Agent Orange exposure may increase prostate cancer risk

http://www.healio.com/hematology-oncology/prostate-cancer/news/online/%7BEE08D51E-2FA3-403F-B019-2866B4A5CABB%7D/Agent-Orange-exposure-may-increase-prostate-cancer-risk
A history of Agent Orange exposure was associated with a 75% increase in the risk for life-threatening high-grade prostate cancer, according to a cohort analysis of US veterans.
However, exposure to the herbicide did not increase the risk for low-grade prostate cancer.

Prior studies have suggested an association between exposures to Agent Orange — a commercially manufactured defoliate sprayed extensively during the Vietnam War — and the incidence of soft tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among veterans. There also is limited evidence for possible Agent Orange association with the development of respiratory cancer, multiple myeloma and prostate cancer.
Researchers conducted the current study to evaluate the risk for prostate cancer and high-grade prostate cancer among veterans with Agent Orange exposure. They also hoped to assess whether exposure is associated with a unique increase in high-grade prostate cancer or has an identical effect on low-grade prostate cancer risk.
The analysis included 2,720 veterans who underwent initial prostate biopsy.
Veterans were classified as either ‘‘exposed’’ or ‘‘unexposed’’ in accordance with the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center standards for documenting Agent Orange exposure. Those who did not have available exposure status were classified as unexposed. Only nine (0.3%) veterans did not have clearly declared exposure status.
Prostate cancer risk in those with Agent Orange exposure was 52% greater (adjusted OR=1.52; 95% CI, 1.07-2.13) than the prostate cancer risk in those without Agent Orange exposure, according to study results.
Veterans with Agent Orange exposure exhibited a 74% greater risk for high-grade prostate cancer compared with those who were not exposed to Agent Orange (adjusted OR=1.74; 95% CI, 1.14-2.63). However, Agent Orange exposure was not found to contribute to the risk for low-grade prostate cancer (adjusted OR=1.24; 95% CI, 0.81-1.91).
In addition, Agent Orange exposure was linked to a 2.1-fold increase (95% CI, 1.22-3.62) in the risk of detecting prostate cancer with a Gleason score ≥8.
“Biomarkers for the prediction of life-threatening disease are needed to improve current [prostate cancer] screening strategies,” the researchers wrote. “In our study, a history of [Agent Orange exposure] was associated with a 75% increase in the risk of life-threatening [prostate cancer], but it was not associated significantly with an increase in [low-grade prostate cancer]. Incorporating [Agent Orange exposure] history into decision-making for [prostate cancer] screening among veterans may help to better predict clinically significant [prostate cancer] while not adding to the number of clinically insignificant [prostate cancer] diagnoses.”

READ MORE: http://www.healio.com/hematology-oncology/prostate-cancer/news/online/%7BEE08D51E-2FA3-403F-B019-2866B4A5CABB%7D/Agent-Orange-exposure-may-increase-prostate-cancer-risk

Vietnam is just a victim of chemical weapons

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/special-reports/77524/vietnam-is-just-a-victim-of-chemical-weapons.html
After nuclear weapons, chemical weapons are one of the most destructive weapons, causing mass destruction because chemicals (sometimes called military poisons) in this type of weapon have a common character - highly toxic, fast-acting to cause major losses to the enemy or direct hazard for many people, animals and plants in general.

