251868 Veterans and Agent Orange Committee – Review Process and Latest Update

Monday, October 31, 2011: 3:36 PM

Mary K. Walker, PhD , Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM
     
The Congressionally mandated Veterans and Agent Orange Committee is convened by the Institute of Medicine every two years to review the most recent literature related to health outcomes and exposure to dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioixin, TCDD) and other chemicals in herbicides sprayed in Vietnam. The committee considers statistically significant associations between herbicide exposure and adverse health outcomes from epidemiology studies and whether a biologically plausible mechanism exists based on laboratory studies. After reviewing the weight of evidence, final recommendations are made to the Veterans Administration regarding the likelihood of an association between exposure and disease. Most recently, the committee found limited/suggestive evidence of association between exposure to these chemicals and hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and Parkinson's disease. At the time of the presentation results from the 2010 Update will be reported.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the review process used by Veterans and Agent Orange Committee Describe biological mechanisms associated with TCDD-induced chronic disease

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I served as a National Academy of Science committee member on Veterans and Agent Orange 2008 Update and currently serve as the Chair of this committee for the 2010 Update. I have worked in the field of dioxin toxicology for more than 25 years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Vietnam After the War: What is Happening? Part 1
See more of: Vietnam Caucus