Michigan State University to lead $14 million Dioxin Research

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Michigan-State-U-to-lead-14-1M-dioxin-research-4654277.php
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State University scientists plan to lead a $14.1 million initiative to better understand how dioxins affect human health and identify new ways of removing them from the environment, the school announced Tuesday.
Researchers will use a five-year grant from the Superfund Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to support multiple studies on the toxic industrial byproducts, the East Lansing school said.
"This class of compounds can be detected virtually everywhere in the world, and they can remain in the environment for decades," lead researcher Norbert Kaminski, director of the school's Center for Integrative Toxicology and a professor of pharmacology and toxicology, said in a statement.
READ MORE: http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Michigan-State-U-to-lead-14-1M-dioxin-research-4654277.php

DON'T BE FOOLED!

from our good friend Paul Sutton...

ATTENTION - All Vietnam veterans, their families and advocates for our generation. This sender, while a long-time life member of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), is not – in any way, shape or form – publishing VVA’s interests or defending its name by broadcast of this post.

This legislative effort (H.R. 2519 - Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2013) is a prime example of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”. The bill (back-channel me for a copy, with a list of co-sponsors) is alleged to be a careful rewrite (I find serious fault with that claim) of the one that Mr. Filner introduced in 2011; and, claims that it includes expanding the presumptive birth defects that are currently applied to the offspring of women Vietnam vets to the children of male vets. It claims to provide care for the Vietnamese, Vietnamese Americans, and mandates cleanup of the mess in Vietnam. Apparently, some Senators are discussing introducing a companion bill in the US Senate within the next month or two.

The group below is focused on Vietnamese victims, not on U.S. victims, which is where we got “sucked in”, in 2009 with the Ford Foundation/Aspen Institute initiative. VVA’s Faces of Agent Orange program grew out of the need to tell the American side of the story, because Ford Foundation, when asked, was only concerned about the Vietnamese side. There is a world-wide dioxin movement--has been for years--but it doesn’t focus on U.S. victims. The spin out there in the world at large is, “America’s veterans are taken care of because they have the VA”

The Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign is the group that is behind this legislation, their website is: http://www.vn-agentorange.org/index.html They are the same group that used Jane Fonda for their own PR purposes.

For Cora Weiss’s background, see this site: http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/funderprofile.asp?fndid=5348&category=79

Children of Vietnam Veteran’s Health Alliance, Inc. (COVVHA)’s origins sprang from this group, their website is: http://covvha.net/

VVA will work with groups focused on the American side of the story when it’s in the best interest of America’s veterans and their progeny.

My advice – be very careful of this deception!

Pepsi carcinogen: Watchdog group finds high levels of carcinogen in Pepsi

http://www.examiner.com/article/pepsi-carcinogen-watchdog-group-finds-high-levels-of-carcinogen-pepsi

In the month of March, California passed a law mandating that drinks carry a cancer warning label for containing a certain level of carcinogens. When the law passed, PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. had to adjust their formulas in the drinks sold in California to meet the new levels.
The caramel coloring used in the cool drink had led to dangerous levels of carcinogen.
The watchdog group tested and found that Coke products no longer test positive for the chemical but Pepsi products sold outside California still contain the chemical 4-Mel in its caramel.
Coca-Cola said that they modified the caramel throughout U.S. market beyond California so that they wouldn't have to have separate inventory for different locations.
Pepsi said that FDA and other regulatory agencies around the world consider their caramel coloring safe. However its caramel coloring suppliers have started changing their manufacturing process which reduces the levels of carcinogen.
This process had completed in California and will be finished in February 2014 in the rest of US. Pepsi said that it will take the process globally, but did not indicate a timeline.
4-Mel traces have not been linked to causing cancer in humans. The American Beverage Association said the chemical was added by California to the list of carcinogens with no concrete studies but it was based on a single study in lab on mice and rats.
FDA has said that one has to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda per day to reach
carcinogenic levels.

Children of Vietnam Veterans Bring Healthcare Issues to Forefront

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july032013/covva-irvine-kd.php

Agent Orange Institute of Medicine Official COVVHA Testimony

(IRVINE, CA) - There is a renewed push for the Institute of Medicine to take seriously the claims made by the Children of Vietnam Veterans and their families about the birth defects and illnesses they are suffering from. The adverse affects of the dioxin laden herbicide sprayed over the jungles of Vietnam, AKA Agent Orange, have been well known since the government first admitted in 1991 to cause illnesses in Vietnam Veterans. For years, the veterans and their families have been saying birth defects and rare illnesses have affected their children’s health. These anomalies and illnesses are not only happening in the children of Vietnam Veterans (2nd generation), but now are showing up in alarming numbers in the grandchildren (3rd Generation) of Vietnam Veterans as well.

On January 16, 2013, (COVVHA) Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC. participated, in the public hearings for the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee to Review on the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans Exposure to Herbicides (Ninth Biennial Update) in Irvine, California. Tanya Mack, COVVHA Core Chairperson, and California resident, gave testimony on behalf of COVVHA to the committee. Tanya Mack is the Daughter of a recently, deceased Vietnam Veteran who succumbed service connected Agent Orange illnesses. She was born with severe hip dysplasia and has developed several rare aggressive cancers in her thirties which she is currently still fighting.

