1 15 1 https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/01c950b53f0019602a0fadd8b5e2b08f.pdf b1433e2305e501f580b7cabdece587c2 PDF Text Text ItemDNumber 04959 Author Levinson, Richard A. CorpOratB Author Vaco Agent Orange Steering Committee on Herbicide T n NotScannflI| RODOrt/APtiClB TitlB Minutes of the Meeting of the Vaco Steering Committee on Herbicide Toxicity, January 29, 1980, March 6, 1980, and April 14, 1980 Journal/Book TitlB YBBP 000 ° Month/Day D Number of Images ° Dascripton Notes Friday, February 22, 2002 Page 4959 of 5115 �//ou MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE VACO STEERING COMMITTEE ON HERBICIDE TOXICITY JANUARY 29, 1. 1980 The meeting was called to order at 9:15 AM. 2. A copy of the meeting's agenda and of the participants is attached. The items were discussed in the order listed in the agend a. 3• Development of a series of educational films on Agent Orange (A/0). Th e s e f ilms will be concerned with assist ing the professional staffs of our VA health care facilities to better examine Vietnam era veterans for potential A/0 toxicity. These films are to be made by the St. Louis RMEC in consultation with leading experts in herbicide toxicology from other federal agencies and from the private sector. Work on the films will commence in February 1980. 4. Briefing of the Chicago-Area VA Medical Centers and Regional Office on Agent Orange. t The Administrator lias requested that a team from VACO visit the Regional Office and the four VAMCs in the Chicago area and provide a comprehensive briefing on methods for examining veterans for possible A/0 toxicity and for processing their claims for compensation. The briefings, which are scheduled to occur in the second week of February 1980 will cover the following aspects: "basic" knowledge about A/0 effects on human health; procedures for optimal m e d i c a l examinations for possible herbicide toxicity; methods of processing examination records; methods for processing claims for compensation; and approaches to providing correct information on A/0 to veterans and the general pub lie. 5. A Summary of the Administrator's Trip to California on January 25-26, 1980 was presented. The Administrator, accompanied by VACO staff members, accomplished three purposes during this trip: (1) he dedicated the Psychological Readjustment Counselling Center in Van Nuys, California; (2) he engaged in an open discussion with Vietnam era veterans and others on A/0 issues; and (3) he appeared at Senator Cranston's hearing on A/0 at Patriotic Hall. In general, the discussions with the veterans and others on A/0 was felt to be constructive and to have resolved some issues currently causing a high level of concern about the VA's role in a t t e m p t i n g to define e f f e c t s of A/0 on human h e a l t h . �^• VA's Involvement in the Suit Against the Chemical Companies that Manufactured Agent Orange. The chemical companies which manufactured A/0 are the subject of a class action suit by several groups of Vietnam era veterans on the grounds of alleged toxic damage from A/0. The chemical companies have, in turn, filed suit against the VA and other federal agencies claiming that the federal government is responsible, due to negligence, for any adverse human health e f f e c t s resulting from the use of A/0 in Vietnam. As a result of this latter suit, the VA has been required by the court to identify the number of a series of documents relevant to A/0 and to estimate the time required for making them available for the court. This process is now underway. 7. VA ' s Pilot Study of Dioxin Levels in Fat Biopsies. Dr. Gross' laboratory has completed the analyses and validation of all 34 biopsy specimens submitted (i.e., 20 exposed veterans, 3 Ranch Hand participants, and 11 controls). The "final" results of these analyses will be announced when all of the necessary correlative background data'On each of the study participants has been collected. The EPA is also proceeding with its analysis of the same specimens by an alternative method to that used by Dr. Gross, but the date by which these analyses will be completed is not yet certain. It is planned to u l t i m a t e l y prepare two scientific papers covering the results of the study and to submit them to appropriate journals for publication. One paper will deal with basic toxicology and the other with the clinical correlates of the study . 