Dioxin Linked To Diabetes

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has proposed adding type 2 diabetes
to the list of diseases positively associated with exposure to Agent Orange
and other herbicides used in Vietnam during the war. Dioxin is found in
Agent Orange and other similar herbicides. If approved by the VA, veterans
who served in Vietnam who develop adult-onset diabetes will be able to file
claims for compensation without having to prove that their diabetes was
specifically caused by exposure to herbicides sprayed in Vietnam. The
proposal follows a review by the Institute of Medicine of the National
Academy of Sciences that evaluated mounting evidence supporting the
possibility of a link between Agent Orange/dioxin and type 2 diabetes. The
review found new "limited or suggestive" evidence of an association, though
this evidence was not conclusive. For more information see Veterans and
Agent Orange: Herbicide/Dioxin Exposure and Diabetes, available from the
National Academy Press, Washington, DC for $18. Call 202-334- 3313 or
1-800-624-6242.