PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of Public Affairs
Release No. 0122046
Jan 22, 2004

Air Force Study Reveals Apparent Association Between Cancer and Agent Orange Exposure 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new analysis of cancer incidence among Air Force
veterans of the Vietnam War found increased risks of prostate cancer and
melanoma in those who sprayed Agent Orange and other herbicides, according
to an article that will be published in the February edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

http://www.acoem.org/journal/cme/joemcme.asp 

The article, written by members of the Air Force Health Study on Operation
Ranch Hand, indicates that a statistical adjustment for years served in Southeast Asia (SEA) reveals increased risks of prostate cancer, melanoma and cancer at any anatomical site among those with the highest dioxin exposure. Previous results of the Study's research had found no consistent evidence that Agent Orange is related to cancer.

The National Academy of Sciences will review this study along with many other studies on herbicide and dioxin exposure to make a report to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assist him in decisions related to compensation.

The study included veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, the unit responsible for the aerial spraying of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam, and comparison Air Force veterans who served in SEA during the war but did not spray herbicides. Since the first health examination in 1982, the Air Force has tried to determine whether long-term health effects exist in the Ranch Hand flyers and ground crew, and if they can be attributed to the herbicides used in Vietnam. 

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http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/01/27/agent.idg/ 

Agent Orange studies to hit the Net this year 

January 27, 2000
Web posted at: 9:44 a.m. EST (1444 GMT)
by Daniel Verton 

(IDG) -- The Air Force plans to make available by the year's end all raw data and analysis associated with a study into the health effects of the Agent Orange herbicide used during the Vietnam War. But a congressional study has criticized the service for dragging its feet on making the data available via the Internet and other electronic media. 

However, the Air Force has failed to release all of the results from the 25-year, $140 million study, which is scheduled for completion by 2006, to the public in a user-friendly format -- namely, via the Internet or compact disc -- according to a recent study by the General Accounting Office.