8. VA ' s E p i d e m i o l o g i c a l Study of Agent Orange. This study, which is mandated by P.L. 96-151, will be designed by an e p i d e m i o l o g i s t who is not a federal employee. This e p i d e m i o l o g i s t will be s e l e c t e d on the basis of an open bidding process, the d e t a i l s of which will be announced in the Commerce Business Daily, and at a special symposium presented by the VA for all interested prospective bidders. The contracting epidemiologist will also be requested to p r o v i d e the analysis of the data. However, the data collection for the study will occur in selected VAMC's under the direction of specially trained physicians. The t e n t a t i v e date for finalization of the study design is June 1980. �9. VA 's A/0 Registry. The VA program for examination of Vietnam era veterans under Circular 10-79-83 for possible A/0 toxicity continues. The precise number examined as of now is not known for certain since the field stations are coding the examinations performed since November 1, 1979. However, we have completed the coding of some 4,000 of those completed before November 1980. An analysis of the medical records prepared on these veterans will be available for the Administrator's testimony on A/0 before Congress in February 1980. This analysis will emphasize the "central tendencies" (i.e., mean, median, range) of the data accummulated. 1°• VA A d v i s o r y Committee on the Toxic Effects of Herbicides. The minutes of the Committee's third meeting (held in December 1979) are now being corrected for transcription errors and will be a v a i l a b l e shortly for distribution. The next meeting of the Committee will take place in March or April 1980. The precise date will be announced in the near future. 11. Administrator's Testimony to Congress on A/O . / The A d m i n i s t r a t o r lias agreed to provide testimony to both Houses of Congress on the VA's accomplishments and future plans with regard to A/0. This testimony is scheduled for February 25, 1980. The Steering Committee will be preparing materials to present to the Administrator's for possible consideration for inclusion in the briefing. *2• A/0 Claims Activity. As of January 1980, 1,049 c l a i m s for A/0 c o m p e n s a t i o n had been received by DVB. Thus far, two of these have been adjudicated as due to A/0 exposure and 18 have been given compensation for conditions not related to A/0. 1 3. AF IP Reg is try. 18 cases were ^received by the Registry i n 1979 As of now, the total has risen to 30. 1 Ed uc at iona 1 Literature for Vet erans on A/0 The Committee agreed to d e v e l o p literature which can be handed to veterans interested in the health-related effects of A/0. This l i t e r a t u r e will stress the factual information that has * been r e p o r t e d in the scientific literature and will seek to disseminate the established facts on A/0 effects on human health. 15. The meeting adjourned Respectfully submitted, ,u\ '">• ^-v;., v. U RICHARD A. LEVINSON, At tachments: Agenda List of Participants J M.D. at 11 AM. �VACO AGENT ORANGE STEERING COMMITTEE ON HERBICIDE TOXICITY Agenda for the Meeting of January 29, 1980 Speaker Topic 1. Trips to St. Louis and Chicago Dr. Richard A. Levinson 2. Administrator's California Trip Dr. Paul A. L. Haber 3. Fat Biopsy Study Dr. Lawrence Hobson and Dr. Lyndon E. Lee A. Epidemiological Study of Agent Orange (P.L. 96-151) Dr. Lawrence Hobson 5. Agent Orange Literature Review (P.L. 96-151) Dr. Richard A. Levinson 6. VA Involvement in Suit Against Agent Orange Chemical Companies Mr. Fr ed Conway 7. Agent Orange Registry Ms. Margaret Kilduff and Dr. Richard A. Levinson 8. Advisory Committee Dr. John Castellot, Sr. an Dr. Gerrit Schepers 9. A d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s Testimony on Agent Orange before Congress Dr. Paul A. L. Haber 10. Agent Orange Claims Activities Mr. J. C. Peckarsky 11. A d m i n i s t r a t o r ' s Monthly on Agent Orange Mr. Alex Kutner Report �List of Participants Meeting of the VA Agent Orange Steering Committee January 29, 1980 N ame Department 1. Mr. Strat Appleman Information Service 2. Dr. John Castellot, Sr Medical Service 3. Mr. Fred Conway General Counsel (023C) A. Dr. Paul Haber Professional Services 5. Dr. Laurence Hobson Research & Development 6. Ms. Margaret K i l d u f f Medical Administration (136D) 7. Mr. Alex Kutner Professional Services (11H) 8. Ms. Majorie Lamoreux Management Services 9. Dr. Lyndon Lee VAMC-Washington, D.C. Levinson (063) (111) Professional Services (11) (15A) (60) (11B) 10. Dr. Richard 11- Dr. Paul Le Golvan Pathology Service 12. Mr. J. C. Peckarsky Department of Veterans Benefits 13. Mr. Dean Phillips Administrator's Office (OOA3 ) 14. Dr. John Walsh DM&S Operations (10B1A) (113) (21) �MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE VACO STEERING COMMITTEE ON HERBICIDE TOXICITY MARCH 6, 1980 1. The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. 2. The meeting participants are listed in the Appendix. 3. The first topic discussed was the new program of briefings to be presented to the VA field by teams from VACO. The first trip was made to the VAMCs ' and the VARO in the Chicago area on March 4-5, 1980. The individuals involved in this briefing included representatives from DM&S Professional Services and Medical Administration Service, DVB, and Information Service. Team members discussed with key staff members from each facilility the following topics: (1) the use of herbicides during the Vietnam War; (2) the pharmacology and toxicology of phenoxy herbicides and dioxins in animals and man; (3) VA programs, clinical and s c i e n t i f i c , related to Herbicide Orange (HO); (A) the administrat i v e aspects of VA ' s HO programs; (5) VA's experience with claims for compensation related to HO; and (6) the public relations aspects of the HO issue. Following the briefing, there was a discussion of a broad range of HO related topics between the briefing team members and the staff of the VA facilities. 4. The next topic discussed was VACO's new efforts to encourage a more productive dialogue with the field on HO. The following a c t i v i t i e s are being initiated to h e l p assure this: (1) formation of an HO committee at each VAMC to serve as a coordinating group for the facility's HO activities; (2) a monthly H0"hotline" call from VACO to the VAMC ' s and VAOPC's. (3) the development of a d d i t i o n a l educational materials on HO for VA staff and for veterans, including films and written materials. (4) another major educational conference for VA and environmental health physicians. 5. The progress in preparation of the RFP's for the HO e p i d e m i ological study and the literature review mandated under PL 96-151 was reviewed. The RFP's for both projects should be available for advertisement and distribution in the near future. 6. The rest of the meeting was dedicated to a review of the contents of an educational pamphlet on HO intended for d i s t r i b u t i o n to Vietnam veterans. 7. The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 Respectfully submitted, RICHARD A. LEVINSON, M.D. Appendix - Participation List p.m. �Appendix MEMBERS VACO STEERING COMMITTEE ON HERBICIDE TOXICITY March 6, 1980 Name Title Mr. Stratton Appieman Director for News and Liaison John Castellot, M.D. Information Service (06) Director, Medical Service (111) Mr. Fred Conway Attorney, General Counsel's Office (023D) Mrs. Gene Dospil Mr. Layne Drash Paul A. L. Haber, M.D. Publications (036A) Staff Assistant, Professional Services (11) ACMD for Professional Services (11) Deputy ACMD for Research and Development (15A) Lawrence Hobson, M.D. Mr. Alex Kutner Staff Assistant, Professional Services (11) Mr. Burt Lair General Counsel (02) Lyndon E. Lee, M.D. Paul LeGoIvan, M.D. Richard A. Levinson, M.D. Robert Love, M.D. Surgical Service, VAMC Washington,DC Deputy Director, Pathology Service (113) Deputy ACMD for Professional Services (11B) Deputy Director, Evaluation & Analysis Mr. J. C. Peckarsky Office (10B3) Director, Compensation & Pension Mr. Dean Phillips Mr. Bill Savehack Gerrit Schepers, M.D. Service (21) Special Asst. to the Administrator (OOA3) Information Services (063) Medical Service (111) �A/22/80 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE VACO STEERING COMMITTEE ON HERBICIDE TOXICITY APRIL 14. 1980 1. The meeting was c a l l e d to order at 2:00 PM. 2. The list of p a r t i c i p a n t s in the meeting is a t t a c h e d . 3. The first topic discussed was the naming of a new Agent Orange team in DM&S. Dr. Barclay Shepard is to be the leader of this team. He w i l l be assisted by Mr. Layne Drash, Program A n a l y s t , and Mrs. Theresa Obert, Technical Assistant. With the a c t i v a t i o n of this new team, Dr. Haber and Dr. Levinson w i l l d i s c o n t i n u e their role in the Agent Orange program. 4. As part of his new r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , Dr. Shepard w i l l become the Chairman of the VACO Agent Orange Steering Committee. 5. The agenda for the next Advisory Committee Meeting was discussed. This meeting wi-l.l be held on April ,23, 1980, between 8:30 and 11:30 AM in VA Central Office. Members of the Steering Committee are s c h e d u l e d to make a summary of their a c t i v i t i e s between 10:15 11:00 AM. 6. The meeting of the Chi or acne Task Force was held on A p r i l 14, 1980. The purpose of this meeting was to define the d i a g n o s t i c c r i t e r i a for c h l o r a c n e and to d e v e l o p an approach for the m e d i c a l e v a l u a t i o n of Vietnam v e t e r a n s who might manifest it. The conclusions reached by the Task Force will be presented to the Steering C o m m i t t e e at a future meeting. 