7 15 672 https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/c6162270238d1112d3c0cd9b5d6c5699.pdf 8e6c4c1c9c1a494b496886105732db62 PDF Text Text Rom n Number °5735 D Author Corporate Author u s Report/Article Tltte Press - - Department of Health and Human Services Release: HHS News, Draft, undated Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color D Number of bnages ° DBSCrlptOn NOtOS Announces that an updated report from the Agent Orange Working Group was forwarded to the Cabinet Council on Domestic Policy. Tuesday, March 26,2002 Page 5735 of 5743 �HHS ffi U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DRAFT , Contact: Telephone Dixon Arnett, deputy under secretary for intergovernmental affairs, today forwarded to the Cabinet Council on Domestic Policy an updated report from the Agent Orange Working Group which he chairs, suggesting no new major studies are needed on the subject until evaluations have been done on those already completed or continuing through 1987 at a cost of more than $150 million. Terming results of the studies thus far as "reassuring," Arnett said. "Completed studies show no increase in birth defects among children of •* Vietnam veterans or higher mortality due to Agent Orange exposure. "However, careful and intensive epidemiological studies in other areas are going on and we must await their findings." The science panel formed by the AOWG says in the report that the numerous research projects completed or already underway are the ones it considers both essential and feasible. It recommends "that any additional major research efforts involving Vietnam veterans' exposure to Agent Orange should await evaluation of the results of studies which are currently in progress." Created in 1979 as a small interagency work group, the AOWG was enlarged and elevated to cabinet council status in July 1981 by President Reagan to show his concern over the fears of Vietnam veterans that they may ^ suffer ill effects from exposure to phenoxy acid herbicides, principally Agent Orange. The herbicides were sprayed to defoliate dense jungle areas from which enemy troops operated. - MORE - �- 2- Veterans groups have maintained they were endangered by an increase in cancers and liver disorders, and expressed fears that their children might be born with defects. They called for scientific research, compensation and treatment. In forwarding the new AOWG report to the Cabinet Council on Domestic Policy, Arnett said, "The president's promise to support any research necessary to learn whether Vietnam veterans as a group are suffering any chronic health effects not present in a comparable population that did not serve in Vietnam, will be kept." Led by HHS, 12 federal departments or independent agencies are represented on the Agent Orange Working Group. It sets priorities, coordinates and oversees federal research into the possibility of * long-term ' adverse health effects resulting from exposure to the herbicides used in Vietnam. The science panel reports that the departments of Health and Human Services, Defense and Agriculture; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the Veterans Administration are conducting ongoing studies with the other AOWG members providing advice and guidance. The others are the Department of State; Department of Labor; ACTION; the White House Offices of Policy Development, Science and Technology Policy; Office of Management and Budget; Council of Economic Advisors; and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the latter as an observer. #### � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5735 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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/. Description An account of the resource <strong>Corporate Author: </strong>U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Title A name given to the resource Press Release: HHS News, Draft, undated ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/f63be7c64bc7a476ab478e0dc0bce52f.pdf f38f2b47830f4d12af1dc29d6a592536 PDF Text Text item n Number °5734 D N0t scanned Author Corporate Author Report/ArticleTitlB Typescripts: "I. Introduction" and "II. Obtaining Unit Location Information" Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color Number of Images D ° Doscrlpton Notes Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5734 of 5743 �INTRODUCTION In the interim report dated February 1985 the Agent Orange Projects (AOP) presented information on four modifications to the original study design. 1. Battalions rather than companies would form the basis of cohort selection and unit location. The decision to use battalion level location information was based on the lack of information concerning the location of company-sized units. 2. Ranking of unit exposure would not determine selection of study participants. This decision was based on the inability i to obtain enough data concerning location information to select the sample on the basis on ranking unit likelihoods for exposure. The decision also resulted from pretests that suggested that there might be high rates of transfer among units. 3. Individual military personnel records, as well as unit morning reports would be used to indent ify veterans' period of service in Vietnam. A pretest has shown that tracking of men using only the morning reports would not provide information on a large enough number of men. �4. The study would be restricted to men serving in infantry or artillery units. There were two reasons for this decision: First, we believe that the dispersion among infantry and artillery units might be less than for cavalry, armor, and engineering units, and second, we believe men from these units will resemble each other more closely in terms of baseline characteristics and general military experience than they would resemble men from cavalry, armor, and engineering battalions. Additionally, the February 1985 report suggested that a true quantitative assessment of exposure was impossible to derive, but that a qualitative assessment of the likelihood of exposure could be attained by using various mathematical models. The report also presented data on some possible mathematical models and discussed the general problem of misclassification of exposure likelihood. Comments and suggestions were sought. �Reviewers responses included: 1. Concern over using battalion level locations to place men since this approach is less informative than locating the companies in which the men served. The Army and Joint Services Environmental Support Group (ES6) abstracts battalion level and higher reports to obtain battalion locations. After AOP reported that there was insufficient data to locate companies ES6 suggested that additional documents exist establishing the location of company (battery) level units on a daily basis. Company sized units filed daily reports, known as morning reports, that contained information on the location of the unit for the day of the report and these reports can be used to provide locations for companies on days for which information was previously unavailable. �Reviewers responses included: 1. Concern over using battalion level locations to place men since this approach is less informative than locating the companies in which the men served. The Army and Joint Services Environmental Support Group (ESG) abstracts battalion level and higher reports to obtain battalion locations. After AOP reported that there was insufficient data to locate companies ESG suggested that additional documents exist establishing the location of company (battery) level units on a daily basis. Company sized units filed daily reports, known as morning reports, that contained information on the location of the unit for the day of the report and these reports can be used to provide locations for companies on days for which information was previously unavailable. �In this report we examine the possibility that company morning reports may be used to supply additional location information and conclude that this information presents locations which are inconsistent with information derived from more reliable sources. We report an algorithm which will be used to derive company level locations for each day during 1967 and 1968 using the information available from the research of battalion- and higher-level documents. 2. Some reviewers requested a demonstration that some units had a likelihood for exposure and that there was a differential oportunity for exposure among these units. We demonstrate this in Section III of this report and note that the present sampling procedures should insure that men with a high likelihood of exposure are included in the sample. 3. No reviewer questioned our decision to include only men from infantry and artillery battalions in the study. However, our exposure analysis suggests that one of the battalions that had a high likelihood of exposure was a calvary battalion. This battalion will be included in the sample. �A. Agent Orange encounters among battalions. We define an encounter with Agent Orange to be any occurence of a reported unit location within a specified distance and time from a known application of the herbicide. For this analysis no attempt was made to summarize the locations of companies. We matched all known locations to the data on Agent Orange applications and used various time and distance criteria to define an encounter. We note that this analysis allows a single location to contribute to several different encounters and also allows a single spray to contribute to several different encounters. i We present data on three different analyses using the following definitions of encounters: 1. Applications within 1 day and 5 km of the location. 2. Applications within 5 days and 10 km of the location. 