Third generation birth defects and health conditions Some veterans and their families say they are dealing with Agent Orange birth defects in their grandchildren and even their great-grandchildren.
Common Birth Defects Caused by Agent Orange
Common birth defects include Spina bifida, Cleft lip, Congenital heart defects, limb defects such as missing or malformed fingers or toes, neural tube defects that cause problems to the brain or spinal cord, hernias, down syndrome, and other chromosomal disorders.
Agent Orange has not only affected those with direct contact, but it has affected their families as well. Future generations are left to fight the residual effects of a war that ended nearly five decades ago.
Spina bifida is a spinal cord birth defect. A baby develops spina bifida while still in the womb. In some cases, a parent's past contact with specific chemicals causes this birth defect.
It has also been noticed that the adult children of Veterans who served in Vietnam and were exposed to Agent Orange also seem prone to autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune disease is only one of the illnesses caused by Agent Orange.
Chronic B-cell Leukemias
A type of cancer which affects white blood cells. This includes all chronic B-cell leukemias, including, but not limited to, hairy-cell leukemias and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
There is currently no definitive evidence that a father's exposure to Agent Orange causes birth defects. However, an analysis of Agent Orange registry data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) suggests a link between males' exposure to Agent Orange and having children with certain birth defects.
Unfortunately, there's no medical test or biological feature that can show that someone was exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides, so the health exam cannot confirm that you were (or were not) exposed.
In addition, US military personnel who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War have experienced a range of health problems, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological disorders.
For the purposes of VA compensation benefits, Veterans who served anywhere in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides, as specified in the Agent Orange Act of 1991.
Answer and Explanation: The dioxin TCDD, the harmful contaminant of Agent Orange, can stay in the human body for decades. It is believed to have a chemical half-life of seven to 11 years.
Agent Orange has a short half-life of days and weeks after application to vegetation, and has not been found to persist, after 50 years, in the water or soils of southern Vietnam.
However, some studies show that Veterans' children are about 13% more likely to have birth defects if their parent was exposed to Agent Orange than those who were not exposed to it.
Survivors' benefits
Surviving spouses, dependent children and dependent parents of Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service and died as the result of diseases related to the exposure may be eligible for health care, compensation, education, and home loan benefits.
Agent Orange was extremely deadly because the U.S. sprayed 20 times more than the manufacturer recommended in the environment. The effects of Agent Orange use are still present today among Vietnam veterans and Vietnamese people living in central and southern Vietnam.
Symptoms include excessive oiliness of the skin and the appearance of numerous blackheads, often accompanied by fluid-filled cysts and dark body hair.
No medical evidence has been presented to show a direct causal connection between rheumatoid arthritis and exposure to Agent Orange during the veteran's military service in the Republic of Vietnam.
“Going into Agent Orange was like it had a musty smell to it. It was a reddish-brown-colored fog that would be in the air,” said Dudich, who served much of his first tour with troops of the Republic of Vietnam.
Millions of Vietnamese are living with the effects of Agent Orange and more are being born with defects linked to the herbicide.
United States military personnel used Agent Orange to clear trees and vegetation in fields known to hide enemies. Unfortunately, Agent Orange exposure has led to long-term health effects in many Vietnam era veterans, including multiple myeloma, Parkinson's Disease, and various types of cancer.
For sons and daughters of Australian Vietnam veterans accepted into the programme, VVSDP will pay a range of medical costs related to treatment of the condition for which they were accepted. Costs may be paid in relation to: medical and dental assistance. public or private hospital costs.
Secondary Conditions due to Agent Orange Exposure
For example, a veteran may develop depression due to an Agent Orange service-connected cancer, or a service-connected diabetes mellitus could lead to peripheral neuropathy.
Neurobehavioral difficulties involve two primary categories: cognitive decline, including memory problems and dementia; and neuropsychiatric disorders, including neurasthenia (a collection of symptoms including difficulty concentrating, headache, insomnia, and fatigue), depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ...