VETERANS AND AGENT ORANGE

On October 6, 1989, Edward J. Derwinski (then Secretary of Veterans Affairs) appointed Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., as a special assistant to help him in determining whether it is at least as likely as not that there is a statistical association between exposure to Agent Orange and specific health outcomes. On May 5, 1990, Admiral Zumwalt presented his report to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This report reviews relevant data in accordance with DVA standards relating to the evaluation of health effects of dioxin exposure. In addition to reviewing the data, Admiral Zumwalt reviewed the work of the DVA's Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards' Scientific Council, and the protocol and standards employed by government-sponsored studies, to assess the credibility of these studies according to generally accepted scientific practice (Zumwalt, 1990).

Australia and South Korea

Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea also sent troops to Vietnam to serve during the Vietnam era. In response to concerns of Australian veterans similar to those of American veterans about possible exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, the Australian government conducted its own inquiries into the association between health effects and exposure to herbicides.

In October 1981, the Australian Senate Standing Committee on Science and the Environment undertook a study on pesticides and the health of Australian Vietnam veterans. This committee reviewed the use of pesticides, particularly phenoxy herbicides and chemicals containing dioxin, with reference to their ecological effects, and their effects on human and animal health, dealing primarily with the possible effects on Vietnam veterans of exposure to herbicides; it included all issues adversely affecting those who served in Vietnam. The Senate Standing Committee conducted 10 public hearings in several different cities in Australia as part of its inquiry (Australian Senate, 1982).

In May 1983, the Australian government established a commission to inquire about the use of chemical agents in Vietnam during the Vietnam era; the effects on Australian personnel of exposure to the chemical agents used; and the operation and administration of relevant Australian laws relating to claims by Australian personnel of chemical-caused disabilities (Evatt, 1985).

Approximately 4,700 South Korean veterans have filed claims with the South Korean Vietnam War Veterans Office, reporting that their medical problems appear to be related to Agent Orange. South Korea sent approximately 320,000 soldiers to Vietnam, the second largest force after the United States. South Korea has indicated a new willingness to address the Agent Orange issue by reviewing recommendations from its Veterans Office to cover health costs of alleged Agent Orange victims and possibly file legal action against U.S. chemical manufacturers (New York Times, 1992b).

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine

A number of components of the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have studied the effects of Agent Orange and other herbicide use in Vietnam. Several groups developed conclusions directly related to the issues that are currently being examined by the IOM.

The NRC first became involved in the evaluation and understanding of the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange in 1970. As mentioned above, Public Law 91-441 of 1970 directed the Department of Defense to contract with the NAS for a study of the ecological and physiological effects of the military use of herbicides in Vietnam. A committee, organized through the Assembly of Life Sciences (ALS) of the National Research Council, developed an inventory of the areas sprayed by herbicides, based on DOD log books on herbicide missions. These data were transferred to data tapes (the so-called HERBS tapes) and provide information on 6,542 spray missions that occurred from August 1965 to February 1971, using a total of 17.6 million gallons of herbicide, of which approximately 11.3 million gallons and 4,109 missions involved Agent Orange. The committee reviewed the effects on various types of vegetation, studied the persistence of herbicides in the soil, and attempted to identify effects of the herbicides on resident populations believed to have been exposed. Its investigation determined that mangrove forests were particularly vulnerable to herbicide spraying, as were standing food crops. The extent of damage to the inland forest was more difficult to estimate since, for security reasons, the committee had to rely on aerial photographs in estimating the extent of damage (NAS, 1974).

The committee was unable to determine the direct effects of herbicides on human health. Individual case reports of adverse health effects could not be substantiated, although one component of the report published eight years later (Kunstadter, 1982) reviewed hospital records on births and birth defects in Vietnam. This report remained inconclusive as to the relationship between maternal exposure to herbicides and the incidence of birth defects.

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