3. Applications on the same day and within 1 km of the location. The results of these analyses are presented in Tables 5-7. These analysis suggest that battalions 1-3,6,20,24, and 44 were most likely to have been exposed to Agent Orange. �B. Variation of exposure likelihood over time. « We next examined whether for a battalion the demonstrated high likelihood for exposure was due to a uniform likelihood of exposure throughout the period 1967 and 1968. If the high likelihood for exposure was uniform over the entire period it is imperative to select men from both units with a high and a low likelihood of exposure. On the other hand, if the high likelihood for exposure is due to a limited time then a better method of selection of men would be to chose only men who served in units with a high likelihood of exposure since in this case the units would yield men in both the high and low likelihood of exposure categories. �Table 5 Number of herbicide encounters within 1 day and 5 km. by battalion and company. 1 Battn: 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 20 22 23 24 31 32 33 34 37 38 43 44 A 1 29 16 1 94 2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 113 2 4 11 1 2 0 6 0 8 0 32 B 14 9 7 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 4 1 8 0 0 0 20 C 4 24 1 0 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 95 5 1 10 0 1 1 3 0 0 2 11 D 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 1 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Total 52 84 25 4 119 7 2 10 1 1 2 6 4 223 21 16 37 8 16 2 27 10 8 4 69 Note: Total column is number of herbicide encounters for any unit in the specified battalion Only known locations are included in this tabulation. �Table 6 Number of herbicirfo 0» counters within 5 d[ays and 10 km. by battalion^co^ny. 1 Battn: A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 H 12 " 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 24 26 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 39 42 43 44 KT «>«•_. — 63 278 383 29 6 421 22 6 32 4 26 3 16 6 0 0 501 54 26 49 131 0 9 12 7 i19 0 9 28 11 44 90 207 . B 95 239 361 13 1 C 88 2oo 54 o rt W 7 27 g 79 17 11 2 m+ 12 28 25 49 43 63 1 J. 12 8 8 118 2 fi 21 1 34 96 219 0 23 4 9 6 0 1 7 6 5 0 9 445 28 59 110 169 0 5 13 16 154 0 3 12 28 40 75 171 - 0 0 24 44 2 0 5 0 0 22 3 0 0 5 1 36 23 50 1 1 15 0 8 0 0 0 24 4 43 1 Total 497 1012 873 55 29 549 118 18 64 26 47 78 35 22 9 1067 136 247 303 595 7 48 99 36 471 2 70 72 77 125 423 661 �Table 7 Number of herbicide encounters within 1 km on the same day. by battalion and company 1 Battn: 2 3 6 9 20 24 34 A 0 0 12 0 28 2 3 B 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 C 1 0 0 0 9 0 0 D 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Total 2 1 12 3 49 5 7 Note: Total column is number of herbicide encounters for any unit in the specified battalion Only known locations are included in this tabulation. �Table 7 Number of herbicide encounters within 1 km on the same day. by battalion and company. Battn: 2 3 6 9 20 24 34 A 0 0 12 0 28 2 3 B 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 c 1 0 0 0 9 0 0 D 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Total 2 1 12 3 49 5 7 Note: Total column is number of herbicide encounters for any unit in the specified battalion Only known locations are included in this tabulation. �II. OBTAINING UNIT LOCATION INFORMATION. our goal has been to obtain information on the location of combat companies serving in III Corps for each day during the period January 1, 1967, to December 31, 1968, in order to place individual veterans to determine their possible exposure to Agent Orange. A veteran's military personnel file (201 file) tells us to which company he was assigned for each day during his tour in Vietnam. Once we know the location of the companies and where and when herbicides were applied, we can assess the likelihood of the individual's exposure to Agent Orange. We discussed the available data on herbicide applications in detail in the February 1985 report. For every combat company, some days occur for which location information is lacking using the various documents presently (ft#y*\ researched by ESG (Table 1). Despite their best efforts, it appears that gaps will remain in our ability to determine the company-level locations. We originally thought that company level morning reports would provide additional information but for various reasons discussed below this is not the case. ^ I �In this section we describe the methods presently employed* by ESG to examine military documents for recorded location information. Since these documents do not inform us of the location of every company for each day of the period of the study, we describe an algorithm used to impute a location for those days for which we lack information. A. Data available from battalion- and higher-level documents. As previously reported, the algorithm used by ESG to abstract battalion- and higher-level documents involves a hierarchical search of available military records for location information. The abstractor records all place names and map coordinates describing the locations of the units of a battalion, the dates for which these coordinates or place names are entered into the military record/ the size of the unit to which the coordinates or place names are attached, and the type of document from which the information is abstracted. ESG is currently tracing the daily locations of 65 U.S. Army battalions that served in III Corps for at least 18 months during 1967 and 1968. AOP has received data for 35 of these battalions. �The map coordinates gleaned from these records are in the i Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system which uses a two letter and six digit designation of location. The letters refer to a 100 km by 100 km grid on the map of Vietnam. The first three and the last three digits divide the east-west and north-south directions, respectively, into 0.1 km grids. Each battalion maintained several types of documents describing its activities: daily journals, situation reports (SITREPS), Operational Reports-Lessons Learned (OR-LLs), Combat Operation After Action Reports (COAARs), and other documents. A battalion also reported on its daily activities to its brigade and division, and these activities were incorporated into daily journals by these units. The brigade and division also maintained daily journals of intelligence activities and operations, along with SITREPS, OR-LLs, and COAARs. Daily journals were required at battalion, brigade and division levels. They include the place names or nap coordinates of the unit's troops, the number of wounded and killed in action, battle descriptions, locations of enemy camps, and general information. Battalion daily journals provide the most accurate location information since they describe the units activities, first hand, on a daily basis. »l~ I lit �SITREPS also were required at battalion, brigade, and division levels. These situation reports are summaries of the major combat activities of the units. They contain coordinates and military acronyms with very little explanation. Situation,* reports are used when attached to the daily journals or when journals are incomplete. The intelligence summaries provide specific map coordinates for US, Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and Viet Cong troop movements. They are used when both the daily journals and the situation reports are incomplete. These reports sometimes were required at the battalion and brigade levels, but usually are found at the division level. OR-LLs were completed quarterly, sometimes at the battalion level, but usually at the division level. They are narrative in style and describe areas of operation and specific grid coordinates. They also contain descriptions of battles and construction projects and general administrative information. �A prqvide general information but contain few coordinates, so are seldom used. These records were required when the units were involved in major combat operations. The higher the level of the document within the military organizational structure from battalion to division, the less specific the location information found there. When searching for company locations, the battalion records are read first because they contain the most detailed information and are a first hand account. When information is missing from the battalion records, the brigade- and division-level records are used. The following algorithm describes the specific sequence used by ESG to review records: 1. Battalion a. Daily journal b. situation reports 2. 'f Brigade a. Daily journal b. Situation reports I V �3. Division a. Daily journals for intelligence activity and for operations b. situation reports 4. Other a. Information froa other brigades b. Brigade and Division ORLLs, COARRs, etc. Table 1 shows the number of days for which at least one location was obtained from the abstraction process. The table presents the number of days by battalion and by company within battalion, and the column headed "Battalion11 reports the number of days for which at least one location is recorded for the entire battalion. Unfortunately, the algorithm does not provide a location for company-sized units for all days between 1/1/67 and 12/31/68. �Table 1 Number of Days for which at Least One Location is Recorded for Infantry and Artillery Battalions Company B Battalion H Battalion Infantry 1 2 3 4 11 12 13 14 21 22 23 24 31 32 33 34 42 43 44 49 median 293 324 485 578 622 517 484 500 477 359 332 381 418 357 480 351 383 252 412 295 325 415 499 590 589 531 484 462 479 333 335 293 441 331 487 348 380 202 382 346 291 450 494 558 603 517 499 486 452 365 293 343 473 389 498 392 375 263 384 324 233 46 238 80 307 359 292 266 332 216 210 245 17 282 13 194 298 176 194 163 398 398 421 202 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 29 275 505 86 135 11 11 10 9 2 0 6 44 0 0 6 10 4 11 8 527 438 78 416 481 425 618 672 716 358 652 474 507 542 541 685 510 575 665 456 10 0 22 347 2 517 1 0 379 7 0 0 0 519 364 416 12 17 217 0 42 2 3 54 256 2, 44 220 704 341 306 726 725 603 678 718 54 603 Artillery 6 7 8 9 16 18 26 36 37 38 39 median 719 163 42 284 284 29 71 109 43 593 403 665 137 28 292 290 60 47 78 50 596 383 679 20 48 288 296 80 59 58 42 586 379 572 122 25 72 0 0 59 0 8 0 91 163 137 80 25 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 7 0 1 �B. Possible additional data from company morning reports. After the OTA staff expressed concern about the ability to obtain company-level location information, the ESG claimed that additional documents exist that might help place companies on a daily