Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange

Answer 1

My Vietnam vet husband died at 44 from kidney cancer. Otherwise healthy man.  He was there ‘69-‘70. A grunt.  He had 4 sons. Any connection to agent orange?  Bets all over are telling me there is.

Comments

Hello Ms. Dana, as you may have noticed, kidney cancer isn't listed in the VA recognized diseases associated to Agent Orange. The VA does pay for recognized diseases, yet kidney cancer isn't approved as one of the recognized diseases. Is kidney cancer associated with Agent Orange? The answer seems to be affirmative in a study published in 2011.

(Quote)

Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Shreveport, La. examined the records of 297 patients diagnosed with kidney cancer between 1987 and 2009. Thirteen of the patients, aged 39 to 63 when they were diagnosed, said they had been exposed to Agent Orange.
Documented exposure to the herbicide and pathology reports were available for 10 of the patients. The researchers reviewed these patients' age at diagnosis, tumor size, side of lesion, pathology and survival.
Nine of the 10 patients had clear-cell cancers, which typically have worse outcomes than papillary tumors, which appeared in one patient. One patient had both clear-cell and papillary cancers.
During the average follow-up of 54 months, four patients developed metastatic cancer and one patient died from his cancer.
The findings were presented Saturday during a special news conference at the American Urological Association (AUA) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Research presented at meetings should be viewed as preliminary because it has not been subjected to the peer review that typically accompanies publication in a medical journal.
"We know that the chemicals in Agent Orange were extremely toxic, and are known to cause cancer," press conference moderator Dr. Anthony Y. Smith said in an AUA news release. "These data indicate that we may need to better determine whether exposure to these chemicals should be considered a risk factor for kidney cancer."

(unquoted)

The study was released in 2011. It takes a long long time for the government to confirm and approve it. Up to now, it's not in the list.

There have been cases being approved over the years, some people said "numerous cases being approved", I don't know. Some filed an official claim, had an in-person hearing, and went through the process. You may consider starting an official claim too.

Answer 2

I spent only 60. Days in the us coast guard and was honorably discharged under med prior to that I lived in Savannah GA outside the main gate of hunter army airfield and was sprayed numerous times in67 thru70 no I have diabetes lung problems and I believe chloracne which began at around age fifteen years old  in addition to the other problems I keep getting basil cell cancer what should I do? I've been told before that the defoliant spray orange caused many of my problems who should I contact thank you bobby

Comments

US military is evil.  defoliant spray orange is Carcinogenic，although it was found later.
I can't get the main problem you are facing, what problem you're trying to solvr right now. I have to tell you What is done cannot be undone. you had basil cell cancer and you have it cut off ,chemo or other ways to treat it. you have diabetes,then you should folloe the diet, excercise, take drugs; you have lung problems, then find out the problem and treat it.

Answer 3

Is ulcerative colitis associated with exposure to agent orange?

Comments

normally,  ulcerative colitis is a Is an autoimmune disease with a genetic predisposition
No evidence showed there a connection between  ulcerative colitis  agent orange.are you colleagues exposing the same agent more likely to have ulcerative colitis?

Answer 4

Can the spouse of a Vietnam veteran get agent orange cancers.
My husband has agent orange and I have CLL.

Comments

Usually it's just the veteran and their children.

---

My dad was in  Nam  In 68 and 69 I have alpha 1  deficiency  It  affect my liver and my lungs  Could I have gotten it from my dad?

Answer 5

Does agent Orange cause Afib in the hear

Comments

The connection between Agent Orange and AFib is unclear yet, it's clear that Agent Orange is associated to CAD though.

---

I have CAD and type 2 diabetes. I get 20% for type 2 Can I get claim For the CAD also?

---

No. Agent Orange would not cause CAD. You can check the list of the related diseases at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp.

Answer 6

Is agent orange and lipo protein A associated.

Comments

Agent orange is associated to coronary artery disease and hence heart attack. The rise of lipoprotein(a) is associated to heart attack. Although no study has claimed such, my understanding is that agent orange -> lipoprotein(a) rises -> CAD -> heart attack.

Answer 7

My brother was in Korea from 1974-1976. During that period agent orange was being sprayed throughout Asian countries. Since then he has been diagnosed with diabetes and had a brain tumor removed a hemangioma tumor. I was wondering if agent orange caused any of his conditions.

Comments

Diabetes type 2 is linked to agent orange, hemangioma seems not.

Answer 8

Is Ĺupus connected to agent orañge?

Comments

Lupus isn't listed by VA, yet there're cases in the internet about father getting rare cancer connected to agent orange, and daughter being diagnosed lupus.

Answer 9

My husband died from colon cancer three years ago. Did two tours in Nam. 68-69. Was tested positive for Agent Orange in 1975. He was 100% when he passed. I was refused widows benefit

Comments

Me to.They keep wanting more info, and keep putting me off,would like to find one widow that has been given husbands benefits.Korea,Okinawa,and Viet Nam all contaminated with agent orange.

---

For a surviving spouse to qualify for VA death benefits (known as DIC), the spouse must have been married to the veteran for at least one year prior to the veteran’s death and meet one of the following requirements:

    The surviving spouse has not remarried since the veteran’s death;
    The surviving spouse remarried, but that remarriage ended by divorce, annulment, dissolution, or the death of the second spouse; or
    The surviving spouse is currently married and that remarriage occurred both after December 16, 2003 and after the surviving spouse reached the age of 57.

The application process for these survivors is simple.  All a surviving spouse would need to do is to complete and sign VA Form 21-534EZ and mail it to:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444

This form can be downloaded from www.benefits.va.gov/BENEFITS/Applying.asp

Have you checked all the requirements?

---

I'VE DONE IT ALL  AND STILL WAITING  6 1/2 YEARS.  THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE WIDOWS  THEY ALREADY SCREWED UP OUR LIVES

---

Same here, still waiting, just can't believe the way they treated us. I find there's Agent Orange Widows Club that fight the VA for benefits, sounds helpful for me, and probably for you too. I'll look into more info.

Answer 10

I have a question actually both parents were inthe military my older sister has some mental illness i was wondering. If its because my mom w as exposed to harmfulstuff

Comments

That is possible. Anyone who is a child of someone with first hand exposure or environmental exposure to Agent Orange has the potential to have genetic exposure. This group is considered second generation victims of Agent Orange. It has been stated genetic damage from Agent Orange will continue for at least seven generations.