“The Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public (From the IOM website).” They have been commissioned to review biannually, the most current data available about herbicides and the health effects on our Veterans. In the past, the IOM have been responsible for getting new illnesses added to the presumptive list for our ailing Vietnam Veterans. Like On October 13, 2009, when, the Veterans Affairs added three new medical conditions for Vietnam Veterans presumptively associated with exposure to herbicides; hairy cell and other B-cell leukemia’s, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease, to the list of covered illnesses.

READ MORE: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/july032013/covva-irvine-kd.php

Dioxin-like compounds and bone quality in Cree women of Eastern James Bay

Plasma concentrations of mono-ortho-substituted dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs)
Aboriginal populations living in Canada's northern regions are exposed to a number of persistent organic pollutants through their traditional diet which includes substantial amounts of predator fish species. Exposure to dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) can cause a variety of toxic effects including adverse effects on bone tissue.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the relationship between plasma concentrations of DLCs and bone quality parameters in Cree women of Eastern James Bay (Canada).
Methods: Two hundred and forty-nine Cree women from seven communities in Eastern James Bay (Canada), aged 35 to 74 years old, participated in the study. In order to determine the total DLC concentration in plasma samples of participants, we measured the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated transcriptional activity elicited by plasma sample extracts using a luciferase reporter gene assay.
Plasma concentrations of mono-ortho-substituted dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) 105, 118 and 156 were measured by gas chromatography--mass spectrometry. Bone quality parameters (speed of sound, m/s; broadband ultrasound attenuation, dB/MHz; stiffness index, %) were assessed by quantitative ultrasound at the right calcaneus with the Achilles InSight system.
Several factors known to be associated with osteoporosis were documented by questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were constructed for the three ultrasound parameters.
Results: DL-PCBs 105 and 118 concentrations, but not the global DLC concentration, were inversely associated with the stiffness index, even after adjusting for several confounding factors.
The stiffness index (log) decreased by -0.22% (p=0.0414) and -0.04% (p=0.0483) with an increase of one mug/L in plasma concentrations of DL-PCB 105 and DL-PCB 118, respectively. Other factors, including age, height, smoking status, menopausal status and the percentage of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in erythrocyte membranes were negatively associated with one of the ultrasound parameters, while the percentage of omega-3 PUFAs in these membranes and levels of physical activity and education were positively associated with them.
Conclusions: Our results show that an increase in plasma concentrations of DL-PCBs 105 and 118 was negatively associated with stiffness index, a measure of bone quality/strength, in women of this population.
In addition to environmental contaminants, future studies should also consider PUFA intake as a factor influencing bone quality.

Ontario workers exposed to Agent Orange

http://www.ohscanada.com/news/ontario-workers-exposed-to-agent-orange/1002445267/

Ontario workers might have been exposed to Agent Orange, a recent report from an independent fact-finding panel has revealed.

On June 13, the provincial government released their report into the use of 2,4,5-T herbicide, or Agent Orange. The chemical was used in the forestry, transportation and agriculture industries in the province from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Among the potential health effects are Hodgkin’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, prostate cancer, and respiratory cancers, to name a few.

Dr. Leonard Ritter, a toxicologist at the University of Guelph who led the study, said that because records were not kept as diligently today as they were in the past, the results cannot determine exactly how many workers were exposed and at what levels.

“People didn’t measure exposures 50 years ago,” Ritter said, adding that those who applied the chemical, for instance using a backpack sprayer, would likely face a higher risk.

READ MORE: http://www.ohscanada.com/news/ontario-workers-exposed-to-agent-orange/1002445267/

Part II…The View from Under the Bus...

http://www.examiner.com/article/part-ii-the-view-from-under-the-bus
In the first part of my investigative report about George Air Force Base, I introduced the reader to Frank Vera, and his battle with the VA, DOD, and Social Security over being awarded disability compensation for numerous service connected incidents. Mr. Vera's story reads like those of tens of thousands of Veterans who have faced the same "shuck and jive" delivered by bureaucrats up and down chain of command at all levels of government. It is a pattern of deniability and roadblocks that anyone with an ounce of common sense can see.

As a Veteran myself, I am appalled that our elected officials spend more time, energy, money, and effort in finding ways to provide benefits to illegal aliens (undocumented residents to the political correct crowd) , gay and lesbian causes, homeless vagrants, minority set-asides, loan guarantees and tax benefits for corporate cronies, and thwarting efforts of those trying to insure voter integrity with voter ID legislation, than to taking care of the men and women military volunteers who keep our country safe.
READ MORE: http://www.examiner.com/article/part-ii-the-view-from-under-the-bus

America's Favorite Weed Killer Linked to Cancer

http://therenodispatch.blogspot.com/2013/07/breaking-news-americas-favorite-weed.html

It's shameful how few American media outlets have written about the latest scientific studies linking Roundup, the world's most popular and profitable weed killer, and cancer. Might it be because Monsanto, makers of Roundup and as we all know a generally bad corporate citizen with a litany of alleged crimes against humanity, spends billions in advertising and marketing and dedicates a good portion of that budget to print and television ads?

Monsanto spent $1.28 billion on its various marketing programs in fiscal 2012, according to the company’s annual report. All that money seems to have had an impact. I am only speculating, of course. But why else would the American media ignore the mounting evidence of links between Roundup and cancer?  
READ MORE: http://therenodispatch.blogspot.com/2013/07/breaking-news-americas-favorite-weed.html

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