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Crohn's due to Agent Orange exposure

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 12/22/2009 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
My dad was on the USS St. Paul in Vietnam, & was thus exposed to agent orange. He now suffers from type 2 diabetes, which the govt pays all medical bills for. I also suffer from Crohn's disease since around age 4, even though there is absolutely NO 1 else in my family w/ the disease. I read an article a few years ago in my dad's newsletter from the navy that the govt has said the children of those exposed to agent orange are now being diagnosed w/ Crohn's, but they still refuse to pay for any medical treatment. I am 26 yrs old now, & in debt over $30,000 from my medical bills alone. Does anyone know if the govt is EVER going to help out? Or am I destined to be in medical debt for the rest of my life?
Posted 12/22/2009 8:39 PM (GMT 0)
Well I am not the child of a Vietnam Vet, and I am the only one in my family who developed Crohns. My ex FIL is a Vietnam Vet, and he suffers with Parkinsons Disease. So not sure if your Dad's exposure caused yours, but I do know a few vets who have chronic illnesses now. I think we have a few Vietnam Vets on the forum with Crohns, but I don't know their family history. Good luck!
Posted 12/22/2009 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
I am the daughter of a service connected agent orange exposed vet who developed diabetes. He died at 61 from a heart attack. I am also a vet. I do not know what the deal is with getting service connection for this disease, because even as a vet I am having trouble.
Posted 1/20/2010 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
If you find anything out let me know. I am the daughter of a Vietnam vet exposed to Agent Orange and the first in the family with Crohn's Disease. As it is a genetic disorder it would be nice to know if they are linked.
Posted 1/20/2010 5:17 AM (GMT 0)
If your waiting for old Uncle Sam to pay for anything , dont hold your breath. As for VietNam vets, we were not the only ones exposed to agent orange. The product was used here in the states for years . State and parish workers sprayed it along highways and in ditch banks to kill weeds and keep mowing to a minimum. So it ended up in the water and in fish . Schools sprayed it along fence lines where kids played. It was sprayed in parks and cemetaries as well. While I was being sprayed over there, one of my brothers was spraying the stuff over here and when he came home from work, if he took his boots off at the door and left them on the porch all of the potted plants would die. His children were born with birth defects too and there is no way for him to get a dime. I had so much trouble with the VA that I told them where to go and have payed my own way ever sense. Twenty Twenty did an expo on the VA last week. Looks like if you are denied for any reason an appeal will take about four years. I'll have to end this before I start using words that will get me censored but when it comes to money , Uncle Sam would rather give it to other countries .
Posted 1/20/2010 9:32 AM (GMT 0)
Our military, our firemen and our police are our heroes in time of need - until it comes to spending money. Then they are the first to receive cuts. How soon our government forgets!

I am the only one in our family to develop Crohn's. We don't live that far from the original main Dow complex. My Crohn's symptoms began in mid '75 and I was Dx'd in early '78.

I wasn't aware that AO was what they used along rural roads to kill the weeds and foilage here in the states! Thanks for that tidbit, Sniper.
Posted 1/20/2010 2:19 PM (GMT 0)
CToo, lots of people are unaware of how much AO was used in the states. Thats a big hush hush because of poss. law suits. Just look how long and how much evidence was needed before the gov. and big chemical co. would admit there was a problem. Same thing is going on with Gulf War syndrome. One of my MOS's was CBR.( Chemical,biological, Radiological ) warfare. It's my opinion that those guys show symptoms of nerve agent exposure, but what do I know. There is also a history in the military of using soldiers as guinea pigs . Just look at the nuclear test in the 40's. They also marched unsuspecting soldiers through areas sprayed with blistering agent, in thier shorts , just to see the effects. I saw the pictures and it wasn't pretty. One day when you have time, google project MK ULTRA and see what they did with LSD and kids .There are other things I could tell you but then I would get a knock at the door and old sniper would vanish never to be seen again.
Posted 1/21/2010 4:39 AM (GMT 0)
christa, unfortunately, since your dad was on a ship, at sea, there is virtually no way they would be xposed to AO. UNLESS, he was in country for any time. if he never went ashore, your up the creek.
Posted 1/21/2010 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, Sniper. The government allowed the radiation of milk to lengthen its shelf life and it was first provided to our schools for our school kids before it was released on the public.

Its ironic this AO subject came up as I just finished reading "The Dow Story" last week. It was a good book. Took Dow from its beginnings up to 1968.

Posted 1/22/2010 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
Better life through chemicals,,thats the ticket
Posted 8/11/2010 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
I am a Vietnam veteran and receive compensation due to diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. My younger daughter developed Crohn's Disease some years back. There is no history of Crohn's in our family...maternal and paternal. So, it will be interesting to follow this thread of discussion. Thanks to all for any input.
Posted 8/11/2010 6:29 AM (GMT 0)
Howdy Sniper,

I'm not expert in this topic, but I've had a keen interest in Agent Orange after spending a lot of time in Vietnam (fortunately, after the war). As you can imagine, there are plenty of Vietnamese who still suffer the effects today. I did a little online research, so thought I'd share it...

You're about 95% correct. Agent Orange itself wasn't used on US domestic crops, but its components were. Agent orange is a blend of two herbicides, one of which (2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or 2,4,5-T for short) contains dioxin (which causes cancer and birth defects). So yes, 2,4,5-T was used on US domestic crops until about 1970. Even after it was banned in the USA, it was still being exported to foreign countries (not only Vietnam) despite the fact that its deadly side-effects were by then well understood.

Ironically, by continuing to export 2,4,5-T to foreign countries long after the Vietnam War ended, some of it came back to haunt America in the form of food imports. All that nice tropical fruit (bananas, pineapples, mangoes, etc). As they say, what goes around comes around.

Dioxin is found in other things besides Agent Orange, though in much lesser amounts. The biggest source is burning garbage (specifically, plastic garbage). All of us have been exposed to a little dioxin, though some people have obviously received a much greater dosage than others. Whether or not this causes Crohn's disease, I don't know.

----------------------------

My sources for the above info:

2,4,5-T
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic_acid

dioxins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_dibenzodioxins

Video: Exporting Banned Pesticides 1982
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeZS167_XrA&feature=related

Video: 2,4,5 T Pesticide Use in Malaysia 1982
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyn95mbaSXo
Posted 8/12/2010 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
Although there is a slight genetic link with crohns there are a LOT of us out here who are the ONLY people in our families with this disease.
Posted 8/25/2010 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
My husband is the son of a Viet Nam vet who was exposed to agent orange. He also has Crohn's and had to have an ileostomy when he was 23 years old. I wonder if all the children of vets exposed to agent orange, with Crohn's Disease spoke out would it have any impact at all on the government. I doubt it but you never know. I also wonder just how many children of vets with Crohn's there are.
Posted 8/25/2010 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
I've honestly wondered about chemicals and their result on illness...my sister and I were both sprayed by a crop-duster as a children waiting for the school bus(we lived in an area where cotton is grown, still is), that day, we all got sick, before the bus arrived, and had to stay home ...my sister has RA, I have crohn's and PSC (coincidence?)...the other 2 siblings who were not born at the time did not have any issues with autoimmune...

And me, I have it worse than even my sister, but then again, I worked in a formulations lab (with extremely pure concentrations of the chemicals, mostly organophosphates ) and with all other sorts of of chemicals (included loads of other organic solvents to do various liquid extractions...ie benzene, carbon tetrachloride, etc)...

So I my hypothesis, is that these chemicals triggered the "outbreak" so to speak...though not the only cause, was one of the main "environmental" causes for me (and my sister)...

BTW, if you read on some of the studies, many of these farm chemicals (pesticides and defoliants) can cause GI problems, not to mention, they can also work like a nerve agent (it is even in the USAMRIID manaual for CBR weapons...BTW, sniper, I worked on the civilian lab side of your MOS)
Posted 12/18/2010 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
I ran across the post while worrying about some problems of my own. I was trying to reply to one of the posts concerning how soldiers in the navy weren't exposed to agent orange.

Where did they get the water to drink? To shower? To crap? To shave? Likely the resources came from Vietnam...I know there is information out there concerning that. When water is boiled that is contaminated from agent orange..it becomes worse! I can give you more details. However, my name is Laura and I manage a network for Daughters of Vietnam Veterans www.dovv.weebly.com we have a facebook group, too.