There are many kinds of chemical weapons, classified in two ways. The first is in the way of harmful effects for humans and plants, such as asphyxiation chemical weapons, chemical weapons causing nerve damage, chemical weapons causing skin ulcers and chemical weapons destroying plants. The second is based on the subjects: chemical weapons destroying vitality and chemical weapons destroying plants.
Owing to the great harm to humans and the environment, most countries in the world agree to add chemical weapons in the list of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, chemical weapons and biological weapons.
These kinds of weapons are on the specifically prohibited list. For chemical weapons, the most important international legal document is the Chemical Weapons Convention, including the prohibition of development, prohibition of production, ban of store and use and provisions for the destruction of chemical weapons.
This convention is managed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, an independent organization based in Hague, the Netherlands, with the participation of representatives of national members that have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention.
As of June 2013, 189 countries are members of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Two countries - Israel and Myanmar - have signed but not yet ratified it and five countries - Angola, North Korea, Egypt, South Sudan and Syria - have not signed the convention.
Thus, most countries in the world have committed to "say no" to chemical weapons. However, between the "saying no" or signing the convention and the thorough implementation of it may have "exception" circumstances.
READ MORE: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/special-reports/77524/vietnam-is-just-a-victim-of-chemical-weapons.html

The view from being thrown under the bus

http://www.examiner.com/military-affairs-in-national/ed-mattson
Ed Mattson is a published author and medical research specialist. He is currently development director of the National Guard Bureau of International Affair-SPP, Fundraising Coordinator for the Warrior2Citizen Project, and Managing Partner of Center-Point Consultants in North Carolina.

This week marked an interesting turn of events from my latest series of articles involving Veterans exposure to Agent Orange (AO) and Depleted Uranium (DU) from the Gulf War and the Iraq-Afghanistan Wars. I received an assignment to look...

Veterans with blood cancers from Agent Orange and Depleted Uranium

Last week I started to write about the specific cancers, treatment options, effectiveness of specific treatment options, the use of biological response modifiers in treating diseases related to Agent Orange (AO) and Deplete Uranium (DU) exposure, and prophylactic paths one...

SARCOMAS in veterans exposed to Agent Orange and DU

My recent articles relating to potential life-improvement solutions for diseases related to Agent Orange (AO) and Depleted Uranium "cook-off" particulates (DU), has resulted in a large number of inquiries from Veterans and others, who have been...

Veterans…Does the Federal Government really care about you?

My last four articles focused in on setting the stage to constructively help Veterans exposed to various toxins while serving our country and announce the posting of my new Internet website to assist Veterans facing healthcare issues from Agent Orange...

READ MORE: http://www.examiner.com/military-affairs-in-national/ed-mattson

Mattson can be contacted at emattson0711@yahoo.com

Polychlorodibenzodioxin and -furan and Dioxin-like Polychlorobiphenyl Distribution in Tissues and Dairy Products of Dairy Buffaloes

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf401004c

A pilot study was performed on three different dairy buffalo herds exposed without exposure control conditions to Polychlorodibenzodioxins and -furans (PCDDs, PCDFs) and Dioxin-like Polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs). This study dealt with the relationship between the contamination levels (pg WHO₂₀₀₅-TE/g fat) in individual raw milk and those in edible tissues and with the contamination transfer from farm bulk milk to dairy products. On a cumulative basis, kidney (41, 67, and 21 pg WHO-TE/g fat) resulted more in equilibrium with milk (48, 42, and 20) than did muscle (25, 31, and 9), while liver showed a large bioaccumulation (221, 304, and 75), with marked differences of the congener profile. Mozzarella cheese contamination (23, 42, and 29 pg WHO-TE/g fat) was higher than that of bulk milk (20, 36, and 21), which suggested a role of casein precipitation in congener transfer. The above information could improve the effectiveness of risk management during a “dioxin” crisis.
MORE: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf401004c

Preventing Dioxin Exposure During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2013/06/preventing-dioxin-exposure-during.html
I discussed dioxins in my last post here. They are a class of compounds thought to cause health problems to everyone at every stage, but the medical literature especially shows a link between dioxin exposure and enamel defects, missing teeth and fast moving decay. Since these toxins accumulate in the fatty tissue of animals including us, this means we can expose our children through pregnancy and lactation.

What can you do to prevent exposure overall? In the general environment, you can prevent exposure by researching your living area, your food sources and your water sources. Try to find out if any of your environmental sources are heavily contaminated through previous dumps/spills or current manufacturing. This means getting flexible about some topics in the natural community. 

