Exposure to Agent Orange during military service can cause birth defects, hypothyroidism, slowed emotional development, and cognitive disabilities in children of exposed veterans. If a child has spina bifida or other birth defects related to Agent Orange exposure, they may qualify for VA disability compensation and benefits. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 studies identified that parental exposure to Agent Orange is associated with certain birth defects, childhood cancers, and disease in their children.
The VA has declared specific conditions ranging from diabetes to cancer directly tied to presumptive exposure to Agent Orange and dioxin. Newly identified studies of cancer in children of parents potentially exposed to the COIs included a case-control study in which parents were asked about military service. Birth defects covered by VA include achondroplasia, cleft lip and cleft palate, congenital heart disease, and congenital talipes equinovarus (clubfoot).
Despite advances in research, cancers remain the leading cause of death from disease in children. Children with Spina Bifida, oral clefts, cardiovascular defects, hip dislocations, and hypospadias may also have other birth defects caused by Agent Orange. Exposure to the herbicide can cause cancer, birth defects, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, type 2 diabetes, COPD, and ischemic heart disease. Eligible children may be eligible for VA disability compensation and benefits.
📹 Birth defect numbers in children of Vietnam veterans disturbing
Cancer rates, learning disabilities, and physical birth defects in the children of Vietnam Veterans are staggering when compared …
Can Agent Orange affect you later in life?
Agent Orange, a chemical found in certain foods, has long-term effects on the body due to its highly lipophilic nature. It dissolves in fat and is stored in the body’s adipose tissue, which can accumulate in fatty tissue for decades. The Veterans Administration (VA) acknowledges that certain cancers and other “presumptive conditions” are associated with Agent Orange exposure during military service.
These conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, bladder cancer, chronic B-cell leukemias, acne, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, Hodgkin lymphoma, hypothyroidism, heart disease, MGUS, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathy, porphyria cutanea tarda, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, soft tissue sarcomas, and spina bifida. These diseases and neurological disorders may qualify for VA benefits.
Can Agent Orange affect offspring?
The Committee for Update 2014 found no new significant associations between exposure to chemicals of interest (COIs) and spinabifida in future generations, based on new evidence and a review of prior studies. The committee has changed the previous categorization of exposure to COIs and spinabifida from limited suggestive to inadequate or insufficient, consistent with other birth defects and parental exposures to COIs. Current evidence supports earlier findings that no adverse outcomes in future generations had sufficient evidence of an association with COIs.
There is inadequate or insufficient evidence to determine whether there is an association between parental exposure to COIs and birth defects, childhood cancers, or disease in their children as they mature or in later generations.
What neurological disorders can you get from Agent Orange?
Peripheral neuropathy, a type of nerve damage affecting the peripheral nervous system, can cause numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hands and feet. Exposure to Agent Orange has been linked to neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ALS. Common symptoms include numbness, tingling, and burning sensations in the affected nerves. The condition can be influenced by the nerves affected.
What diseases are secondary to Agent Orange?
VA recognizes certain diseases related to a veteran’s qualifying military service as “presumptive diseases”. These diseases include Amyloidosis, Bladder Cancer, Chronic B-cell Leukemias, Chloracne, Diabetes Mellitus Type 2, Hypertension, Hodgkin’s Disease, and Hypothyroidism. 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. To access the menus on this page, switch auto forms mode to off, hit enter to expand a main menu option, and hit the down arrow to access submenu links.
What are the symptoms of Agent Orange in offspring?
Studies suggest that dioxin-contaminated herbicide exposure in Vietnam may lead to numerous birth defects in children. In 1990, an independent scientific review by the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the National Veterans Legal Services Project found elevated incidences of specific birth defects in children of Vietnam veterans, including spina bifida, oral clefts, cardiovascular defects, hip dislocations, and hypospadias. Additionally, defects of the digestive tract and other neoplasms like neuroblastoma were found to be higher in Vietnam veterans’ children.
A Harvard School of Public Health study found that Vietnam veterans’ risk of fathering an infant with one or more major malformations was increased at a statistically significant level. A study by Field and Kerr at the University of Sydney also reported patterns of malformations among Vietnam veterans’ children involving the central nervous system, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems.
Does Agent Orange affect genes?
Vietnamese scientists claim that the dioxin in Agent Orange damages DNA, which can impair genetic material passed down through generations. Some U. S. scientists question these studies, but they have not been allowed to conduct their own research in Vietnam, which could involve children. Da Nang, a former port town, is now an international airport. In 1962, U. S. and South Vietnamese forces launched Operation Ranch Hand, an herbicidal warfare program.
Agent Orange, a 50-50 mixture of two herbicides, was sprayed by U. S. troops at the request of the South Vietnamese government. Other mixtures, White, Blue, Pink, Green, and Purple, were also used. The primary goal was to strip away jungle cover hiding enemy forces, and the spraying took place mainly in South Vietnam and parts of Laos. C-123 aircraft sprayed herbicides from the air, and within two days, all plants touched by the chemicals were dead.
What diseases did Agent Orange children have?
Studies suggest that dioxin-contaminated herbicide exposure in Vietnam may lead to numerous birth defects in children. In 1990, an independent scientific review by the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the National Veterans Legal Services Project found elevated incidences of specific birth defects in children of Vietnam veterans, including spina bifida, oral clefts, cardiovascular defects, hip dislocations, and hypospadias. Additionally, defects of the digestive tract and other neoplasms like neuroblastoma were found to be higher in Vietnam veterans’ children.
A Harvard School of Public Health study found that Vietnam veterans’ risk of fathering an infant with one or more major malformations was increased at a statistically significant level. A study by Field and Kerr at the University of Sydney also reported patterns of malformations among Vietnam veterans’ children involving the central nervous system, skeletal, and cardiovascular systems.
What are the biological effects of Agent Orange?
Agent Orange, a chemical used in cosmetics, can cause severe health issues such as liver injury, pancreatitis, amenorrhea, chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda, and wasting syndrome. The primary biological mechanism of TCDD toxicity is its high affinity to the cytosolic aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor. Dioxins bind to AhR and activate it, causing translocation to the nucleus to induce or suppress various genes.
The cellular functions and pathways altered by TCDD activation of AhR include cell cycle progression, cellular adhesion and migration, the function of receptor tyrosine kinases, and the expression of nuclear hormone receptors, growth factors, and growth factor receptors. Additionally, dioxin toxicity results in epigenetic changes, such as altered expression of deoxyribonucleic acid methyltransferases and gene expression linked with congenital malformations after maternal exposure.
Can Agent Orange be passed from father to child?
There is no definitive evidence linking fathers’ exposure to Agent Orange to birth defects. However, an analysis of VA registry data suggests a link between males’ exposure to Agent Orange and having children with certain birth defects. Exposure to male veterans has been linked to a higher rate of fathering children with spina bifida. Other studies, including those conducted by the CDC in the 1980s and 1990s, failed to show a statistically significant connection.
ProPublica’s 2010 analysis of VA registry data showed that children conceived before the Vietnam War had low rates of birth defects, while those conceived after the war had increased rates. This suggests a potential link between Agent Orange exposure and birth defects in male veterans.
Can Agent Orange be passed on to children?
There is no definitive evidence linking fathers’ exposure to Agent Orange to birth defects. However, an analysis of VA registry data suggests a link between males’ exposure to Agent Orange and having children with certain birth defects. Exposure to male veterans has been linked to a higher rate of fathering children with spina bifida. Other studies, including those conducted by the CDC in the 1980s and 1990s, failed to show a statistically significant connection.
ProPublica’s 2010 analysis of VA registry data showed that children conceived before the Vietnam War had low rates of birth defects, while those conceived after the war had increased rates. This suggests a potential link between Agent Orange exposure and birth defects in male veterans.
What mental illness did Agent Orange cause?
Neurologic problems in clinical medicine encompass a wide range of disorders, with the nervous system being divided into central and peripheral subsystems. The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord, and dysfunction can be categorized into neurobehavioral and motor/sensory issues. Neurobehavioral difficulties include cognitive decline, neuropsychiatric disorders, and motor difficulties, often associated with subcortical or cerebellar system dysfunction.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) includes spinal rootlets, the brachial and lumbar plexus, and peripheral nerves that innervate the body’s muscles. Neuropathies are dysfunctions involving either somatic nerves or the autonomic system. Neurologic dysfunction can be classified as global or focal, with acute, subacute, or chronic onset and transient or persistent course.
Case identification in neurology is challenging due to advances in neuroimaging, which often show no abnormalities on scanning tests. The nervous system is not usually accessible for biopsy, making pathologic confirmation difficult. Behavioral and neurophysiologic changes can be subjective and reversible. Timing is crucial in assessing the effect of chemical exposures on neurologic function. Some symptoms of neurologic importance will appear acutely but be short-lived, while others will appear slowly and be detectable for extended periods. These caveats must be considered in the design and critique of epidemiologic studies evaluating an association between exposure to any chemical agent and neurologic or neurobehavioral dysfunction.
