Sheree Evans' husband, Edward, died of brain cancer eight years ago. Evans claimed his death was the result of exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. Initially, the benefits were denied with the VA claiming Edward Evans' specific type of brain cancer was not included on the list of Agent Orange-related health problems. Evans appealed that decision with the US Veterans Administration. Evans won her appeal—reportedly the first time the VA has admitted that Agent Orange could be linked to glioblastoma multiforme, the brain cancer that Edward Evans died of.
According to the News-Leader (02/17/11), the VA appeals board found there was as much evidence that Evans' brain cancer was a result of his exposure to Agent Orange as not. In such situations, the appeals board rules with the family and allows benefits.
That acknowledgement could mean that other veterans who have the brain cancer, or their survivors, could be eligible for VA benefits. It is not, however, a guarantee that veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and have glioblastoma multiforme will receive those benefits.
READ MORE VA DISABILITY LEGAL NEWS
Meanwhile a proposed budget would give the Department of Veterans Affairs $58.8 billion for operational costs and a further $65.5 billion for veterans benefits. Of that, $208 million will increase benefits for people caring for veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, $270 would go to health issues affecting female veterans and $939 million will go to the VA's homelessness prevention programs, the Washington Post (02/15/11) reports.
READER COMMENTS
Linda Harvill
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Shirley J, Howe
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GEORGE THOMAS
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jean bates
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Raisa Davis
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Paula Godbee
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Gala Evans
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Amy
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Diane
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Laura B.
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Sheree Evans
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Sandy Gilmore
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sherran gambrell (widowed by agent orange)
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Linda Graham
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Eve roberts
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Please can't act me if you have any info
Evans, Sheree
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www.salem-news.com/articles/february182011/edward-evans-tk.php
https://youtu.be/_rfKscdaNqA
Tim
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Time to seek out VA insights, I suppose.
Danny Richardson
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Mary Soupene
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away 3 years ago. HE was a retired Colonel in the Army.
He was in Viet Nam and subjected to Agent Orange.
Prior to his passing he was diagnosed and being treated
for multiple Mylenoma and Hypertension. If he did not file
a claim for benefits with the Va prior to his passing, does he precluded me from filing a claim?
jayne arnold
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Craig Brennan
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Belinda Urtado
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Susan Smith
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William Jackson
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Sharon Laird
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Linda Noel Fairbanks
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Pam Sowers
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MRS SOWERS
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Brenda Graves
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Barbara Crystal
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type).
Noel C Robertson
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mello spears
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Dianna
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We filed a claim with VA and it was denied, June 2012.
Does anyone have a similar situation?
I appreciate any feedback you might have.
Thank you in advance.
Cpt. Joseph S. Bondick service in the U.S. Army, he served in Vietnam
Pam Docsanes
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I myself have Champ VA and everything I send in is returned with something wrong one it or something missing a code....why can't they just read the darn bill and see what has come from me and not paid by anyone else?
Terri Bornhauser
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Levels of Agent Orange ingredients found in Okinawa City exceed Environmental Quality Standard
Investigation results revealed the highest values of dioxins exceeded the Environmental Quality Standard.
August 1, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo
The Okinawa Defense Bureau detected dioxin and other harmful ingredients inside the barrels found at a soccer ground on land returned by the U.S. military in Okinawa City. The levels found exceeded the Environmental Quality Standard set by the Japanese government.
The Okinawa City Government released the results of their investigation on July 31.
They detected dioxin in fouling material at a level 8.4 times the normal standard for soil, and in the water it was 280 times the standard for groundwater. They found the key ingredient of Agent Orange in the barrels. The city government asked Nansei Environment Laboratory Co. to carry out the investigation.
The company said the barrels possibly contained Agent Orange because they bear the logo of the Dow Chemical Company, the United States based chemical manufacturer that produced Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
The city government explained the results to the central and prefectural governments and city assembly on July 31.
That afternoon, the assembly held a meeting of its special committee investigating U.S. military base issues. The committee unanimously adopted a statement in which they asked the Japanese government to carry out a full-scale investigation and restore land returned by the U.S. military to its proper state. A special session of the assembly adopted the statement on August 5. The bureau found the key ingredient of Agent Orange–2, 4, 5-T, trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, in 18 of the 22 analytes from the barrels. They did not detect the other key ingredient of the defoliant–2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic. The bureau detected polychlorinated biphenyls in 11 of the 22 analytes. The highest value was 3.2 milligrams per kilogram at a level 6.4 times the standard.
