A new review of Agent Orange research found evidence that bladder
cancer and hypothyroidism are more strongly linked to exposure to the
herbicide than previously thought, but the science does not support a
previously held belief that spina bifida occurs in the offspring of
exposed veterans at higher rates.
A report released Thursday by
the Institute of Medicine on the health effects of Agent Orange also
recommended the Veterans Affairs Department grant service-connected
presumption to veterans with “Parkinson’s-like symptoms,” not just those
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease related to Agent Orange exposure.
“There
is no rational basis for exclusion of individuals with Parkinson’s-like
symptoms from the service-related category denoted as Parkinson’s
disease," members of the IOM panel wrote in the report.
The
1,115-page review is the final in a series conducted by the IOM on
health problems related to Agent Orange and other herbicide use during
the Vietnam War.
The
panel, chaired by Kenneth Ramos, professor of medicine at the Arizona
Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, reviewed the scientific
literature on Agent Orange released between October 2012 and September
2014 for its review.
The decision on bladder cancer and
hypothyroidism was tied to results of a large study of Korean War
veterans who served in the Vietnam War suggested an association, while
the choice to downgrade spina bifida was based on a lack of data, panel
members said.
“[The inclusion of] spina bifida in the limited or
suggestive category of association was based on preliminary findings
from [an ongoing Air Force study]. However, to date, a complete analysis
of the data from that study for neural tube defects has not been
published … [and] no subsequent studies have found increases in spina
bifida with exposure to components of the herbicides sprayed in
Vietnam," they wrote.
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