📹 Agent Orange Update | New Medical Conditions Linked to Agent Orange | VA Disability | theSITREP
In this episode of theSITREP, we discuss new Agent Orange presumptives for Vietnam Veterans and for those who filed VA …
My father was exposed to A.O.,it was passed on to me,I have diabetes,thyroid,hypertension, with unexplained blood pressure spikes, congestive heart failure,problems with the veins in the back of my eyes,as well as small vein disease in my brain,kidney disease stage 3,my kidneys work at 30%.I have scoliosis, and degenerative disc disease in my neck,arthritis through my back and neck,stenosis in my neck into my hands .Nuropathy in my hands and feet.I am 47.I am trying to raise awareness of my and many more people’s health issues due to A.O.Already these problems have been passed on to my children,My son had to have a pacemaker put in at 16,(brachycardia) he now has thyroid and high blood pressure, My girls both have reproductive issues,ovarian, and uterine cysts,one was told she could not have children the other was told maybe,they were not sure.both deal with debilitateing anxiety, and and depression, my son also was born with defects at birth,and autism, depression.Some think this isn’t happening it is .I’m here to tell you it is,it was passed on by a father.
My grandpa fought in Vietnam war, has Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diabetes. His daughter (my mom) had kidney failure both kidneys at age 8. Passed away from it, and on autopsy found out she also had non-Hopkins lymphoma. Myself (daughter& grandchild) have severe ADD and diagnosed migraines since childhood continuing to adulthood & presumably learning disorder. Diagnosed anxiety. My daughter (age 10) has Chiari malformation, IBS, and diagnosed ADHD. my 2nd daughter (age 5) has down syndrome & autism. my son (age 3) has autism. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Leaving this here incase anyone was curious about further generations.
My father was a Marine, fought in Vietnam. He died from Agent Orange – Cancer back in 2011. Me and my brother born in 72 and 74 both grew up with the same health issues, asthma, chronic bronchitis, allergies, deformed ear drums – constant bloody infections, deformed nasal cavities. Speech impairments,I was also born with a deformed jaw – my brother was spared from this one. Our mother didn’t smoke or drink while pregnant with us. No one on either side of our families suffered from these deformaties and health issues like we did. We really have no way to know if our health issues were caused by our fathers exposure to Agent Orange. We will probably never know. Perhaps our health issues are a coincidence. Note: My dad had lung and throat cancer. The VA told him it was from AO. He was compensated with a little bump in his Social Security checks – he died before he got his first check.
My father was a Vietnam veteran that was exposed to Agent Orange. He passed away about 15 years ago now. He died from a heart attack and had prostate cancer. Since I was a kid, I noticed that I’ve had severe dyslexia (Difficulty learning words, memorizing, spelling, and thinking and understanding) However, I never went and got tested (Starting to consider the idea). Finally, after 7 years of fighting very very hard mentally, I’m going to graduate with a Mechanical Engineering degree at Ohio State University. So, if I can do it, you can do it! Hang in there! Also, when I was younger (Less so now) I had bad Asthma (Your airways become inflamed, narrow and produce extra mucus) and it made physical activities hard at times. Recently, my mother died (On 4/17/22…Easter) and my grandmother died (On 4/13/22…mom’s side). I took care of both of them for many years (My mom had Multiple Sclerosis). I also lost both grandfathers (On my mothers side two years), my grandmother on my dads side. We’ve also lost our closest aunt and uncle. So, my family has gone through a lot (I have 4 other siblings). So, when life gets hard and shoves you to the ground, just look up and grab God’s hand. You can do anything with his help.
My dad was exposed to AO in vietnam before my brother and I was born. He died in 2002 of cancer related to AO. My brother has scoliosis and I have an undescended testicle. To this day I can’t have kids. The VA says these birth defects are only for the children of women vets exposed to AO which doesn’t make any sense at all. 😑
Dad was a Vietnam Vet. He died in ’94 of a heart attack. We donated his cornea’s to another. My mom just passed away last month. They asked about donating her organs. When the questions began, the question about her exposure to AO. Told her my dad was and my sister and I have female issues. Because of her exposure (by sleeping next to my dad and sex) they would not allow us to donate her organs. Not one.