Editorial: Site-specific cancer risk and accuracy of exposure assessment
By Thomas H. Sinks PhD (first published Aug 2014)
Reprinted from ACS Journals
PDF: Cancer – 2014 – Sinks – Challenges in investigating the association between Agent Orange and cancer Site‐specific cancerThe US military in Vietnam removed vegetative cover near base camps, uncovered enemy forces hiding in thick forests, and destroyed food crops available to enemy forces by spraying herbicides, often by aircraft. One mixture, Agent Orange, contained 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Individuals involved in mixing, spraying, maintaining, and storing Agent Orange and the other herbicide formulations containing 2,4,5-T were exposed to TCDD. Those who may have been exposed include individuals who contacted herbicide-sprayed vegetation or ingested herbicide-contaminated food or water. This included annually more than 850,000 personnel supporting the Republic of Vietnam, including 36,000 Republic of Korea troops. The true number of personnel from either side of the conflict and noncombatant Vietnamese actually exposed to TCDD, and the amount of their exposures, remains unknown…
