No association was found with percentage of abnormal sperm or low sperm count. No Ranch Hands in the low-or high-exposure categories had a high percentage of abnormal sperm. The odds ratio for low sperm count was 0.9 (CI 0.7-1.2) among men in the high dioxin category.
The investigators further evaluated the association between Agent Orange exposure and risk of miscarriage by performing an analysis of variance. They found that mean levels of Agent Orange exposure were higher in pregnancies that ended in miscarriage, after adjusting for mother's age and smoking during pregnancy.
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. A type of cancer which affects white blood cells.
U.S. animal tests show that genetic damage from dioxin in Agent Orange can be passed on to offspring, but species vary widely in how susceptible they are.
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.
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.
Studying a small number of sperm samples from veterans enrolled in the AFHS, we did not find evidence of significant epigenome-wide alterations associated with exposure to Agent Orange. However, additional analysis showed that the H19 gene region is altered in the sperm of Agent Orange-exposed Ranch Hand veterans.
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.
There is no evidence that dioxins can mutate DNA sequences; thus, genetic changes in sperm genes—as has been shown in connection with irradiation or the anticancer drug cyclophosphamide (Codrington et al., 2004)—due to preconception exposures to TCDD are not likely.
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.
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.
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.
Agent Orange contains a chemical called dioxin. Dioxin is a compound made from burning chlorine with carbon and hydrogen. The molecules of these chemicals are toxic to plants, animals and humans. When dioxin enters your body, it can damage or destroy vital organs, cells, your immune system and your hormones.
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.
Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hands and feet. Agent Orange exposure has also been associated with other neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The chemical dioxin in Agent Orange can remain toxic in the soil for decades. Soil samples have now been analyzed from both the areas that were heavily sprayed and the former American military bases where Agent Orange and other chemicals were stored and handled.
Spina bifida (except spina bifida occulta), a defect in the developing fetus that results in incomplete closing of the spine, is associated with Veterans' exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during qualifying service in Vietnam or Korea.
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.
Vietnam reports that some 400,000 people have suffered death or permanent injury from exposure to Agent Orange. Furthermore, it is estimated that 2,000,000 people have suffered from illnesses caused by exposure and that half a million babies were born with birth defects due to the effects of Agent Orange.
11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam over 20 million acres, putting three million Vietnam veterans and their families at risk.
Today the U.S. Veterans Administration recognizes that exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service is the probable cause of these types of cancer in Vietnam veterans: Chronic B-cell leukemias. Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
One particular autoimmune disease that Veterans exposed to Agent Orange are vulnerable to is Graves disease — a thyroid disorder that causes the thyroid to overproduce thyroid hormones.
Many Vietnam Veterans still feel the effects of combat today. Among those effects are disorders and health conditions caused by exposure to the notorious chemical Agent Orange — a US military herbicide now known to contain toxins. One disease that Agent Orange can cause is hypothyroidism.