basis. The suggested documents were company morning reports completed daily at the company level and containing information about company activities. AOP has been computerizing the location information from morning reports since June 1985, and, unfortunately, a detailed analysis of their contents leads us conclude that they do not offer useful additional information. The morning reports ideally contain two entries that should help establish the daily location of the company: Item 10 states the company's permanent station or location, and Item 11 states the present station or location. Figures 1 through 6 provide examples of completed morning reports. Items 10 and 11 of the morning reports may contain three different pieces of location information in various combination: a UTM grid coordinate, an Army Post Office (APO), and a place name. For example, Figure 1 contains all three pieces of information: �an APO—96225, a place name—Cu Chi, and a UTM coordinate--XT646162. was a division level basecamp northwest of Saigon and was the headquarters of the 25th Infantry Division for the entire period being studied. The coordinate listed is consistent with the known location of Cu Chi which was approximately 25 km in diameter. We have no way of knowing, however, whether the coordinate refers to the company, th< battalion, the brigade, or even the division location and fewof the morning reports contain the three pieces of information found in this example* When a place name occurs alone in the morning reports, we refer to a gazetteer and employ our prior knowledge of the unit's location to assign a coordinate. The gazetteer provides an alphabetical listing of location names in Vietnam and their associated coordinates. Often, however, the same name refers to several geographic locations, and informed opinion is required to determine which of multiple entries in the gazetteer should be associated with the particular place name. "J/v*x-*- A V • /31 �When an APO is the only information available, we use a rt^ty station list.to find the place name associated with it^ The Army published station lists monthly containing the geographic locations of the battalions serving in Vietnam. We then assign coordinates to the place names on the station lists using the same procedure descibed above. Since a single APO can refer to different geographic locations depending on the unit to which it was attached, we must use APOs in conjunction with the station lists C. The morning report algorithm. AOP began using the morning reports in June 1985 to create a computerized location file that contains each company's location obtained from the morning report for each day during 1967 and 1968. The morning reports exist on microfilm which ESG sends to AOP in batches. The file contains all information available from the morning reports: APOs, place names, grid coordinates. AOP discovered, however, that morning reports do not exist for every company for each day during 1967 and 1968 and that often only an APO is given on the morning report. 0 �1. A description of the algorithm. ESG suggests an algorithm to examine all information from the morning reports and to assign a single daily location to each company for which a location was not available from higher level documents. The algorithm requires that we derive a UTM coordinate for every day based on the information obtained from the morning report and that we assign this coordinate to any day for which •\ information is lacking. Unfortunately, we have not been able to determine what the locations listed in the morning reports represent. We do not know whether they refer to the basecamps of the company's brigade. or ~ — division or whether they refer to the fire support bases tx %/ which the battalions operated while in the field/* A division in ( Vietnam consisted of three brigades and a brigade consisted of three battalions. Battalions contained four line companies instead of the usual three so that one could be kept in support of the battalion fire base. «- \ ^ / * Crf/fej)J^(^JL(J^ ))l* A4 �The term "basecamp" had a particular meaning in Vietnam. It referred to an installation containing the headquarters for a unit above the battalion level either at the brigade or division level (Major General David Ewing Ott: Vietnam Studies; Field Artillery 1954-1973,1 pg« 73, published by the Department of the Army, 1975). Division basecamps were large semi-permanent installations , \\$* such as that constructed at Cu Chi mentioned above. Generally, one of the three brigades of the division was dedicated to the support and defense of the basecamp with the brigade commander being appointed as the base commander (Lieutenant General John H. Hay Jr.: Vietnam Studies\ Tactical and Materiel Innovations . pp 148-61, published by the Department of the Army, 1 7 ) 94. ji J^ Battalions and companies tended to operate from fire support../ / ( * J^ bases while in the field. Fire support bases were smaller, *^ i V/jvt*'1 temporary installations that usually contained an infantry battalion's headquarters and an artillery battery for direct support of the battalion. The area of operations for the battalion was around the fire base but within the effective firing range of its artillery support. The effective firing range of the 105- mm Howitzer (the cannon most often used in a direct support role) was about 7 JCBUK Typically, the three brigades composing a 7 division rotated through the division headquarters,1,and the three r ; ; - , , ,:... �battalions composing a brigade rotated .through the brigade headquarters.! Therefore we are presented with four combat » companies A-D in a battalion, three battalions in a brigade, and three brigades in a division. At any point in tine there were 12 companies at the division basecamp, 8 companies at the two brigade basecamps and 16 companies operating out of the four battalion • firebases./ These different locations were not necessarily in $ close proximity to one another and it is not known to which of these locations the morning reports refer. Table 2 summarizes some of the data collected from morning reports by AOP thus far. On many days and for many units there is only an APO available in the morning reportsnjT . �Table 2 Number of Available.Morning Reports Abstracted by Type of Information Grid APO 482 457 438 370 156 453 None 0 0 0 0 173 Place Name 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 77 97 115 361 575 105 146 172 181 167 0 0 0 0 464 276 159 176 0 2 0 0 121 281 391 388 0 0 0 0 0 0 652 612 644 313 504 656 0 0 0 0 0 0 79 119 87 418 227 75 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 709 v| o H~ .VJF o V/5k ° Y 0 n 0 0 30 22 14 603 22 12 A B C O E H 323 329 320 123 15 357 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 408 402 411 608 716 374 13 A B C O E H 0 128 63 106 47 133 340 396 493 274 82 560 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 391 207 96 350 602 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 351 350 348 322 0 0 0 0 380 381 383 409 Battalion Company 1A B C O E H 2 A B C H Coord 172 177 178 3 A B C D E H 4 A B C O K 14 A B C E 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 700 709 717 128 o o 0 79 1 o 0 0 No Report �Table 2 (Continued) 21 A B C D E H 22 A \ JfTo 680 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 70 33 255 601 37 0 0 0 80 73 68 332 477 41 661 ' i\Ju 698 l A. 476 v/r* 123 /' 693 ( A o ° o 7 i 651 \ &~ o 658 A„ .P ° 663 \1 r ° o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 140 0 35 0 0 137 465 664 549 381 381 184 0 0 0 0 0 0 126 67 147 350 350 410 B C D E H 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 616 555 516 318 231 491 0 0 0 0 0 115 160 215 413 500 240 31 A B C D H 0 0 0 0 0 336 281 263 113 333 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 395 450 468 618 398 34 A B C D E H 163 170 140 0 0 163 0 0 0 0 0 0 151 115 140 100 34 184 0 0 0 0 0 0 417 446 451 631 697 384 44 A B C D E H 349 308 16 7 0 0 58 0 0 0 16 6 107 34 0 0 382 423 389 624 697 673 B C D E H o o nP 396 V& 254 / 682 / f 3 \^ 23 A B C D E H 24 A 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 �Table 2 (Continued) 181 179 175 0 3 180 0 0 0 0 0 0 484 456 501 404 234 500 0 0 0 0 0 66 96 55 327 493 51 6 A B C D H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 251 250 252 245 359 0 0 0 0 0 480 481 479 486 372 7 A B D H 149 163 134 150 0 0 0 0 340 375 310 373 0 0 0 0 242 193 287 208 8A 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 408 554 516 529 529 0 0 0 0 0 302 177 215 212 262 0 0 0 581 369 260 334 0 0 0 0 150 362 471 397 1 ° y/ ° ry o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 234 259 221 176 0 0 0 0 390 357 225 201 0 0 0 0 341 374 506 530 566 517 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 165 214 479 411 49 A B C D E H 1 ARTILLERY B C D H 9 A B C H 16 A B C H 0 0 0 0 \ 496 1 472 . \\SPs 510 V 555 \ ^ 0 0 17 A B C H 0 18 A B C H 0 0 0 0 0 v°° ,5 252 320 �Table 2 (Continued) 19 A B C H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 369 421 298 438 0 1 0 2 362 309 433 291 26 A B C D H 248 256 300 259 84 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 483 475 431 472 647 27 H 148 29 A B C H 0 0 0 0 0 36 A B C H 39 A B C H 0 0 0 46 A B C H 0 0 0 0 0 583 0 0 162 406 292 447 0 1 0 0 569 324 439 284 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 146 271 169 208 0 0 0 0 585 460 562 523 0 0 0 0 0 203 216 177 122 0 0 0 0 528 515 554 609 320 325 319 347 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 411 406 412 384 �2. Statistical analysis of the morning report algorithm. To examine the accuracy of the morning report algorithm, we checked the distances from the locations noted in the morning reports to the known locations of the company obtained from the abstraction of higher level documents for days when both locations are noted. Table 3 presents the averages of these distances. The table also presents the 25th percentile, the median, the 75th percentile, and the 90th percentile. For example, the average distance between the two locations for A company 1st battalion, 2nd infantry (battalion number 1 on the AOP master list of combat battalions) was 35 km. Twenty-five percent of the distances were 14 km or less, 50% were 38 km or less, 75% were 47 km or less, and 90% were 81 km or less. It does not appear from this analysis that the locations obtained from the algorithm using morning report information are accurate enough for use on days when no location is obtained from the abstraction of higher level documents. AOP plans no further work on the abstraction or summarization of morning report information and does not plan to use the information obtained from this source in any further work on exposure assessment. «-v �Table 3 Distribution of distance from morning report locations to those obtained from other documents. J N . 