Veterans Health News: Dr R Trewyn and the legacy of Agent Orange

Hosted by Marti Oakley

Guest:  Dr. R Trewyn   Kansas State University; National Bio and Agro-defense Facility Liaison, Bio/Agro Security Economic Strategies  

The use and effect of agent orange on our miltary while serving in Vietnam is still with us today as veterans from this era succumb to numerous deadly diseases including diabetes and cancer.  Dr. Trewyn has been in the forefront of the battle to expose the long range effects of the use of agent orange.

What are the questions?

The correct first question that should have been asked (but never was): Are Vietnam veterans suffering from adverse health conditions that individuals who didn’t serve in Vietnam are not? If they are, what caused the health problems is much less important than knowing the problems are service-connected.

The 25-year, $140+ million Agent Orange Ranch Hand study started out to evaluate whether the herbicides sprayed in Vietnam caused adverse health outcomes for those involved in the spraying, but it devolved into analyzing whether dioxin, a minor contaminant in some herbicides sprayed in Vietnam, caused adverse health outcomes.