For example, if you are living in a high dioxin area, buying local could be detrimental to your health and it might be time to look at global foods shipped in from lower dioxin areas. And a diet heavy in animal products, especially full fat milks and cod liver oils or other fish might need to turn into a periodic diet for your family to take a break from heavier exposure to the dioxins, as opposed to eating it year round. Look closely at products for dioxin contamination and get them out of your house when feasible. You can find dioxins in a variety of products used in and around the home such as PVC piping and disposable diapers and tampons. (In case you're wondering, bleaching disposable products causes dioxins as a byproduct.) That being said, take a look at this study which analyzed tampons and diapers for dioxin exposure: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240689/
READ MORE: http://guggiedaly.blogspot.com/2013/06/preventing-dioxin-exposure-during.html

Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide May Be Most Important Factor in Development of Autism and Other Chronic Disease

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/09/monsanto-roundup-herbicide.aspx
By Dr. Mercola

In recent weeks, we’ve learned some very disturbing truths about glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, which is generously doused on genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready crops.
GE crops are typically far more contaminated with glyphosate than conventional crops, courtesy of the fact that they’re engineered to withstand extremely high levels of Roundup without perishing along with the weed.
A new peer-reviewed report authored by Anthony Samsel, a retired science consultant, and a long time contributor to the Mercola.com Vital Votes Forum, and  Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), reveals how glyphosate wrecks human health.
In the interview above, Dr. Seneff summarizes the two key problems caused by glyphosate in the diet:

• Nutritional deficiencies
• Systemic toxicity

Their findings make the need for labelling all the more urgent, and the advice to buy certified organic all the more valid.

The Horrific Truth about Roundup

In 2009, a French court found Monsanto guilty of lying; falsely advertising its Roundup herbicide as "biodegradable," "environmentally friendly" and claiming it "left the soil clean." 
READ MORE: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/09/monsanto-roundup-herbicide.aspx

This Explains A Lot!

Dow Chemical Barrels Unearthed on Former Kadena landfill

From Steve House in Michigan  
On the weekend, construction workers were digging up land on what is now a civilian football pitch in Okinawa City. They found approximately 10 empty barrels - some of which were stenciled with "The Dow Chemical Company - Midland Michigan". The land used to be part of Kadena Air Base but it was returned to civilian usage in the early '80s. Apparently, Okinawa City has convened an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.

Photos of the Dioxin Remediation project in Da Nang, Viet Nam

from our good friend Wayne Dwernychuk 

Check out the Flickr link below - it shows a series of photographs of the ongoing dioxin remediation work being undertaken in Da Nang, Viet Nam.  As you know Hatfield Consultants played an important role in the development of this project, and continues to play a role providing environmental management services during the clean-up - very gratifying to see a significant and long-standing problem being cleaned up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usaid_vietnam/sets/72157633965230426/

Established in 1974, Hatfield Consultants provides innovative and cost-effective environmental solutions to public and private sector clients throughout the world

Red Lines, Orange Stripes, Black Pots & Kettles

from our friend, George Claxton...The Irony of Agent Orange

I believe the U.S. Government when they allege that Syria intentionally used chemical warfare on their own people.  However, was the use of Agent Orange/Dioxin chemical warfare in Vietnam and other places chemical warfare also?  There are some distinct differences.

First of all, the  Agent Orange/Dioxin chemical manufacturers knew that the poison dioxin was a byproduct of the manufacture of Agent Orange but they did not tell the US Government about the poison for many years. The manufacturers were more interested in monetary gain.  This disclosure is in legal documents obtained in the discovery process.

Second, the chemical manufacturers held a secret meeting about the dioxin problem and decided to keep the deadly knowledge secret.

Third, I highly respect the White House for disclosing the true on Syria's chemical warfare.  However, there is a shocking irony on Agent Orange because the US Government has only partially paid for the damage done from Agent Orange especially on birth defects.  This includes the storage and use of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Camp Carroll, South Korea

Faithfully submitted

George Claxton

SARCOMAS and hope for veterans exposed to Agent Orange and DU

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/06/15/sarcomas-and-hope-for-veterans-exposed-to-agent-orange-and-du/
My recent articles relating to potential life-improvement solutions for diseases related to Agent Orange (AO) and Depleted Uranium “cook-off” particulates (DU), has resulted in a large number of inquiries from Veterans and others, who have been receiving treatment for their particular illnesses from the VA Hospital, but have been fighting, some for decades, to get recognition for disability compensation. Anyone who has a loved one struggling with a life threatening disease, has observed the financial consequences with which families are burdened, often resulting in financial ruin and bankruptcy.
My own personal experience in watching my wife battle 5 different cancers for more than 15 years has raised awareness to the situation many cannot comprehend. For the Vietnam Veteran who has faced a myriad of illnesses and decades of treatment, to be denied some degree of disability compensation while dealing with the physical and mental stress of endless treatments, is not only heartless, but beyond comprehension for those of us fortunate enough to have come through the Vietnam era unscathed. With the forthcoming tidal wave of claims that will inevitably be made by the Afghan-Iraq Veterans who have been subject to DU cook-off, an already over-taxed government healthcare system with hundreds of thousands of claims in process, we could well be witnessing a system on the verge of collapse.
READ MORE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/06/15/sarcomas-and-hope-for-veterans-exposed-to-agent-orange-and-du/

Ontario workers exposed to unsafe levels of Agent Orange

Panel concludes several hundred government workers were exposed to dangerous herbicide

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/06/13/toronto-agent-orange-panel-ontario-government.html 

An independent panel named by Ontario's Natural Resources Ministry to investigate the province's use of Agent Orange has concluded workers with three government agencies were exposed to unsafe levels of the herbicide.
The panel was announced by the government in 2011 after former forestry and hydro workers said they had been exposed to the toxic herbicide 2,4,5-T — a dioxin-laced component of Agent Orange.
Chaired by Dr. Leonard Ritter, a University of Guelph toxicology professor and expert, the five-member expert panel was handed more than 45,000 government files in some way linked to Agent Orange.
Ritter said the panel concluded that Agent Orange exposure "substantially exceeded safe levels" for Ontario Hydro, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Transportation workers involved in mixing, loading and applying the herbicide.
The number of workers would have been in the hundreds, and "often it was the same groups that applied across various sites," said Ritter, adding that applications by the three agencies accounted for roughly 90 per cent of cases.
The herbicide was used by Ontario hydro officials to clear power line corridors across the province.

READ MORE: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/06/13/toronto-agent-orange-panel-ontario-government.html

New Agent Orange Bill Introduced

http://www.fra.org/AM/template.cfm?template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=15265&section=news
Rep. Chris Gibson (N.Y.) recently introduced the “Blue Water Navy Ship Accountability Act” (H.R. 1494) that requires the United States Army and DoD’s Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) to do a comprehensive search to determine which ships operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975. Service members serving on those ships would be eligible for a presumption of Agent Orange exposure when filing a disability claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Earlier this year, Gibson also introduced the “Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act” (H.R. 543) that clarifies a presumption for ailments associated with exposure to Agent Orange herbicide during the Vietnam War. The bill would authorize those who served off the coast of Vietnam, so-called “blue water vets,” to claim disability benefits from the VA.
FRA (Fleet Reserve Association) believes Congress should recognize that these veterans were exposed to Agent Orange and authorize VA presumption associated with this exposure. Shipmates are strongly urged to use the FRA Action Center to ask their representative to support these important proposals.
Click here to support H.R.1494.
Click here to support H.R. 543.