The Nansei Environment Laboratory Co.’s report indicated that the composition of the dioxins in the barrels is related to Pentachlorophenol found in pesticides and herbicides. Levels of arsenic and fluorine found were slightly higher than the standard. The company suggested that harmful substances, including Agent Orange caused the pollution of the soil and groundwater at the site.
Of the 22 analytes from the barrels, two exceeded the normal standard for soil. The highest value was 8,400 picograms TEQ per gram. The level of dioxin in the water around the soil was 280 picograms TEQ per liter. The bureau found a large quantity of 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo, an ingredient unique to the defoliant. It is possible that the barrels contained dioxin related to Agent Orange because the ingredient accounted for 70 percent of the chemical.
Levels of dioxins found in the surface layer of the ground, surplus soil and the soil of land returned by the U.S. military in what was Camp Lester were substantially lower than the standard.
The bureau found 340 picograms of dioxin TEQ per gram, which is lower than the standard in the soil. However, it is higher than the level that requires caution: 250 picograms TEQ per gram. http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2013/08/08/11111/
PCBs and Dioxin May Cause Brain Cancer
Introduction
The studies in this section show a possible link between PCBs and dioxin exposure, and the later development of brain cancer. (PCBs are frequently contaminated with dioxins.) Several occupational studies have found significant increases in brain cancer associated with PCBs. Other studies find that children may develop brain cancer due to the parents' earlier chemical exposures.
It is well-established that PCBs damage the human immune system, which may be the mechanism whereby PCBs are linked to brain cancer http://www.foxriverwatch.com/brain_cancer_intro.html
PCB is a principal component of Agent Orange
The History of PCBs
1949 --- An explosion occurred at a Monsanto chemical factory in Nitro, West Virginia; as a result, many workers in the plant were exposed to the herbicide 2,4,5-T, which was contaminated with dioxin. (This herbicide was later the principal component of Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant used by the U.S. in Vietnam.) http://www.foxriverwatch.com/monsanto2a_pcb_pcbs.html
Jon Samet at Johns Hopkins did a study of a cluster of gliomas among Maryland firefighters. Report issued in 2005 "
An occupational health investigation of cancer among fire fighters in Anne Arundel County, Maryland"
This report provides the findings of a ten-month study requested by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of a possible cancer cluster among fire fighters in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Fire fighters are exposed to smoke from a variety of materials, and the smoke is known to contain carcinogens. An exposure of particular concern in this case was to smoke from fires set at the Anne Arundel County Training Facility. For a reported period of 9 years, from 1971-1979, the training fires used waste oils provided by BGE that were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Consequently, a substantial number of fire fighters and instructors were exposed to PCBs, along with compounds generated by their combustion. This multi-part investigation addressed key issues related to this exposure including characterizing the cluster and evaluating potential exposures to PCBs and their combustion by-products of fire fighters who participated in training fires at the Academy, assessment of applicable scientific literature, and consideration of research that might provide greater insight into the risks sustained by fire fighters. We conducted interviews with fire fighters that covered demographic, occupational, and medical information. In the case of the Anne Arundel County fire fighters, the accounts of the training fires and the use of PCB-contaminated oil establish that participants in the training exercise were exposed to PCBs through both inhalation and the skin. The PCBs are classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization and the National Toxicology Program of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Some of the toxic compounds that would have been generated by the combustion of PCBs, include another group of compounds, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins that are classified as carcinogens. The doses of the carcinogens received by the fire fighters, which would predict risk, cannot now be reconstructed, and it is therefore difficult to judge what doses were received, as the basis for estimating cancer risk for either the group or individuals. Measurements of levels of PCBs in tissues would probably not be informative, given the number of years elapsed since exposure ended. Seventeen fire fighters (all male) contacted us to report a diagnosis of at least one form of cancer. Respondents ranged in age from approximately 30 to 70 years. Cancers reported include bladder, brain, colon, leukemia or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, lung, prostate, and skin. Skin cancer was the most commonly reported cancer, representing 47% of the cancers. Excluding skin cancer, brain cancer (n=2) and leukemia/lymphoma (n=3) were the most common forms of cancer at 22% and 33%, respectively
