In 2001, in response to a request by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called together a committee to conduct a review of the scientific evidence regarding the association between exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam and acute myelogenous leukemia in the offspring of Vietnam veterans. Based on the scientific evidence reviewed in this report, the committee finds there is inadequate or insufficient evidence to determine if an association exists between exposure to the herbicides used in Vietnam or their contaminants and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in the children of Vietnam veterans. This is a change in classification from the recent Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 report, which found limited/suggestive evidence for such an association.

Contents

• [The National Academies]
• COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE HEALTH EFFECTS IN VIETNAM VETERANS OF EXPOSURE TO HERBICIDES (THIRD BIENNIAL UPDATE)
• Acknowledgments
• Reviewers
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• INTRODUCTION
• SUMMARIES OF EPIDEMIOLOGIC EVIDENCE
  • Occupational Studies
  • Environmental Studies
  • Vietnam Veteran Studies
• SYNTHESIS
• CONCLUSIONS
  • Strength of Evidence in Epidemiologic Studies
  • Risk of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Among the Children of Vietnam Veterans
  • Biologic Plausibility
• REFERENCES
• Appendix A Workshop on the Review of Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides (Third Biennial Update)
• Appendix B Committee and Staff Biographies

Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The views presented in this report are those of the Institute of Medicine Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides (Third Biennial Update) and are not necessarily those of the funding agency.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.