Agent Orange (herbicide) may spur cancer in offspring

  The children of veterans exposed to herbicides such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War may have a greater chance of being afflicted with a certain type of leukemia, a study suggests.  

[ Study looks at Agent Orange and child cancer ]

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Subject:    Herbicide may spur cancer in offspring
 Date:        Fri, 20 Apr 2001 09:13:42 -0400
From:        Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization:     Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)

To:     Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
          Director, State of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation 

cc:    Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov

Dear Mr. Helliker,  I thought you might like to read an article entitled: Herbicide may spur cancer in offspring
Associated Press and Reuters
Friday, April 20, 2001

 WASHINGTON -- The children of veterans exposed to herbicides such as Agent Orange during the Vietnam War may have a greater chance of being afflicted with a certain type of leukemia, a study suggests.

The analysis, released yesterday by Washington's Institute of Medicine, makes the first connection between the childhood disease and the pesticide. It stops short of saying the link is conclusive.

"No firm evidence links exposure to the herbicides with most childhood cancers, but new research does suggest that some kind of connection exists between [acute myelogenous leukemia] in children and their fathers' military service in Vietnam or Cambodia," said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and chair of the committee that made the report.

Acute myelogenous leukemia is a fast-spreading form that originates in bone-marrow cells. It accounts for about 8 per cent of all childhood cancers, the report says.

Anthony Principi, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, said the report made him "deeply concerned about the implications for the children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange." He added that he has been directed to prepare legislation to provide assistance for children with the disease.

The report released yesterday is the most recent in a series that looks at the effects of the herbicides used during the Vietnam War. U.S. forces sprayed about 72 million litres of herbicides, of which Agent Orange is the best known, over southern Vietnam during the war to deny guerrillas jungle cover.

Vietnam's government blames Agent Orange for causing tens of thousands of birth defects and has demanded compensation. Thousands of U.S. veterans were also exposed to Agent Orange.

The new study also reaffirms earlier findings linking herbicide exposure with the development in veterans of soft-tissue cancer, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chloracne.

The committee said it based its finding on two studies.

While the studies lacked a direct measure of exposure to the herbicides, both were conducted with Vietnam veterans and an association was indicated with the childhood diease, although not with other forms of childhood leukemia.

Well Mr. Helliker,  Zig Ziglar once noted: "Hardening of the attitudes is the most deadly disease on the face of the earth."  The bright light of truth seems harsh only to those who are not accustomed to it. Will you wait until "the link is conclusive" before you will "legally" allow the use of safe and far more effective (unregistered) alternatives?

Respectfully,  Stephen L, Tvedten

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