Study Finds Link Between Agent Orange and Blood Cancer
Even 30 years after exposure
A recent study of 479 Vietnam veterans who were involved in Agent Orange defoliation efforts in that country found that these individuals are twice as likely to develop a blood condition known as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, or MGUS. The disorder is a precursor for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
During the Vietnam War, Agent Orange was used by U.S. forces to kill off trees and vegetation in the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia that the enemy used as cover. The chemical is composed of several herbicides – including 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid – nicknamed for the orange stripe on the barrels in which they were stored. When these two herbicides are combined, they create a carcinogen dioxin known as TCDD, which is the most toxic of dioxins.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes that Agent Orange causes multiple myeloma, several types of leukemia, and other cancers, as well as diabetes, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Veterans are supposed to receive care for their medical problems if they can prove they were exposed to the chemical, and they can get disability compensation.
For the study, 479 Americans involved in Operation Ranch Hand spraying missions were compared to 479 veterans who were not. Dr. Ola Landgren of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and colleagues found that 7% of Operation Ranch Hand vets had MGUS compared to only 3% of the other vets in the study.
“Our findings of increased MGUS risk among Ranch Hand veterans supports an association between Agent Orange exposure and multiple myeloma,” they wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s JAMA Oncology.Approximately 30% of people with MGUS will go on to develop multiple myeloma within 30 years. Until now, there has been no scientific evidence that Agent Orange could cause the blood cancer. [2]
“Most people who have MGUS will not develop multiple myeloma, but everyone who has myeloma first had MGUS,” Landgren said.
“It’s not proof, but it’s a good link to show there’s a connection,” said Dr. Nikhil Munshi, director of basic and correlative science at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center in Boston. Munshi wrote an accompanying editorial to the study, which was published online Sept. 3 in JAMA Oncology.
Landgren and Munshi recommend that veterans exposed to Agent Orange have their blood tested for signs of MGUS. If the disorder is detected, they will need to schedule regular follow-ups to make sure their MGUS doesn’t progress to multiple myeloma.
This article originally appeared at Natural Society.
http://www.infowars.com/study-finds-link-between-agent-orange-and-blood-cancer/
3 comments:
If all the names were listed, of those who have died needlessly
as a result of war, or the mechanisms used in war, it would equal
all the memory of this blog to date....
So, in tribute to the loss of my first love and first husband,
USAF Sargent Joseph Benjamin Irwin, Jr. 1968 -1972
who was in Viet Nam for a year or more
and died of cancer in the VA hospital, Long Beach, CA.
in August 2006,
We salute, and thank you for your sacrifice.
You were smart enough to refuse treatments you felt would not work,
and instead took the inevitable in stride and on the chin.
You are survived by many who love and miss you,
and I will always love you....
My brother in law served in vietnam and died of kidney cancer twelve years ago. from discovery to death it only took 10 weeks. The doctor told my sister that he was sure it was Agent Orange exposure. that he had seen many vets die of quick spreading cancer and all were Vietnam vets.
Of course, the military denied any responsibility or attribution to Agent Orange. Our military and government are cowards when it comes to admitting cause of death for many of our veteran heroes.
To the above poster and to all those who have lost loved ones due to cancer, in particular due to agent orange: Please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of your loved one(s). I am a friend of several who have suffered, continue to suffer and others who have died due to the USA criminal military deployment of Americans in to a sovereign nation(s) - Viet Nam - and then imposed all sorts of criminal inhumane sufferings upon not only the US military but the Vietnamese. There was NO reason for the US to be in Viet Nam except for the one reason for ALL the wars worldwide - to make money for the criminal bankers and self-proclaimed shysters who should be tried with treason and murder. Please accept our condolences and appreciation for your gift of the life of your loved one. I am sure the Lord will heal your heart and that one day you will be with them again for a joyous reunion. May it be so. Amen!
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