"Deny, deny until all the veterans die" - Pentagon investigation into Agent Orange on Okinawa

http://japanfocus.org/-Jon-Mitchell/3951

In April 2011, U.S. veterans spoke out for the first time about sicknesses related to Agent Orange exposure on Okinawa during the Vietnam War era ( here ). Since then, dozens of retired service members have alleged that toxic herbicides were stored and sprayed on the island ( here ) - as well as buried in large volumes on Futenma Air Station ( here ) and, what is now, a popular tourist area in Chatan Town ( here ). Japanese former base workers have corroborated veterans’ accounts and photographs seem to show barrels of these herbicides on Okinawa. U.S. military documents cite the presence of Agent Orange there during the 1960s and ‘70s ( here and there ).
Suggestions that these poisonous substances were widely used on their island have worried Okinawa residents. Stories about the usage of Agent Orange have repeatedly made the front page of Okinawa Times and Ryukyu Shimpo as well as becoming the basis of four TV documentaries - including the award-winning Defoliated Island ( an English version of which is viewable here).
Alleged Locations of Agent Orange on Okinawa
During the past two years, local politicians, including Governor Hirokazu Nakaima, have demanded that the U.S. government come clean on the issue.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon revealed that it had concluded its own 9-month investigation into allegations reported by The Japan Times and other newspapers. On February 19, the results of this investigation were announced at a meeting attended by representatives from the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and diplomats from the Embassy of Japan.
Authored by retired Air Force colonel Alvin Young, the investigation boiled down the allegations into seven points - then dismissed them one by one.

READ MORE: http://japanfocus.org/-Jon-Mitchell/3951

RC Lloyd: Congress should listen to constituents on GMOs

http://www.dailycamera.com/letters/ci_23385334/rc-lloyd-congress-should-listen-constituents-gmos

Recently Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colorado) and 70 other U.S. senators voted against the Sanders Amendment, which would have allowed states to require labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the food chain.

As Monsanto is the primary proponent of this "Frankenstyle" modification in the food supply and prime opponent of the Sanders Amendment one must be reminded of an earlier Monsanto "trust me" -- Agent Orange. Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects as a result of the use of Agent Orange. That count does not include members of the various militaries that were exposed to this "trust me" defoliant.
Nearly 40 years removed from the last Monsanto "trust me" fiasco in Vietnam and 71 senators have just voted to "trust them--Monsanto" again regarding GMO. It would appear Senators in Washington need to be reminded of two things. 1.) Grandma's homily of "Once burned. Twice learned." And 2.) Vote the will of your constituents versus big industry.
RC LLOYD

D-Day, 1944

Thank You

VN documentary on AO victims nominated at New York film festival

http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/10271/vn-documentary-on-ao-victims-nominated-at-new-york-film-festival

“The Tale of An Phuc House”, a moving documentary featuring local Agent Orange victims, has recently been nominated for the Best Documentary prize at the New York City International Film Festival (NYCIFF), set to run in New York, the US from June 13 to 20.
The documentary, jointly  produced by Canada’s Babel Entertainment in Association and  Vietnam’s Crea TV, will vie with four other documentaries for the prize.
Directed, scripted and shot by Canadian director Ivan Tankushev, whose wife is Vietnamese, the 91-minute documentary touchingly depicts the daily life and the tremendous efforts made by almost 20 strong-willed youths who are third-generation Agent Orange victims at Ho Chi Minh City- based the An Phuc Center for People with Disabilities.
Tankushev said he decided to make the film, which took over a year to shoot, shortly after seeing and learning about the moving stories of the physically-challenged youths at the center. He also went to great lengths to visit the youths’ families at their homes in several provinces.
“The Tale of An Phuc House” will be screened at the festival on June 17.
The NYCIFF was founded to discover new and talented filmmakers and to promote established ones from the U.S. and around the world.
Modeled on the Cannes Festival where filmmakers, producers and actors can showcase and share their projects, initiate co-productions and have a mechanism to sell their films, every year films at the NYCIFF are also picked up for distribution.

