Health & Fitness - More illnesses linked to Agent Orange

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More illnesses linked to Agent Orange

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Three more illnesses have been added to the long list of conditions linked to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, U.S. Veterans Affairs officials say.

The addition of Parkinson's disease, hairy cell leukemia and ischemic heart disease follows a study by the nongovernmental Institute of Medicine, Stars and Stripes reports.

Since the early 1990s the institute has been examining the effects of a host of herbicides, all given the nickname of Agent Orange.

VA Secretary Eric Sinseki said in a statement Tuesday that the addition of the latest illnesses has brought the number of "presumed" illnesses linked to Agent Orange to 15.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military used herbicides to destroy the thick jungle canopy that was concealing guerrilla fighters.

Military records estimate that more than 2.6 million U.S. service members may have been exposed to Agent Orange between 1965 and 1970.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 10/14/2009

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