Over 3 million U.S. military personnel were sent to Southeast Asia to fight in the Vietnam War. Since the end of the Vietnam War, veterans have reported numerous health effects. Herbicides used in Vietnam, in particular Agent Orange have been associated with a variety of cancers and other long term health problems from Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes to heart disease. Prior to 1997 laws safeguarded all service men and women deployed to Vietnam including members of the Blue Navy. Since then, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has established that Vietnam veterans are automatically eligible for disability benefits should they develop any disease associated with Agent Orange exposure, however, veterans who served on deep sea vessels in Vietnam are not included. These "Blue Water Navy" veterans must prove they were exposed to Agent Orange before they can claim benefits. At the request of the VA, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined whether Blue Water Navy veterans had similar exposures to Agent Orange as other Vietnam veterans.

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure comprehensively examines whether Vietnam veterans in the Blue Water Navy experienced exposures to herbicides and their contaminants by reviewing historical reports, relevant legislation, key personnel insights, and chemical analysis to resolve current debate on this issue.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• COMMITTEE ON BLUE WATER NAVY VIETNAM VETERANS AND AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE
• REVIEWERS
• PREFACE
• SUMMARY
• 1. INTRODUCTION
  • COMMITTEE’S CHARGE
  • COMMITTEE’S APPROACH TO ITS CHARGE
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • REFERENCES
• 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
  • AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE VIETNAM WAR
  • THE DEBATE OVER BLUE WATER NAVY EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE
  • REFERENCES
• 3. SELECTED CHEMICALS USED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR
  • HERBICIDE USE IN VIETNAM
  • OTHER CHEMICAL-EXPOSURE OPPORTUNITIES
  • CHEMICALS USED ABOARD US NAVY SHIPS
  • REFERENCES
• 4. FATE AND TRANSPORT OF HERBICIDES USED IN VIETNAM
  • THE VIETNAMESE ENVIRONMENT
  • FATE AND TRANSPORT OF AGENT ORANGE–ASSOCIATED TCDD IN THE VIETNAMESE ENVIRONMENT
  • LIMITATIONS OF AND UNCERTAINTIES ON FATE AND TRANSPORT OF TCDD
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. EXPOSURE ROUTES AND MECHANISMS
  • PREVIOUS EXPOSURE MODELING EFFORTS
  • EXPOSURE PATHWAYS
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. LONG-TERM ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS
  • VIETNAM VETERAN STUDIES
  • OTHER NAVY VETERAN STUDIES
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  • PRIOR EXPOSURE ASSESSMENTS
  • LIMITATIONS OF AND UNCERTAINTIES IN THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• APPENDIX CODISTILLATION DURING POTABLE WATER TREATMENT: ANALYSIS OF THE AUSTRALIAN STUDY

This study was supported by Contract V101 (93) P-2136 (Task Order 21) between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

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.