7. The pre-bid conference for p o t e n t i a l contractors for the Agent Orange epidemic logical study was held on April 11, 1980. A p p r o x i m a t e l y 12 p o t e n t i a l bidders attended the conference, and s e v e r a l of them expressed significant interest in the study. 8. The prospectus for the Agent Orange literature review is s t i l l being c i r c u l a t e d for approval through VACO. It is antic i p a t e d that the project w i l l be ready for a d v e r t i s e m e n t in the "Commerce Business Daily" by April 30, 1980. 9. Progress in planning the Agent Orange e d u c a t i o n a l conference was reviewed. The conference w i l l be held in Silver Spring, Md. , on May 28-30, 1980. The audience w i l l be composed of VA "environmental h e a l t h physicians" and VA Regional Office personnel. A list of the p o t e n t i a l agenda topics was presented. Considering the importance of this conference , the Committee voted unaninously to request that they be given the opportunity to approve the contents of the agenda prior to its finalization. �10. Progress was reported on the computerization of the data from the Agent Orange Registry. The design for the scope of the reports to be generated from this d a t a is currently being designed in conjunction with the Computerized Medical Systems Office. 11. Efforts to prepare an informational pamphlet on Agent Orange for veterans is underway. The VACO Information Service is coordinating this effort. 12. The AFIP Agent Orange Tissue Registry now has pathological m a t e r i a l from 38 patients. A l l of this material was submitted by VA h o s p i t a l s . 13. The journal articles reporting on the VA ' s study on dioxin levels in human fat biopsies are being prepared. Two articles will be s u b m i t t e d , one on the chemical methodology utilized and the other on the c l i n i c a l i m p l i c a t i o n s of the procedure. Both p a p e r s w i l l be reviewed by several outside scientific panels before their submission to the journal-s. 14. The s c r i p t for the informational film on Agent Orange for v e t e r a n s being prepared by the St. Louis RMEC has been r e c e i v e d by VACO for review. The Steering Committee voted unanimously to request t h a t it be p e r m i t t e d to review and comment on the script prior to its being fina1i zed. 15. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 PM. Respectfully submitted, \ I ( ' *£- l>(- " n f RICHARD A. LEVINSON, M.D. At tachmen t 2. �ROSTER OF PARTICIPANTS VACO AGENT ORANGE STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING April 14, 1980 Name Title Mr. Fred Conway Attorney, General Counsel's O f f i c e (023D) Mr . Layne Drash Staff Assistant, Professional Services (11) Lawrence Hobson, M . D . Deputy ACMD for Research and Development (15A) Mr. Alex Kutner S t a f f Assistant, Professional Services Ms. Marjorie Leandri Management Services (63) Dr. Lyndon Lee Surgical Service, VAMC Washington, D.C. Paul LeGolvan, M.D. Deputy Director, Pathology Service (113) Richard A. Levinson, M.D. Deputy ACMD for Professional Services Mr. J. C. Peckarsky Director, Compensation & Pension Service (21) Mr. Dean Phillips Special Asst. to the Administrator (OOA3) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alvin L. Young Collection on Agent Orange Description An account of the resource <p style="margin-top: -1em; line-height: 1.2em;">The Alvin L. Young Collection on Agent Orange comprises 120 linear feet and spans the late 1800s to 2005; however, the bulk of the coverage is from the 1960s to the 1980s and there are many undated items. The collection was donated to Special Collections of the National Agricultural Library in 1985 by Dr. Alvin L. Young (1942- ). Dr. Young developed the collection as he conducted extensive research on the military defoliant Agent Orange. The collection is in good condition and includes letters, memoranda, books, reports, press releases, journal and newspaper clippings, field logs and notebooks, newsletters, maps, booklets and pamphlets, photographs, memorabilia, and audiotapes of an interview with Dr. Young.</p> <p>For more about this collection, <a href="/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/alvin-l--young-collection-on-a">view the Agent Orange Exhibit.</a></p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Box The box containing the original item. 166 Folder The folder containing the original item. 4959 Series The series number of the original item. Series VII Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Levinson, Richard A. Description An account of the resource <strong>Corporate Author: </strong>Vaco Agent Orange Steering Committee on Herbicide Toxicity Title A name given to the resource Minutes of the Meeting of the Vaco Steering Committee on Herbicide Toxicity, January 29, 1980, March 6, 1980, and April 14, 1980