Agent Orange Exposure Briefing

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1uIYOBKcN_6aU5hTk5MQ2lNQ1E/edit
This 18-page briefing paper This 18-page briefing paper is now available for downloading, printing, and distribution. It would be wonderful if everyone got in touch with their state directors of veterans affairs - every state has one - and requested that state official to write the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in support of our exposure claims. Here is a link to the letter written by Oregon's director, Mr. Cameron Smith.is now available for downloading, printing, and distribution.It would be wonderful if everyone got in touch with their state directors of veterans affairs - every state has one - and requested that state official to write the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in support of our exposure claims. Here is a link to the letter written by Oregon's director, Mr. Cameron Smith.
DOWNLOAD HERE: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1uIYOBKcN_6NlZHaWJqSGNDd0E/edit?pli=1

As evidence of Agent Orange in Okinawa stacks up, U.S. sticks with blanket denial

No bases visited, no vets interviewed for Pentagon probe into dioxin in Okinawa

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/06/04/issues/as-evidence-of-agent-orange-in-okinawa-stacks-up-u-s-sticks-with-blanket-denial/#.UazWXpyyk4c 

In April 2011, these Community pages published the first accounts of sick U.S. veterans who believe their illnesses were caused by exposure to Agent Orange on Okinawa during the Vietnam War era.
Since that initial article, The Japan Times has published a further dozen stories in which retired service members alleged toxic herbicides were stored and sprayed on the island — as well as buried in large volumes on Futenma air station and in what is now a popular tourist area in Chatan Town. Japanese former base workers have corroborated veterans’ accounts and photographs seem to show barrels of these herbicides on Okinawa. U.S. military documents cite the presence of Agent Orange there during the 1960s and ’70s.

Suggestions that these poisonous substances were widely used on their island have worried Okinawa residents, and politicians including Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima have demanded that the U.S. government come clean on the issue.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon revealed that it had concluded its own nine-month investigation into allegations reported by The Japan Times and other newspapers. On Feb. 19 the results of this investigation were announced at a meeting attended by representatives from the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs and diplomats from the Embassy of Japan.
Authored by retired air force Col. Alvin Young, the investigation boiled down the allegations into seven points — and then dismissed them one by one.
READ MORE: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/06/04/issues/as-evidence-of-agent-orange-in-okinawa-stacks-up-u-s-sticks-with-blanket-denial/#.UazWXpyyk4c

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ MORE: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/06/04/issues/as-evidence-of-agent-orange-in-okinawa-stacks-up-u-s-sticks-with-blanket-denial/#.UazWXpyyk4c

‘Okinawa bacteria’ toxic legacy crosses continents, spans generations

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/06/04/issues/okinawa-bacteria-toxic-legacy-crosses-continents-spans-generations/#.UazWV5yyk4c

U.S. veterans who served in Okinawa believe Agent Orange caused their children's ailments

Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City houses one of Vietnam’s busiest maternity clinics, but hidden in a quiet corner, far from the wards of proud new mothers, is a room stacked floor to ceiling with every parent’s nightmare. In dozens of glass jars lie the bodies of deformed babies preserved in formaldehyde — some have no heads, others have two, several are so scrambled that their faces jut from their stomachs and their arms are where their legs should be.
The doctor who delivered many of these children was Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong. Forty-five years ago she was a young intern at Tu Du Hospital when the city was known as Saigon, capital of war-torn South Vietnam.
“In 1966 or 1967 I started noticing an unprecedented increase in the number of birth defects at the hospital. There were too many deformed babies to count. They were born in areas sprayed with defoliants by the U.S. military,” she told The Japan Times. 
READ MORE: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/06/04/issues/okinawa-bacteria-toxic-legacy-crosses-continents-spans-generations/#.UazWV5yyk4c