Avima Ruder, Ph.D.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Mailstop R16, 4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226 USA
amr2@cdc.gov
(001)(513) 8414440 (voice)
(001)(513) 8414486 (fax)
Study #3
• PCBs are known to deposit preferentially in nervous tissue
• Study examined two PCB-exposed workers with brain cancer
• Researchers urge more studies of link between PCBs and brain cancer
Polychlorinated biphenyls have been shown to be carcinogens in animal studies. Because of lipid solubility and lack of biodegradation, they are known to deposit preferentially in fat and nervous tissue. In this report, we describe a 31-year-old male with prolonged polychlorinated biphenyls exposure who developed glioblastoma multiforme [brain cancer]. Fat biopsy documented the presence of markedly elevated PCB levels. A co-worker also developed a malignant astrocytoma [brain cancer]. The nature of PCBs and their role in human carcinogenesis are discussed. The possibility of an etiologic link between PCBs and brain tumors should be further investigated. (Petruska et al, 1991) ) http://www.foxriverwatch.com/brain_cancer_studies.html
Study #4
• increased incidence of brain cancer among workers who had more than twice the estimated cumulative PCB dose than the comparison group
NIOSH conducted a retrospective cohort study of workers manufacturing electrical capacitors with known exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (1336363) (PCBs) in an effort to further evaluate the carcinogenicity of PCBs. The study cohort manufactured electric capacitors in the midwest United States beginning in 1957. PCBs were used as a dielectric fluid until late in 1977 when they were replaced with isopropyl-biphenyl (25640782). Aroclor-1242 (53469219) was used through 1970 and Aroclor-1016 (12674112) was used afterwards. Included in the analysis were 3588 men and women employed for at least one day between January 1, 1957 and March 31, 1977. The results provided some evidence for an association between PCB exposure in an occupational environment and mortality from malignant melanoma. There was an increased incidence of brain cancer among workers who had more than twice the estimated cumulative PCB dose than the comparison group. The authors conclude that this brain cancer observation suggests that this outcome be carefully observed in further followup of this cohort. (Sinks et al, 1991) http://www.foxriverwatch.com/brain_cancer_studies.html
Study #8
• A statistically significant higher concentration of PCB was found in extracted lipids of adipose tissue samples from terminal brain cancer patients
A statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between the content of PCB and DDE in lipids extracted from subcutaneous abdominal tissue of terminal patients and their age. A higher concentration of PCB and DDE was found in extracted lipids of adipose tissue samples from terminal cancer patients (malignant lymphoma, retroperitoneal carcinoma, glioblastoma, adenocarcinoma, cancer of the breast, mesothelioma, carcinoma of the cervix, pulmonary carcinoma, cancer of the rectum, cancer of the colon, lymphosarcoma, etc.) than in the adipose tissue of patients who died of other diseases. This difference was statistically significant. The results are discussed and the need for further investigations of a possible cause-effect relationship between exposure to organochlorine compounds and neoplasias is stressed. (Unger et al, 1980) ) http://www.foxriverwatch.com/brain_cancer_studies.html
Sunshine Brehm
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there to continue for my husbands claim . Actually my husband pass away he will be one year on April 9 this month . and he died with lung cancer and left me and our son ,6 years old. The lady at the VA said that my husband has no record to prove that he was in Korea and Vietnam , an thats the reason that the VA keep denying my husbands claim and now my husband is gone , i am trying to survive. If any one had the same situation as me please feel free to e-mail me .
janice harden
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Rosa
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jackie bressette
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Judy Bryant
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My husband is a registered nurse and he knows what he is up against. The VA rep that was supposedly helping us did not help us and then was transferred to another county. His secretary is now trying to help the veterans in our county and I believe she does not have the experience to help us. I have tried to overturn every stone that would be helpful. My husband served his country, he deserves this benefit now, and I want to make sure he sees this before it is too late.
We now have to prove the association between Agent Orange and Glioblastoma's. Does anyone out there have any material we can use when we appeal?
Thanks.
helen frasher
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Tom - Another Agent Orange Vet
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Jo Ann Stalter
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Jo Ann