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Agent orange
evileye fleagal
Member Posts: 4,238 ✭✭✭
My dad serverd as a FAC in the Marines amoung other things, he cleaned tanks that contained this chemical. I hear the VA is assisting offspring of vets that suffer from Spin Bifida with some kind of government aid. Is anyone aware of something like this or have information to guide me in this matter.
Comments
http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/benefits/herbicide/aono1.htm
This is what is listed there.
quote:In addition, monetary benefits, health care and vocational rehabilitation services are provided to Vietnam veterans' offspring with spina bifida, a congenital birth defect of the spine. Children of female veterans who served in Vietnam are authorized health care and monetary benefits for certain additional birth defects.
There appears to be a connection with testicular cancer. If anyone has any info on this please post it.
Read up on this page, it did not list what you are looking for.
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp
Actually it was Almost all Solvents. The ones they used in Parts Cleaning tanks. MT, Engineer, Ord all used that type of Solvent. Caused lots of Birth defects from what I remember.
Know I used to wash my hands in the stuff before going to lunch or Dinner. It took a couple of years after I retired before I got any Fat in my hands. They showed every tendon and Muscle while I was in.
Think they changed sometime around 1990 to a more freindly solvent and then they still required you use gloves. The AirCraft Solvent MEK was stoped I think in the early 80's.
Actually it was Almost all Solvents. The ones they used in Parts Cleaning tanks. MT, Engineer, Ord all used that type of Solvent. Caused lots of Birth defects from what I remember.
Know I used to wash my hands in the stuff before going to lunch or Dinner. It took a couple of years after I retired before I got any Fat in my hands. They showed every tendon and Muscle while I was in.
Think they changed sometime around 1990 to a more freindly solvent and then they still required you use gloves. The AirCraft Solvent MEK was stoped I think in the early 80's.
It's funny you mentioned these chemicals. I served two years in southeast asia in the late 60's and we used the stuff to clean guns, mostly gun pods, without any type of protection including ventalation. We would cut the top of a 55 gallon can and drop the parts in and let them soak. Then we'd hand clean all the parts until the powder was off all the parts. In those days nobody even thought of respirators, gloves or any type of protection. Somebody tell me the name of the stuff? We would set in the hooch cleaning gun parts and breathing the crappy stuff for days. I can't remember the name and hope someone will.
quote:Methyl ethyl ketone is used as a solvent. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure to methyl ethyl ketone in humans results in irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. Limited information is available on the chronic (long-term) effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans. Chronic inhalation studies in animals have reported slight neurological, liver, kidney, and respiratory effects. No information is available on the developmental, reproductive, or carcinogenic effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans. Developmental effects, including decreased fetal weight and fetal malformations, have been reported in mice and rats exposed to methyl ethyl ketone via inhalation and ingestion. EPA has classified methyl ethyl ketone as a Group D, not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity.
I'm almost positive what you were using was.
quote:Methyl ethyl ketone is used as a solvent. Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure to methyl ethyl ketone in humans results in irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. Limited information is available on the chronic (long-term) effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans. Chronic inhalation studies in animals have reported slight neurological, liver, kidney, and respiratory effects. No information is available on the developmental, reproductive, or carcinogenic effects of methyl ethyl ketone in humans. Developmental effects, including decreased fetal weight and fetal malformations, have been reported in mice and rats exposed to methyl ethyl ketone via inhalation and ingestion. EPA has classified methyl ethyl ketone as a Group D, not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity.
I don't think that's it. I did some research on it and it's not been banned. The stuff we used was banned from manufacture in the mid 70's. My recollection is the stuff we used started with something like TETRA...something like that anyway.