Much love,
Laura
Posted 12/18/2010 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
dovv2010, AO had to get to Vietnam some how and ships would be my best guess. I saw lots of it in depots but cant say how it came in for sure . I would think that transport planes would not have handled the volume that was being used. I'm also sure that some was loaded onto planes aboard aircraft carriers . Thus sailors would have been exposed. They also came ashore for shore duty and rnr . I have crohns and diabetes as well as some other maladies I suspect were caused by being sprayed down with AO while in the field. I am sure many solders went to their graves because of the stuff and no one in government gave a rats fanny about their health problems. Bless you for your work with Daughters of Vietnam vets. Many of us are still fighting a war that they say ended years ago.
Posted 12/18/2010 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
I know i am not American but would just like to say Vets are treated the same the world over and i think it's a b****y disgrace, I live in the UK and my OH is being treated just as badly by our Govt. Where would they be without you but they don't give a rat's ass once your out, you deserve all the help you can get and your dependents but doesn't work that way
Posted 8/18/2011 4:25 AM (GMT 0)

Hello Everyone

Ozonehole is pretty much on target.  2-4-5-T synthesized prior to 1970 was contaminated with 2-3-7-8-T which is very toxic to humans.  It was banned in food production, with the exception of rice, long before 1970.  To the best of my recollection, it was used in US rice production and as a broad leaf killer until the early eighties.  It was taken off the US market due to a by product (a form of dioxin) in the manufacturing process.  It is still used in many parts of the world.

I sprayed, by hand, a lot of 2-4-5-T, during the summers of 1968 and 1969 while working for the Rice Branch Experiment Station located outside of Stuttgart, Arkansas.  I am the first one in my family to have Crohn's.  I have had cancer, eye problems, and kidney problems.  The type cancer I had runs in my family.  The other problems do not.

There was nothing special about Agent Orange.  The components, mentioned by Ozonehole, were both commonly used in agriculture.  They were often combined (Agent Orange) to offer a broader spectrum.  Both chemicals were (are) inexpensive and very effective.  2-4-D is still commonly used.

Nobody wore protective gear when we applied the chemical(s) including the scientists, administrators, etc.  I am not trying to place blame on my employer (Government).  I am curious if the manufactures had knowledge of the problems.  I am also interested in your comments as to any problem(s) any of you, that were exposed to 2-4-5-T or Agent Orange  prior to 1970, may have experienced.

Thank you very much and good luck.

Grits1953

Posted 8/18/2011 6:44 AM (GMT 0)
Hi I am not A child from agent orange. I am the only one in my family
with Crohn's Disease. Cd and agent orange are not linked.
Posted 8/18/2011 6:44 AM (GMT 0)
I told my parents about this connection a while back and they said "Well that would make sense." They then proceeded to tell me about how trucks would roll through town laying blankets of chemical fog over everything. It's no surprise I got Crohn's: Both parents had average civilian exposure and developed autoimmune diseases. I would put money on Crohn's being caused by a combination of genetic susceptibility, exposure to certain chemicals, and maybe a little bit of luck. Which I've never had.
Posted 8/18/2011 8:04 AM (GMT 0)
bane that was more likely not the chemicals in the defoliant , but for mosquito control, like malathion etc..
Posted 8/18/2011 12:40 PM (GMT 0)

cleo35 said...
Although there is a slight genetic link with crohns there are a LOT of us out here who are the ONLY people in our families with this disease.

I too am the only person in my family DX with Crohn's..My Dad did spend all his life in the army(Irish) and while we remain a neutral country he has served on numerous trips overseas with the U.N peacekeeping forces in places like Congo/Cyprus/Lebanon..Very interesting thread,
Posted 8/27/2011 12:40 AM (GMT 0)
Bane

Where and when did your parents grow up?  The town I grew up in was fogged with DDT for mosquitoes.  We use to chase the truck on our bicycles.  I am the first generation, in my family, that has not had malaria so I am not going to complain.

The chemical very easily could have been DDT or malathion depending on when and where it was applied.  Malathion is somewhat effective but I do have to admit DDT did a better job.  I do not feel DDT should be used today except under dire circumstances; however, you do not hear much about how many lives DDT saved.

The mosquitoes are unbelievable where I grew up.  I do not think anyone would have cared what was sprayed as long as it worked.

FYI-there were many different dioxins.  Some are not harmful and others are deadly.  2-4-5-T manufactured properly is not in itself harmful.  A bi product, a nasty dioxin, is left over when they make it.  To my knowledge, the production of 2-4-5-T, has been banned in the USA for a long time.  There was a Dow Chemical Plant not far for LRAFB that made a lot of it during the VN war.  I think it took over twenty years for the community to finally settle on how to dispose of it.

Roger

Post Edited (grits1953) : 8/26/2011 7:06:32 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/27/2011 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
My Dad was Air Force but I don't think he was exposed that I know of. He may have been. My Mom use to tell me stories of them spraying the houses and everything. She'd go out and hose the house down because she didn't know how that would effect us. I was quite small maybe 2 years old. Interesting to say the least.
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