This is the Chapter's Agent Orange Web Page
U.S. Army Helicopter Spraying Agent Orange Over Vietnam
Welcome to the Agent Orange Web Page for
Vietnam Veterans of America
Battlefield Chapter 617 and their Associates!
The page has a collection of information and web links about Agent Orange.
Agent Orange/Dioxin
Agent Orange is a highly toxic herbicide used by the U.S. military
during the Vietnam War to defoliate hiding places used by
the enemy and to clear the perimeters of military installations.
Although colorless, it is known as “Agent Orange” because of an
orange-colored band painted on the drums used to store and transport it.
This Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) guide is simple: to present information and
describe the process in a user-friendly fashion for a Vietnam veteran or (surviving) family member
to file a claim for service-connected disability compensation or death benefits with the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) for illnesses/diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange and other related
herbicides during military service. At the outset, please understand that the VA claims process is
complicated, frustrating, and can be time-consuming. Please understand also that these guidelines
are not legal advice.
Veterans Exposed to Herbicides (Agent Orange)
Presumptive service connection is available to veterans who served in
Vietnam and parts of Korea along the DMZ.
The presumptive diseases are as follows:
Types of Cancer with no time requirements for manifestation
Cancer of the bronchus
Cancer of the larynx
Lung Cancer
Prostate cancer
Cancer of the trachea
Hodgkin’s disease
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Types of Soft Tissue Sarcoma with no time
requirements for manifestation
Adult Fibrosarcoma
Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma
Angiosarcoma
Clear Cell Sarcoma of Aponeuroses
Clear Cell Sarcoma of Tendons and
Aponeuroses
Congenital Fibrosarcoma
Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans
Ectomesenchymoma
Epithelioid Malignant Leiomyosarcoma
Epithelioid and Glandular Malignant
Schwannomas
Epithelioid Sarcoma
Extraskeletal Ewing’s Sarcoma
Hemangiosarcoma
Infantile Fibrosarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Liposarcoma
Lymphangiosarcoma
Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma
Malignant Giant Cell Tumor of the
Tendon Sheath
Malignant Glandular Schwannoma
Malignant Glomus Tumor
Malignant Hemangiopericytoma
Malignant Mesenchymoma
Malignant Ganglioneuroma
Malignant Granular Cell Tumor
Malignant Leiomyoblastoma
Malignant Synovioma
Malignant Schwannoma with Rhabdomyoblastic Differentiation
Proliferating (systemic)
Angiendotheliomatosis
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Synovial Sarcoma
Diseases other than Cancer with various time requirements
Periperal neuropathy (acute or subacute)
Chloracne
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
Diseases other than Cancer with no time requirement for manifestation
Type 2 Diabetes (Also known as Diabetes Mellitus)
Disabilities in Children of Vietnam Veterans
Spina Bifida
Certain Birth Defects in Children of VN Veterans
Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards
Information about Agent Orange, possible health-related problems and VA benefits
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/index.asp
© American Cancer Society, Inc
"In studies comparing Vietnam veterans with veterans who had served at the same time elsewhere,
TCDD (dioxin) levels were found to be higher among those who had served in
Vietnam, although these levels went down slowly over time.
Exposure to Agent Orange varied a great deal. Most of the large-scale spraying operations in
Operation Ranch Hand were done with airplanes and helicopters.
However, some herbicides were sprayed from boats or trucks, and some were
applied by soldiers with backpack sprayers. Those who loaded airplanes and helicopters
may have been exposed the most. Members of the Army Chemical Corps,
who stored and mixed herbicides and defoliated the perimeters of military bases,
probably also had some of the heaviest exposures. Others with potentially heavy exposures
included members of Special Forces units who defoliated remote campsites,
and members of Navy river units who cleared base perimeters.
Exposures could have occurred through breathing the chemicals in, ingesting them in
contaminated food or drink, or absorbing them through the skin. Other exposure pathways may
have been possible as well, such as through the eyes or through breaks in the skin."
READ and LEARN MORE AT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE:
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogens/IntheWorkplace/agent-orange-and-cancer
Wikipedia
A collaborations of articles and reference from Wikipedia about Agent Orange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange
For comments and suggestions concerning this web site, contact:
"Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."