Health status of Army Chemical Corps Vietnam veterans who sprayed defoliant in Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
U.S. Army Chemical Corps veterans handled and sprayed herbicides in Vietnam resulting in exposure to Agent Orange and its contaminant 2,3,7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD or dioxin). This study examined the long-term health effects associated with herbicide exposure among these Vietnam veterans.


METHODS
A health survey of these 1,499 Vietnam veterans and a group of 1,428 non-Vietnam veterans assigned to chemical operations jobs was conducted using a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) system. Exposure to herbicides was assessed by analyzing serum specimens from a sample of 897 veterans for dioxin. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the risk of selected medical outcomes associated with herbicide exposure.


RESULTS
Odds ratios for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and chronic respiratory disease were elevated, but not significantly (P>0.05) for those who served in Vietnam. However, they were significantly elevated among those Vietnam veterans who sprayed herbicides: diabetes, odds ratio (OR)=1.50 (95% confidence interval [95%CI]=1.15-1.95); heart disease, OR=1.52 (1.18-1.94); hypertension, OR=1.32 (1.08-1.61); and chronic respiratory condition, OR=1.62 (1.28-2.05). Hepatitis was associated with Vietnam service, but not with herbicide application.


CONCLUSIONS
Vietnam veterans who were occupationally exposed to herbicide experienced a higher risk of several chronic medical conditions relative to other non-Vietnam veterans. A potential selection bias is of concern. However, there were relatively high participation rates in both the Vietnam and non-Vietnam veteran groups, and the prevalence rates of some of these medical conditions among non-Vietnam veterans were comparable to general populations. Therefore, self-selection factors are considered unlikely to have biased the study results.
Kang
Han K
HK
Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, District of Columbia 20420, USA. han.kang@va.gov
Dalager
Nancy A
NA
Needham
Larry L
LL
Patterson
Donald G
DG
Lees
Peter S J
PS
Yates
Katherine
K
Matanoski
Genevieve M
GM
D015085:2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015084:2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000075182:Agent Orange; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003678:Defoliants, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans; D047829:Vietnam Conflict
D003678:Defoliants, Chemical; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D000072317:Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; D015084:2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid; D000075182:Agent Orange; D015085:2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid