans was a partner in a private legal aid service in Rock Island when he was elected to the House in 1982. He served in Congress until 2006.
Evans served in the Marines from 1969 to 1971 and then got a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington.
Rep. Cheri Bustos said Evans "represented everything that is right about public service. He was a champion for our region in the halls of Congress and a strong advocate for veterans and working families across the country. Lane will be sorely missed by all who he touched, but his legacy of service will never be forgotten."
Sen. Dick Durbin said Illinois "lost one of its kindest, most caring public servants."
READ MORE
A personal message from Betty Mekdeci
Each year, Birth Defect Research for Children has helped more and more families with more services. We have also collected more data through our National Birth Defect Registry that have been used on national birth defect issues.
Each year, however, funding is harder to find. Many foundations that
used to fund environmental health work do not fund in that area anymore
or have become spend-down foundations that have gone out of business.
Funding from the Combined Federation Campaign in the federal workplace
has also been drastically reduced because of downsizing of the military
and many federal programs.
We depend on donations from the public to continue.
This is why I am appealing to you for your support. We are running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, called “Name our Kitty, Save a Baby”. Walt Disney World has donated some wonderful perks…Furry Friends Collectibles and My First Disney Bear. These would make great holiday gifts.
If you can make a donation, we would appreciate it
so much. If you can’t make a donation at this time, please share our
campaign with friends, families and colleagues who may be able to help.
Thanking you for your help,
Betty
Executive Director
Birth Defect Research for Children
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Upcoming Agent Orange Town Hall Meetings November 2014
We update our meetings regularly on our Faces of Agent Orange Facebook Page
and the VVA Calendar
http://www.vva.org/calendar.Okinawa Residents Sickened By Agent Orange Still Want Justice
http://www.care2.com/causes/okinawa-residents-sickened-by-agent-orange-still-want-justice.html
Dang Hong Nhut was just 29 when she joined the Vietnamese resistance working to expel the US army. Along the way, she endured brutal conditions, but when the war ended, she attempted to return to normal life. However, almost immediately, tragedy struck. She had a series of miscarriages, and when she finally managed to carry a pregnancy to five months, she miscarried again, with the doctors telling her that the fetus had severe congenital deformities as a result of her exposure to Agent Orange during the war.
She was advised to avoid pregnancies in the future — and now, decades later, she’s fighting multiple cancers, also possibly linked to the infamous herbicide. She, like many Vietnamese, was saddled with the legacy of a war that should have ended long ago.
In the Vietnam War, Operation Ranch Hand dumped untold amounts of defoliating chemicals on Vietnam in an attempt to remove the heavy jungle that made it easy for opposing forces to appear and disappear, engaging U.S. soldiers in vicious and devastating firefights. Unconcerned with the potential environmental impacts or human health effects, the United States used products like Herbicide Orange, also known as Agent Orange — and, thanks to the lack of international precedent, the United States did so largely without scrutiny. It wasn’t until 1977 that the UN opened the Environmental Modification Convention for signatures and ratification, inviting member nations to reconsider the use of chemicals like Agent Orange.
READ MORE
Dang Hong Nhut was just 29 when she joined the Vietnamese resistance working to expel the US army. Along the way, she endured brutal conditions, but when the war ended, she attempted to return to normal life. However, almost immediately, tragedy struck. She had a series of miscarriages, and when she finally managed to carry a pregnancy to five months, she miscarried again, with the doctors telling her that the fetus had severe congenital deformities as a result of her exposure to Agent Orange during the war.
She was advised to avoid pregnancies in the future — and now, decades later, she’s fighting multiple cancers, also possibly linked to the infamous herbicide. She, like many Vietnamese, was saddled with the legacy of a war that should have ended long ago.
In the Vietnam War, Operation Ranch Hand dumped untold amounts of defoliating chemicals on Vietnam in an attempt to remove the heavy jungle that made it easy for opposing forces to appear and disappear, engaging U.S. soldiers in vicious and devastating firefights. Unconcerned with the potential environmental impacts or human health effects, the United States used products like Herbicide Orange, also known as Agent Orange — and, thanks to the lack of international precedent, the United States did so largely without scrutiny. It wasn’t until 1977 that the UN opened the Environmental Modification Convention for signatures and ratification, inviting member nations to reconsider the use of chemicals like Agent Orange.
READ MORE