APHA
Back to Annual Meeting Page
 
American Public Health Association
133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition
December 10-14, 2005
Philadelphia, PA
APHA 2005
 
Session: Health and Public Health in Vietnam II
3387.0: Monday, December 12, 2005: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
Oral
Health and Public Health in Vietnam II
These two sessions will cover a variety of public health concerns related to Vietnam and the Vietnam War. Some relate to tuberculosis in Vietnam at the present time. Others describe new findings of dioxin elevations in Vietnamese from Agent Orange or other sources. A recent epidemiology study reports in US Air Force veterans involved in spraying Agent Orange or their controls that elevated dioxin blood levels can be related to cancers in the veterans but so also can be related to time spent in Southeast Asia. An up-to-date review of the epidemiology studies regarding association between dioxins or herbicides and adverse health effects will be presented. A presentation from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) will report on a committee review of the Air Force Health Study (of Ranch Hand Agent Orange sprayers). This long-term study, which has provided data for US veterans’ compensation by the Veterans’ Administration, is scheduled to end soon. The NAS was asked to review the program and suggest possible future activities for a successor program possibly built upon the present program. Another presentation is on the nature and status of a unique lawsuit filed in a US court on behalf of Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange. This lawsuit is the first filed on behalf of Vietnamese rather than US or other Vietnam War veterans. A number of legal issues including statute of limitations and injury from war have been raised. The suit is being appealed at this time and an update will also be presented.
Learning Objectives: After attending this session, knowledge of health effects from the Vietnam War on Vietnamese and on US veterans will be increased. Knowledge of other health problems in Vietnam including the infectious disease tuberculosis and the Vietnam government handling of this disease will be increased. Knowledge concerning the policy study by the National Academy of Sciences regarding a major US Vietnam veteran health research program will be updated. The current findings from epidemiology studies relating to Agent Orange and its dioxin contaminant will be understood.
4:30 PMEpidemiologic evidence of the carcinogenicity of Dioxin  [ Recorded presentation ]
Richard Clapp, MPH, DSc
4:50 PMNew Agent Orange lawsuit on behalf of Vietnamese exposed to Agent Orange
Jonathan Moore, JD
5:10 PMTCDD exposure or service in Southeast Asia independently increases the risk of Cancer in Air Force Vietnam Veterans who did not spray Agent Orange  [ Recorded presentation ]
Marian Pavuk, MD, PhD, Joel Michalek, Arnold Schecter, MD, MPH, Norma S. Ketchum, MS, Fatema Z. Akhtar, MS, Karen A. Fox, MD
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:Vietnam Caucus
Endorsed by:Environment; Epidemiology; Gerontological Health; Labor Caucus; Peace Caucus; Socialist Caucus

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA