The Department of Veterans Affairs has added Parkinsons as one of three new conditions caused by the defoliant Agent Orange in veterans deployed in Vietnam. A website veterans may want to explore is www.bluewaternavy.org if they were aboard ship and traveled the inland waterways. The VA is urging veterans who fall into that category to apply for compensation for veterans exposed to agent orange.
The Department of veterans affairs for the longest time refused to recognize illnesses
from sailors in the combat zone, since they didn’t have “boots on the ground” contact. But we were getting poisoned from the water we used. After the ground was sprayed, the dioxin seeped into the ground and got carried off into the harbors. That is where we pumped it in and converted it to fresh water. The same water we were drinking, bathing with, cooking, and doing the laundry.
The rate of PD in civilian populations is 1 out of 100 over 50 years old. In Vietnam veterans, it’s 1 out of 40. Thankfully the VA has acknowledged this and awards compensation to veterans exposed to agent orange.
Sal
Agent Orange Exposure
- The U.S. Air Force sprayed nearly 19 million gallons of herbicides in Vietnam, with at least 11 million gallons being Agent Orange.
- An estimated 2.6 to 3.8 million U.S. military personnel served in Vietnam during the period of herbicide use.
- Exposure occurred through inhalation, skin contact, and contamination of food and water.
Health Effects
Agent Orange exposure has been linked to numerous serious health conditions, including:
- Various cancers (e.g. prostate, lung, bladder)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Birth defects in children of exposed veterans
Long-Term Impact
The effects of Agent Orange continue to impact people today:
- Over 300,000 U.S. veterans and 400,000 Vietnamese people have died from Agent Orange exposure.
- Lingering environmental contamination in Vietnam still poses health risks.
Robert Rodgers PhD
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
I served in Vietnam in 1968-69 The area i was in Highway 13 or Thunder Road we called it was heavily sprayed.In 2009 I came down with PD.In 2011 i found through a book Parkinson Disease for Dummies That the VA was compensating veterans for PD.My disease has progressed some ,now I have developed dyskineaseas
.After looking into the evidence for blue water vets it seems only fair that they get compensated also.Especialy the fact that the Australian Navy has done this many years ago.I In one small group support group for PD I have found two navy vietnam vets .
Personaly I would be willing to set aside some of my benefits to help include these vets
Again it;s time to bring in our brother navy vets whom through their service has saved countless lives in that war.
Best
john hoefen