112 127 125 20 20 18 21 20 19 3 6 5 14 13 11 29 25 23 62 65 62 563 577 553 71 13 12 10 1 18 16 12 3 .o_ 21 8 8 10 0 20 19 17 0 24 24 23 1 86 76 8 7 15 15 0 0 0 0 8 4 37 29 11 26 25 22 19 37 40 36 42 2 a b c \c A b ^ d 7 a d 25% V .50%' "90% ' 75%* *38A-*A47/—14<—— 4 ~ < 8 -^81 17 1 ~ 89 2 88 12 38 47 35 62 65 58 w 4a Mean 35 SD 25 24 26 Ala 1) b c 41 0 0" \ 12 a b c d 227 238 229 . 93 21 20 19 16 11 11 10 13 11 11 7 22 20 18 11 13 b c d 106 57 73 42 34 48 27 30 24 24 4 40 51 39 52 54 54 54 73 69 69 16 a b 25 25 19 20 28 17 13 10 8 17 18 19 34 c 210 204 228 24 53 80 24 21 a b c d 249 223 226 246 51 47 55 57 27 27 25 23 17 16 42 44 59 53 60 63 68 68 70 70 87 83 83 82 22 a b 321 308 336 174 34 34 32 25 26 26 27 17 18 18 13 12 25 25 24 25 36 36 33 29 83 83 83 38 c d 20 �0. Information available from other units. Although there are many days when there is aissii information on the location of companies within a battalion, there is at least one point available from some unit within the battalion on most days (Table l). This data may be used to impute a location for a company on days when no location is presently available. As explained above, the units from an infantry battalion tended to operate as a unit, while those from an artillery battalion did not. Thus the use of information on other units from an infantry battalion may be appropriate for imputation. Because of the manner in which the artillery operated, this is probably not the case for artillery batteries. The discussion presented pertains more to infantry units, artillery units will be discussed in section E. �If data on the location of a particular company is missing then there* nay be information available from each of the following: 1. The other line companies (Companies A-D). 2. Company E (This was a support company which was not present for all battalions). 3. The battalion headquarters company. 4. The entire battalion. For some coordinates received the unit associated with them was the battalion. This information was always available when the information was taken from the battalion daily journal. The battalion journal had a standard reference at the top of the journal 1 mi to the location of The above information could be available in any combination. Table 4 presents the number of days on which a location is known for a line company (A-D) and the number of days on which a location is known for any unit in the battalion (i.e., a line company, company E, the headquarters company, the entire battalion, or a unit of unknown size.) On most days at least one location exists for most battalions and for the majority these days the location is associated with a line company. �Table 4 Number of days on which battalion locations are reported. Any Battalion Line Company Any unit 1 532 2 4M 3 «J 4 " • 5 7 r 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 21 22 23 24 26 31 32 33 34 36 37 38 39 42 43 44 49 613 681 663 249 723 300 100 368 671 706 648 637 619 1O JLo 417 100 615 618 600 539 600 156 597 554 640 585 155 114 632 445 611 525 607 558 666 721 728 721 645 723 615 312 715 727 722 691 702 722 723 548 313 693 728 690 683 713 728 669 660 695 723 725 635 727 720 709 703 711 682 �E. An imputation algorithm. i * There is much more information for infantry battalions than for artillery battalions. Also, artillery batteries operated differently than other types of units. For these reasons two different algorithms have been developed, one for infantry and a different one for artillery. The infantry algorithm will be applied to calvary and engineering battalions. The infantry algorithm will be as follows: 1. If location information is available from the research of higher level documents this information will be used. If not 2. If location information is available on the other companies of the same battalion this information will be used. If not then 3. If information is available for the units other than the line companies, e.g., the entire battalion, or the headquarters company this information will be used* If not then �4. For the remaining days, the last known locations and the next known locations will be assigned to the days with no information available. We believe this algorithm is justifiable because it makes use of the best possible information available at each step. The artillery algorithm will be as follows: 1. If location information is available from the research of higher level documents this information will be used. If not then 2. ESG will be asked to research the battalion using a contextual algorithm rather than a mechanical algorithm That is, they will be requested to provide an informed, opinion as to where the artillery battery was on each day for which information is missing. Since artillery batteries were less mobile than infantry companies, this research should be somewhat less involved than the research required to locate an infantry company and the information acquired in this fashion should be more accurate than if this method were used for infantry companies.- . _ 'f,. . ,>.; i*' • " ' 7£*&.i.v^ ' - «• �F. Estimating the precision of location information. The algorithm devised by ES6 and &P tor research of military documents is a "mechanical" algorithm in that the abstractors are not asked to make inferences based on the content of the military records, but only to take explicit entries which mention either an UTM coordinate or a place name. There is sometimes additional information available which would allow a trained researcher to infer the probable location of a unit. To test the accuracy of the data, we have begun creating an independent location file on a subset of the data. This file is being created independently by a military historian employed by the AOP for this purpose. > 1. Description of the process. AOP recently employed Shelby L. Stanton as a consultant with AOP on matters of military history and operations. Mr. Stanton is an expert on the military history of the Vietnam War and of the documents available for researching the war. He is a Vietnam combat veteran and military historian who has written two books about the Vietnam war, The order of Battle, and The Rise and Fall of an American Army. A third book on the history of the Special Forces'Units in Vietnam is in press. The order of Battia is the book from which the initial listing of �battalions on the AOP master list of battalions was obtained and is the source document for all previous attempts at locating units which served in Vietnam. Mr. Stanton has agreed to research eight different battalions from the AOP masterlist for one month during 1967-1968. The months were selected to cover the entire period, each battalion being researched for a different month. He will create a location (or set of locations) for each company for every day of the period. He will use whatever documents he feels necessary in order to obtain an informed opinion as to (\ location of the company. He plans to complete this research by May 1, 1986, delivering the data on each battalion as it is C . X t d O p . .. 2. Use of the file. j^^Wf* AAj) ^ * While we are convinced based on our analyses to date that we have achieved the most accurate data that is possible using the methods and records available, there is still uncertainty with regards to how accurate the process is. The file created by Mr. Stanton will be compared to the data �from the sane dates using the standard research algorithm and imputation algorithms described above. The purpose of this comparison will not be to judge the correctness of procedures but rather to place reasonable bounds on the accuracy of the data. IV. VARIATION IN OPORTUNITY FOR EXPOSURE. The design of the Agent orange Study requires that we obtain men from combat units who had a high likelihood of exposure and also men from combat units who had a low likelihood of exposure. In this section we demonstrate that there was variability in the likelihood of exposure between the units and that in those units that were most likely to have been exposed, the exposure was occurred in a limited time period. Thus, by selecting men from the battalions which were most likely to be exposed we should insure that both men who were highly likely to have been exposed and men who were much less likely to have been exposed are included in the study. � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5734 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Typescripts: "I. Introduction" and "II. Obtaining Unit Location Information" ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/748d2fc951fc3655f501225de1b4810b.pdf ff6ec2615992b3315a8485e3c315f550 PDF Text Text item D Number °5733 n (jot Scanned Author Corporate Author Report/Article Title Appendix Six: Utilization of Biological Samples to Assess Exposure to Agent Orange Journal/Book Title Year Month/Day Color Number of hiauos DBSCrlptOn NOtOS Alvin L Youn 9filed these documents together with others under the label, "Agent Orange Exposure Project." Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5733 of 5743 �APPENDIX SIX Ultilization of Biological Samples to Assess Exposure to Agent Orange Recent advancements in the analytic sensitivity of laboratory instruments have made it possible to analyze very low concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in samples of human fat ( ) The results of several independent efforts (2-4) indicate 1. that there is a background average level of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in human fat of approximately 7 parts paseaillion (ppt) (range 0-20 ppt). One study analyzed fat samples from volunteer Vietnam veterans ( ) The 4. results indicated that two veterans classified by the Veterans Administration as "heavily exposed" to Agent Orange had fat levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD of 35 and 99 ppt. The remaining 10 veterans who were classified as "lightly exposed" and "possibly exposed" had levels between 3 and 13 ppt. Four veterans who had no service in Vietnam had levels between 4 and 8 ppt. The results of this study indicate that it may be possible to distinguish high exposure to Agent Orange by analysis of fat samples. The results also indicate that veterans classified as "lightly exposed" to Agent Orange have only background levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in their fat, the same levels as are found in the U.S. population in general. Analysis of fat is a difficult method for several reasons. A surgical or suction procedure is necessary to obtain 20 grams of fat (about the size of an egg) and the cost is about $1,000 per sample. Efforts are underway currently to analyze a large volume of serum (200 ml) to detect low levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Data are also being sought which would describe the distribution of 2,3,7,8-TCDD between adipose tissue and serurt in the human body. Success with the serum method would provide a method to recognize levels of exposure which were high enough to raise levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD above background levels in the population. The recent advances in laboratory analytic techniques could be used to ascertain whether veterans in the various exposure categories of the CDC Agent Orange study have levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD above the background levels in the population. For example, a sample of veterans currently meeting criteria for the CDC Agent Orange study category of "high likelihood of exposure" and a sample of veterans from the non-exposed category could be asked to provide fat (or possibly serum) specimens for analysis. An evaluation of the results should provide insight into the adequacy of the military records to select truly exposed and truly unexposed individuals. Additionally, the results should indicate whether the levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD are significantly different from the levels in the general U.S. population. Analysis of fat (or serum) from other populations could also provide valuable insights. Several studies are currently underway in which analysis of fat is being conducted on Vietnam veterans, chemical workers, and persons with residential and recreational exposures to 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Analysis of fat (or serum) could also be conducted on selected individuals in the CDC Vietnam Experience study who have known high or low levels of exposure. Samples of fat already collected from Ranch Hand participants during elective surgery could be analyzed and compared to the levels of exposure experienced by the Individuals. �1. Patterson DG, et al. High resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrophotometric analysis of human adipose tissue for 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Anal. Chem 1986; 58:705-716. 2. Graham M, Hileman FD, Kirk D, et al.: Background human exposure to 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Fourth International Symposium on Chlorinated Dioxins and Related Compounds, 1984; Ottawa, Canada; October 16-18. 3. Graham M, Hileman FD, Wendlong J, Wilson JD. Chlorocarbons in adipose tissue samples. Fifth International Symposium on Chlorinated Dioxins and Related Components, 1985. Bayreuth FRG, September 16-19.2508R 4. Gross ML, Lay JO, Lyon PA, et al.: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin levels in adipose tissue of Vietnam veterans. Environ Res 1984; 33:261-268. � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5733 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Appendix Six: Utilization of Biological Samples to Assess Exposure to Agent Orange ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/7523a52c990eaa17682a7154a4ae5b08.pdf fe299585b42e2c8449746eb0b4b9f0f2 PDF Text Text Item D Number 05732 n JOT scanned Author Corporate Author Report/Article Title Appendix Four: Review of Epidemiologic Data on Humans Exposed to Dioxin-Contaminated Substances Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color Number of Images DOSCrlptOn Notes G ° Alvin L Youn 9filed ttiese documents together with others under the label, "Agent Orange Exposure Project." Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5732 of 5743 �APPENDIX FOUR REVIEW OF EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA ON HUMANS EXPOSED TO DIOXIN-CONTAMINATED SUBSTANCES Agent Orange is composed of equal parts of esters of two phenoxy herbicides, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. During the production of the 2,4,5-T there was unintended generation of small amounts of a contaminant, 2,3,7,8-TCDD. The production was a two step process of making 2,4,5-trichlorophenol and then using this substance to make 2,4,5-T. The interest in the CDC study is exposure to Agent Orange contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDD in amounts up to about 50 ppm, with an average level of contamination of 2 ppm. In evaluating studies of exposed populations reported in the literature to determine whether they have relevance to exposures of the veterans to Agent Orange, the following exposure situations are of interest. The published reports were examined to learn whether the literature contains data to permit judgments about how much exposure to Agent Orange would be necessary to cause harmful medical effects after an individual has been exposed. 1. Chemical workers who made dioxin-contaminated 2,4,5-trichlorophenol and 2,4,5-T and/or who were exposed following industrial accidents. 2. Herbicide sprayers who sprayed 2,4,5-T in forests, fields, and rights of way and foresters exposed to pentachlorophenol. 3. Citizens exposed in the contamination of a large area in Seveso, Italy following an industrial explosion. 4. Citizens of Missouri, U.S.A. following exposure to soil contaminated with waste oils containing 2,3,7,8-TCDD. 5. Three British laboratory scientists who suffered health effects after they had synthesized 2,3,7,8-TCDD. 6. Instances of application of substances to humans which produce chloracne. 1. Chemical workers: Chemical workers who made the substances contaminated with 2,3,7,8 TCDD are generally considered to have had much heavier exposures than would have been experienced by most veterans because of the daily opportunity for exposure and because some workers worked for many years. These substances include 2,4,5trichlorophenol and 2,4,5-T. Severe medical disorders of the peripheral nervous system, liver and skin occurred following some industrial explosions, and some of the disorders have persisted for many years. It is generally assumed that the workers experienced heavy exposure, but there are no published data providing detailed assessments of the exposures. Since all explosions occurred in trichlorophenol reactors, the specific substances to which the workers were exposed were the reactants of the 2,4,5-trichlorophenol process, including the contaminating 2,3,7,8-TCDD. The actual amounts of �2,3,7,8-TCDD present are not known and would have been dependent on the particular stage and conditions under which the explosion occurred. In recent years epidemiologic medical and mortality studies have been conducted of chemical workers exposed during the industrial explosions and also during daily job duties. The major limitations of the studies have been small size and limited information about exposures of the individuals in the study. The results have suggested that the medical problems experienced following the explosions do persist in some workers. Unfortunately, no data are present to address the question whether persons with low levels of exposure are at increased risk of medical problems. Several current studies improve upon the earlier design limitations of small size and inadequate exposure assessment. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has gathered detailed exposure information for 7,000 U.S. chemical workers which is being applied in a large mortality study and two large medical studies of chemical workers. 2. Herbicide Sprayers and Pentachlorophenol Workers: The definition of "exposure" is unclear in studies of herbicide sprayers. Sprayers use numerous types of herbicides and, generally, the particular types and amounts sprayed by each individual are not known. A number of case control studies have evaluated the possible association of soft tissue sarcoma, lymphoma, nasal and colon cancer with exposures to phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols by interviewing subjects regarding prior exposures. These studies defined exposed sprayers as those who worked more than 1 day. In these situations an individual was considered "exposed" even if the phenoxy herbicide, such as 2,4-D or MCPA, contained no 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Additionally, no distinction in exposure was made for individuals working with pentachlorophenol, which might not contain 2,3,7,8-TCDD, but could contain substantial amounts of more highly chlorinated and less toxic isomers of dioxin. 3 & 4 Citizens of Seveso and Missouri: Studies of citizens of Seveso have had major design problems and have included no measurements of levels of exposure, making it impossible to assess a relationship between medical problems and levels of exposure to the spewed contents of the trichlorophenol reactor. Cases of chloracne did occur following the Seveso explosion, especially among children. Recent studies of citizens in Missouri, U.S.A., who were exposed to soil contaminated with 2,3,7,8-TCDD in waste oils have noted no cases of chloracne, but have found indications of possible immune effects. 4. British laboratory workers: Three British laboratory workers who synthesized 2,3,7,8-TCDD experienced medical problems similar to the chemical workers exposed in industrial accidents, including chloracne and neurologic problems. However, there is no information on the levels of their exposures. �5. Application of chloracnegens to human skin: No published studies have examined the relationship between level of exposure and the appearance of chloracne in humans. NIOSH may be able to contribute information on this question when the evaluation of hundreds of medical records of chemical workers has been completed and the results Interpreted in light of individual exposures. Consequently, anecdotal situations of application of chloracnegens to humans are of Interest. At best these are very rough estimates because of the variability encountered among individuals. In the mid-19601s, sixty volunteer persons were treated on the forearm or mid-back region with between 0.2 and 8 ug dioxin and the application repeated two weeks later. No one developed chloracne, yielding the conclusion that humans can tolerate exposure to 16 ug dioxin without developing chloracne. (The study design was based on prior animal studies which showed that rabbits developed mild chloracne from application of 0.5 ug dioxin inside the rabbit ear. Application of 1-2 ug caused a more pronounced effect, and 4-8 ug, a severe effect). Subsequently, the researcher applied 7,500 ug in one square inch to the back area of ten volunteers, of whom 8 developed chloracne which lasted 4-7 months. No other medical information was described. Therefore, limited information suggests that the human threshhold for chloracne lies between 16 and 7,500 ug of dioxin applied in a small area of the back. Conclusions: Knowledge of the actual exposure experienced by study participants is the weakest characteristic of all published studies of human exposure to dioxincontaminated substances. Several current but not yet completed studies have good exposure estimates. The published studies do not provide definitions of exposure which are useful in evaluating how much exposure to Agent Orange would be necessary to cause harmful health outcomes for the veterans. Bibliography The information presented here can be explored in greater detail through the use of the following publications, which review and cite other valuable references. (1) Tucker, R., Young, A., and Gray, A., (eds.). Human and Environmental Risk of Chlorinated Dioxins. Plenum Pres, New York, 1983. (2) IARC (1978) Long term hazards of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans. IARC Technical Report No. 78/001. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon. (3) Fingerhut, M., Sweeney, M.H., Halperin, W.E. The epidemiology of populations exposed to dioxin. American Chemical Society Annual Meeting, New York City, April, 1986. (4) Hay, A. The Chemical Scythe, Lessons £f_ 2,4,5-T and Dioxin. Plenum Press, New York, 1982. � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5732 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Appendix Four: Review of Epidemiologic Data on Humans Exposed to Dioxin-Contaminated Substances ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/27563c005047aeebae4a7b2610809ed9.pdf fc08fee4db8754e5875cbf113229aac7 PDF Text Text Item D Number 05731 G Not Scanned Author Corporate Author Estimated Amounts of TCDD Exposure from a Ranch Hand Spray Mission Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color Number of Images UBSCrlpton NOtOS n ° Alvin L - Young filed these documents together with others under the label, "Agent Orange Exposure Project." Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5731 of 5743 �ESTIMATED AMOUNTS OF TCDD EXPOSURE FROM A RANCH HAND SPRAY MISSION Vfe have summarized various estimates made for amounts of TCDD exposure of a serviceperson from the Ranch Hand spray mission. As we will briefly describe for each estimate many assumptions were made and entered into the calculation. / 1. FLANDERS (CDC) Dr. Flanders in his estimate of TCDD exposure from a single Ranch Hand spray assumed an extreme case scenario. He assumed that Agent Orange sprayed in Vietnam contained 47ppm of TCDD, that 5 gallons of Agent Orange were applied per acre of land, and that each gallon of Agent Orange weighed 10.7 pounds. Using these figures he calculated that the amount of TCDD/M^ of land was 282ug. He further assumed that all Agent Orange sprayed on the jungle reached ground level, and that the whole body surface (not just head, shoulders, arms) was equally exposed to Agent Orange whether that part of the body was clothed or not. Using a body surface area of 1.85m^/servicemen, he was able to estimate the ug TCDD/serviceperson to be 522. Taking a 3% dermal absorption rate for TCDD he estimated that 16ug of TCDD would be absorbed into the serviceperson from a single direct exposure to a Ranch Hand spray mission. This is equivalent to 0.22ug per kg body wieght for a 70kg serviceperson. 2. GQUGH (FORMERLY WITH OTA) In his recent book, Gough presnts as an appendix calulation of the amount of dioxin exposure of a person standing under a Ranch Hand spray mission. His extreme scenario, that is, a serviceperson standing in the open area while being sprayed on with Agent Orange containing SOppm TCDD with the application rate of 3 gallons per acre resulted in 32.4ug of TCDD falling on a serviceperson's head and shoulders. Another extreme case was a serviceperson standing under jungle conopy while being sprayed on with Agent Orange containing O.Sppm TCDD with the same application rate resulting in exposure to 0.02ug TCDD on the head and shoulders. He had assumed that 6% of Agent Orange sprayed on the jungle would reach ground level. Assuming that 0.05% of TCDD contacted by the serviceperson would be absorbed by the body, the amounts of TCDD absorbed per kg body weight under these two senarios were 2.3x1flF~4 and 1.4x10"^, respectively. 3. STEVENS Dr. Stevens in his calculation of TCDD exposure from a single Ranch Hand mission made many assumptions which were similar to Gough. For a 70kg serviceperson the amount of TCDD absorbed per kg body weight was estimated to be 7x10~6 ug. �ESTIMATED AMOUNTS OP TCDD EXPOSURE FROM A RANCH HMD SPRAY MISSION OPEN JUNGLE TCDD/AO (ppm) 47 50 0.5 2 JUNGLE No No Yes Yes PROTECTIVE CLOTHING No Yes Yes Yes DERMAL ABSORPTION 3% Yes : Yes . ' ' ' •"- Yes ug TCDD/M2 ground 232 180 1x10~1 5x1 0-1 ug TCDD/serv iceman 522 32.4 2x10-2 <1 ug TCDD absorbed/ serviceman 16 1.6x10-2 1x1(T5 5x1 0~4 ug TCDD absorbed/kg BW 2.2x10~1 2.3x10-4 1.4x1 Of 7 . 7x10-6 Fraction of FDA's VSD of 13x10~6 ug (daily for 70 years) total 3.3x10-' ug 48 4.8x10-2 3x10-5 1.5x10~3 Fraction of MTD of 1x10"' ugAg 2.2 2.3x10~3 1.4x1 (T6 7x1 0~5 CANOPY VSD = Virtually Safe Dose MTD = Mimimum Toxic Dose , , � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5731 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Estimated Amounts of TCDD Exposure from a Ranch Hand Spray Mission ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/6d2183b4cd00fc6734611fe1012f4998.pdf fd12328fce3937c2e0ab9f2c6ccb2914 PDF Text Text Rom D Number 0573 ° D ^t Scanned Author Corporate Author RlHJOPt/APtlclB Tltlfl Appendix V: Toxicity Data and Exposure Estimates Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color n Number of Images ° Alvin L Youn gfiled these documents together with others under the label, "Agent Orange Exposure Project." Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5730 of 5743 �APPENDIX-3JT TOXICITY DATA AND EXPOSURE ESTIMATES Concern has been expressed about the toxicity of the herbicides used in Vietnam, including the contaminant 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Therefore, the files of the Office of Pesticide Programs in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were consulted to determine the toxicity .(both carcinogenicity and non-carcinogenicity) for the compounds in question: 2,4,5-T, 2,4-D, picloram, and cacodylic acid, as well as 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Attachment 1 summarizes these data. The "ADI" is an estimate of the level of exposure which could be received daily for a lifetime with little likelihood of deleterious effects to exposed humans. In addition, the Science Panel investigated the potential for toxicologically significant exposure under a variety of scenarios. The Bricker paper, found elsewhere in the appendix, presents much valuable data on exposure conditions in Vietnam and estimated exposures. In a separate, focused effort Kang summarized the exposure potential for "wet sprays" via Ranch Hand, as estimated by Flanders (CDC), Gough (in a recently published book), and Kingsley and Stevens (in a previously published article) (Attachment 2). Attachment 3 summarizes exposure estimates for a number of exposure scenarios. Finally, attachment 4 is an extract of a detailed EPA exposure assessment on the use of 2,4,5-T in various applications in the U.S. � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5730 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Appendix V: Toxicity Data and Exposure Estimates ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/65f6b21879afc4759a8c914f2b848b50.pdf c83d9551eb01403e95237417bf3bf020 PDF Text Text Hem • Number °5729 G Not Scanned Author Corporate Author RODOrt/ArtiGlO Tltte Summary of Results of Pilot Tests Among Vietnam Veterans Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color D Number of Images ° DOSCrlptOn NOtOS Alvin L Youn 9filed tnese documents together with others under the label, "Agent Orange Exposure Project." Tuesday, March 26,2002 Page 5729 of 5743 �SUMMARY OF RESULTS OF PILOT TESTS AMONG VIETNAM VETERANS MILITARY RECORDS WERE EXAMINED BY THE U. S. ARMY AND JOINT SERVICES ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT GROUP IN ORDER TO ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF DAILY TROOP DISPERSION AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF ENCOUNTERS WITH AGENT ORANGE APPLICATIONS DURING THE PERIOD FROM OCTOBER 1, 1966 THROUGH MARCH 31, 1969, IN CORPS TACTICAL ZONE III, VIETNAM. PROCEDURES AND RESULTS OF THESE TESTS WERE AS FOLLOWS: TROOP DISPERSION SIX COMPANIES, ONE FROM EACH OF SIX OF THE BATTALIONS USED IN THE OTHER PILOT TESTS, AND SIX DAYS IN 1967 AND 1968 WERE SELECTED AT RANDOM. ON EACH OF THE 36 COMPANY-DAY COMBINATIONS (SIX COMPANIES TIMES SIX DAYS), THE RECORDED LOCATION FOR EACH ELEMENT OF THE COMPANY WAS PLOTTED ON THE APPROPRIATE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF VIETNAM. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF THE SAME COMPANY ON THE SAME DAY WERE MEASURED FROM THE MAPS. THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE BETWEEN ANY TWO ELEMENTS OF THE SAME COMPANY ON THE SAME DAY WERE ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING DISTRBUTION: NUMBER OF OCCURRANCES 17 1 5 4 5 4_ 36 DISTANCE IN KILOMETERS 0 (COMPANY ALL IN ONE LOCATION) <2 2-4 5-9 10-19 20-29 6 (AVERAGE) NUMBER OF ENCOUNTERS SEVEN BATTALIONS WERE SELECTED FOR THIS TEST, EACH CONSISTING OF FIVE COMPANIES, MAKING 35 COMPANIES IN ALL. THE DAILY LOCATIONS FOR EACH OF THESE COMPANIES WERE DETERMINED FROM EXISTING MILITARY RECORDS AND MATCHED AGAINST ALL KNOWN AGENT ORANGE APPLICATIONS DURING THE DESIGNATED 30 MONTH PERIOD OF THE TEST. MATCHING WAS DONE FOR ENCOUNTERS WITHIN THREE DIFFERENT TIME-DISTANCE COMBINATIONS, INCLUDING: 1) WITHIN 500 METERS ON THE DAY OF APPLICATION ("WET" ENCOUNTERS) 2) WITHIN 2 KILOMETERS AND WITHIN 3 DAYS OF APPLICATION 3) WITHIN 2 KILOMETERS AND WITHIN 6 DAYS OF APPLICATION. A SUMMARY OF THE NUMBERS OF ENCOUNTERS AMONG THE 35 COMPANIES AND WITHIN EACH OF THESE TIME-DISTANCE COMBINATIONS IS SHOWN IN TABLE I. DATA ARE INCLUDED FOR RANCH HAND (HERBS) AND PERIMETER (SERVICES HERBS) AS WELL AS COMBINED (EITHER TAPE) AND FOR THE CUMULATIVE COMBINED, E.G., 5 COMPANIES HAD 14 OR MORE ENCOUNTERS WITHIN 2 KILOMETERS AND WITHIN 6 DAYS OF AN AGENT ORANGE APPLICATION. ALTHOUGH 5 OUT OF 35 IS 14%, THIS MAY BE AN OVERESTIMATE OF WHAT MIGHT BE FOUND AMONG ALL COMPANIES IN III CORPS SINCE THE 7 BATTALIONS WERE CHOSEN FROM AMONG THOSE THOUGHT TO BE THE MOST LIKELY EXPOSED TO RANCH HAND APPLICATIONS. AMONG APPROXIMATELY 5000 VETERANS KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO T.HESE SEVEN BATTALIONS, THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WITH VARIOUS NUMBERS OF ENCOUNTERS WERE DETERMINED AS SHOWN IN TABLE II. SINCE THERE ARE SOME VETERANS WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THESE BATTALIONS WHO HAVE NOT YET BEEN IDENTIFIED, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT SOME OF THE PROPORTIONS OF MEN WITH MORE THAN A FEW ENCOUNTERS WILL BE GREATER THAN INDICATED IN THE TABLE, ALTHOUGH HOW MUCH IS UNKNOWN. A MORE DETAILED LIST OF PROCEDURES AND RESULTS OF THE NUMBER OF ENCOUNTERS PILOT TESTS FOLLOW TABLE II IN THIS APPENDIX. �RESULTS OF PILOT TESTS FOR NUMBER OF ENCOUNTERS WITH AGENT ORANGE APPLICATIONS TABLE I NUMBERS OF COMPANIES WITH VARIOUS NUMBERS OF ENCOUNTERS # OF ENCOUNTERS 0 1 500 M / 1 DAY 1 HERBS 33 SERVICES HERBS 33 2 3 EITHER TAPE 31 CUMULATIVE 4 35 CUMULATIVE % 100% 11% 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2 6% 1 2 6% 9 10 11 1 3% 13 14 15 1 1 1 3% 1 1 1 3% 2 KMS / 3 DAYS 1 1 24 6 HERBS 3 7 1 SERVICES HERBS 17 2 7 4 14 4 EITHER TAPE 5 3 3 CUMULATIVE 9 6 35 21 16 12 CUMULATIVE % 100% 60% 46% 34% 26% 17% 2 6% 1 3% 2 KMS / 6 DAYS 1 1 1 2 4 HERBS 21 5 4 2 3 1 1 1 SERVICES HERBS 17 2 2 2 2 1 1 4 1 4 1 1 14 3 EITHER TAPE 3 8 6 6 6 6 5 4 CUMULATIVE 9 35 21 18 15 14 10 10 CUMULATIVE % 100% 60% 51% 43% 40% 29% 29% 26% 23% 17% 17% 17% 17% 14% 11% TABLE II NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH VARIOUS NUMBERS OF ENCOUNTERS # OF ENCOUNTERS 0 1 10 11 12 13 15 + 500 M / 1 DAY EITHER TAPE <4834 104+ 62 CUMULATIVE "5000 166+ 62 CUMULATIVE % 100% 3%+ 15 2 KMS / 3 DAYS 1 3 35 EITHER TAPE "4360 268 157 69 47 31 27 37 37 CUMULATIVE "5000 640 372 215 146 99 68 41 40 CUMULATIVE % 100% 13% 7% 4% 3% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2 2 0% 2 KMS / 6 DAYS 4 37 1 6 28 EITHER TAPE '4277 252 33 38 154 57 11 72 30 '5000 723 471 438 400 246 189 178 106 76 70 70 42 41 37 CUMULATIVE 5% 4% 4% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1 100% 14% 9% 9% 8; CUMULATIVE % � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5729 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Summary of Results of Pilot Tests Among Vietnam Veterans ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/aa553e0bbb928b8b04ee766c38f3d8fd.pdf 16a293a16ffad104863f4270ec2dbe16 PDF Text Text item D Number °5728 D mot scanned Author Corporate Author RODOrt/ArtfClO TltlB Typescript: Utilization of Biological Samples to Assess Exposure to Agent Orange Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color O Number of Images ° DdSCrlptOd NOtBS Alvin L Youn 9filed these documents together with others under the label, "Agent Orange Exposure Project." Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5728 of 5743 �Ultilization of Biological Samples to Assess Exposure to Agent Orange Recent advancements in the analytic sensitivity of laboratory instruments have made it possible to analyze very low concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in samples of human fat ( ) 1 . The results of several independent efforts (2-4) indicate that there is a background average level of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in human fat of approximately 7 parts per trillion (ppt) (range 0-20 ppt) . One study analyzed fat samples from volunteer Vietnam veterans ( ) 4 . The results indicated that two veterans classified by the Veterans Administration as "heavily exposed" to Agent Orange had fat levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD of 35 and 99 ppt. The remaining 10 veterans who were classified as "lightly exposed" and "possibly exposed" had levels between 3 and 13 ppt. Four veterans who had no service in Vietnam had levels between 4 and 8 ppt. The results of this study indicate that it may be possible to distinguish high exposure to Agent Orange by analysis of fat samples. The results also indicate that veterans classified as "lightly exposed" to Agent Orange have only background levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD in their fat, the same levels as are found in the U.S. population in general. Analysis of fat is a difficult method for several reasons. A surgical or suction procedure is necessary to obtain 20 grams of fat (about the size of an egg) and the cost is about $1,000 per sample. Efforts are underway currently to analyze a large volume of serum (200 ml) to detect low levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Data are also being sought which would describe the distribution of 2,3,7,8-TCDD between adipose tissue and serum in the human body. Success with the serum method would provide a method to recognize levels of exposure which were high enough to raise levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD above background levels in the population. The recent advances in laboratory analytic techniques could be used to ascertain whether veterans in the various exposure categories of the CDC Agent Orange study have levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD above the background levels in the population. For example, a sample of veterans currently meeting criteria for the CDC Agent Orange study category of "high likelihood of exposure" and a sample of veterans from the non-exposed category could be asked to provide fat (or possibly serum) specimens for analysis. An evaluation of the results should provide insight into the adequacy of the military records to select truly exposed and truly unexposed Individuals. Additionally, the results should indicate whether the levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD are significantly different from the levels in the general U.S. population. Analysis of fat (or serum) from other populations could also provide valuable insights. Several studies are currently underway in which analysis of fat is being conducted on Vietnam veterans, chemical workers, and persons with residential and recreational exposures to 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Analysis of fat (or serum) could also be conducted on selected,, individuals in the CDC Vietnam Experience study who have known high or low levels of exposure. Samples of fat already collected from Ranch Hand participants during elective surgery could be analyzed and compared to the levels of exposure experienced by the Individuals. -1- �1. Patterson DG, et al. High resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrophotometric analysis of human adipose tissue for 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Anal. Chem 1986; 58:705-716. 2. Graham M, Hileman FD, Kirk D, et al.: Background human exposure to 2,3,7,8-TCDD. Fourth International Symposium on Chlorinated Dioxins and Related Compounds, 1984; Ottawa, Canada; October 16-18. 3. Graham M, Hileman FD, Wendlong J, Wilson JD. Chlorocarbons in adipose tissue samples. Fifth International Symposium on Chlorinated Dioxins and Related Components, 1985. Bayreuth FRG, September 16-19.2508R 4. Gross ML, Lay JO, Lyon PA, et al.: 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin levels in adipose tissue of Vietnam veterans. Environ Res 1984; 33:261-268. -2- � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5728 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Typescript: Utilization of Biological Samples to Assess Exposure to Agent Orange ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/22bd72abcfdf65ac004b3f26fc038b73.pdf 5a992704f527b0ea880df1e37f1d71e2 PDF Text Text Item D Number 05726 D Author Corporate Author Report/Article Title Memorandum: From Edward N. Brandt, Jr., Chair Pro Tempore, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), to Members, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), regarding Functions, Operational Activities and Organization of the Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Journal/Book Title Year 0000 Month/Day Cobr n Number of Images 3 Doscripton Notes Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5726 of 5743 �DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service Memorandum Date From Chair Pro Tempore Agent Orange Working Group Subject Functions, Operational Activities and Organization of the AOWG To Members Agent Orange Working Group This represents my veiw of our discussions at the meeting on April 6. Please review and advise me of any changes by April 18. FUNCTION The primary function of the AOWG is to coordinate and evaluate the Federal Government's efforts to determine the health effects, if any/ of exposure to Agent Orange of Vietnam Veterans. It is not to be prescriptive, but rather to develop the mechanisms to insure that a coordinated program is forthcoming with each department and agency accomplishing a part of the total effort according to its own mission. The functions of the AOWG are limited to Agent Orange and Vietnam Veterans, and will be concerned with dioxin, related chemicals and service in Vietnam only insofar as that involvement contributes directly to the primary mission. OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES To accomplish its priority mission, the AOWG must be concerned with the following: - the development of policies; - the setting of priorities; and - the guidance of implementation. Specifically, the AOWG, being concerned with the scientific risk assessment of Agent Orange, has the following principal activities: o Research - Defining the scientific needs and seeing that they are met. - Reviewing of research activities both as to design and results. �Page 2 - Members, AOWG o Resources - Definition of resource needs to meet the defined research goals and methods for meeting them. - Resources include funding, people and access to necessary information. o Accountability - Define policies for timely and complete information dissemination. The above outline should permit the AOWS to achieve its mission and meet its coordination goals. ORGANIZATION o Advisory Committee on Special Studies Relating to the Possible Long-Term Health Effects of Phenoxy Herbicides and Contaminants This Committee, composed of nongovernment scientists, will advise and recommend concerning its oversight and evaluation of ongoing or completed research projects. o Science Panel This panel, composed of government scientists, includes two sub-panels with the following purposes: - Research Agenda - Exact functions to be discussed later. - Research Review - This sub-panel will review all planned research for adequacy of design and conformance with the AOWG mission. It will: (1) give one of four conclusions after review: agree with or without suggestions, agree but with necessary modifications, disagree due to inadequacies of design, or disagree as inconsistent with the mission of AOWG; and (2) comment on likely resource requirements. o Resources Panel This panel will be chaired by the OMB representative. charge will be discussed at a subsequent meeting. Its exact o Public and Congressional Affairs Panel This panel will define the policies to be used in information dissemination to insure that such dissemination is timely, accurate and complete. �Page 3 - Members, AOW3 To make this organization most effective, it will be necessary to have overlapping membership on the panels and sub-panels. Each agency should be represented on each panel if they choose to be so represented. Edward N. Brandt, Jr., M.D. � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5726 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Memorandum: From Edward N. Brandt, Jr., Chair Pro Tempore, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), to Members, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), regarding Functions, Operational Activities and Organization of the Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/fcae7b4d06fed181b1c1c9e750ddcd9b.pdf d7c01d7f6ad72cc307465cadf65bba4c PDF Text Text ItomD Number 05725 G NotScann8d Author Corporate Author RepOrt/ArtlClO TltlB A 9ent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Membership with transmittal note Journal/Book Title Year 000 ° Month/Day Color Numbor of Images n 8 Descrtpton Notes Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5725 of 5743 �AGENT ORANGE WORKING GROUP .MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Lead Representatives: Mr. James Stockdale (Chair, AOWG) Deputy Under Secretary for intergovernmental Affairs Room 622-E HHH Building 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 245-0409 Mr. Bart Kull (Chair, AOWG Public Affairs Panel and Substitute Chair, AOW^) Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs Room 632-F HHH Building 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 245-6156 Dr. Vernon Houk (Chair, AOWG Science Panel)* Acting Director Center for Environmental Health Centers for Disease Control 1600 Clifton Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30333 FTS 236-4111 Commercial (404) 236-4111 Ms. Maureen Corcoran (AOWG Legal Counsel) Special Assistant to the General Counsel HHH Building Room 707-F 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 245-6313 Dr. Peter Beach (AOWG Staff Director) Director of Veterans Affairs Office of the Under Secretary HHH Building, Room 346-E 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 245-2210 �DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Dr. David Rail* Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences P.O. Box 12233 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 FTS 629-3201 Commercial (919) 541-3201 Dr. Carl Keller* Epidemiologist National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Room 2B55, Building 31 National Institute of Health Bethesda, Maryland 20205 (301) 496-3511 Dr. James S. Dickson III* Senior Advisor for Environmental Affairs Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Room 701-H HHH Building 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 245-6811 Dr. Renate Kimbrough* Research Medical Officer Centers for Disease Control 1600 Clifton Road, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30333 FTS (236-4176) Commercial (404) 452-4176 Dr. Philip Landrigan, Director* Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies 4673 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati, Ohio 45226 FTS (684-2427) Commercial (513) 684-2427 Dr. Herbert E. Christensen* NIOSH Room 8A53, Parklawn Building 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, Maryland 20857 (301) 443-1650 �DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Dr. Patricia A. Honchar" EIS Officer NIOSH Robert A. Taft Laboratories 4647 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati, Ohio 45226 FTS (684-3593) Ms. Jane O'Connell Policy Coordinator OS/ES HHH Building, Room 635-<7 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 245-6824 Dr. Peter ^reenwald " Director, Division of Resource Centers and Community Activities National Cancer Institute 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20205 WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT Lead Representative: Ms. Shannon Fairbanks Senior Policy Adviser Office of Policy Development Executive Office of the President Room 213 Old Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20500 (202) 456-2884 WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY Leid Representative: Dr. Denis Prager* Associate Director for Human Resources & Social Services Office of Science & Technology Policy Executive Office of the President Room 360 Old Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20500 (202) 456-6272 VETERANS ADMINISTRATION Lead Representative: Charles Hagel Deputy Administrator Veterans Administration 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20420 (202) 389-5411 �VETERANS ADMINISTRATION Dr. Barclay Shepard (102)* Special Assistant to the Chief Medical Director for Environmental Medicine Veterans Administration 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20420 (202) 389-5411 Dr. Lawrence B. Hobson (102)* Clinical Assistant Office of Environmental Medicine Veterans Administration 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20420 (202) 398-5411 Major Alvin L. Young, USA? (102)* Specialist in Environmental Sciences Office of the Special Assistant to the Chief Medical Director Veterans Administration 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20420 (202) 389-5411 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Lead Representative: Captain Peter Flynn* Special Assistant for Professional Activities OASD (Health Affairs) Room 3E182 The Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301 (202) 697-8973 Dr. Jerome G. Bricker* Special Assistant for Legislation OASD (Health Affairs) Room 3E182 The Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301 (202) 697-8973 �DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Major Phillip G. Brown* Asst. for Bioenvironmental Engineering USAF/SEGES Boiling Air Force Base Washington, D.C. 20232 (202) 767-5078 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Lead Representative: Dr. Philip Kearney* Chief, Pesticide Degradation Lab U.S. Department of Agriculture BARC-West Bldg. 050 - Room 100 Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 344-3533 Dr. Warren Shaw* Nat'l Research Program Leader - Weed Control National Program Staff BARC-West Room 329 - Bldg. 005 Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 344-3301 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Lead Representative: Dr. John Todhunter Assistant Administrator for Pesticides and Toxic Substances Environmental Protection Agency 401 M Street, S.W. Room 635 - East Tower Washington, D.C. 20460 (202) 382-2902 Dr. Donald Barnes * Environmental Scientist Office of the Assistant Administrator for Pesticides and Toxic Substances Environmental Protection Agency 635 East Tower 401 M Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20460 (202) 382-2897 �DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Lead Representative: Mr. William C. Plowden, Jr. Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment Room S1315 Frances Perkins Building 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W, Washington, D.C. 20210 (202) 523-9116 Dr. David Logan* Research and Medical Officer OSHA Room N-3656 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210 (202) 523-7193 ACTION Lead Representative: Mr. Thomas W. Pauken Director ACTION 806 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Room 500 Washington, D.C. 20525 (202) 254-3120 Mr. Jack Wheeler Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs ACTION 806 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Room 1006 Washington, D.C. 20525 (202) 254-8270 Mr. William Jayne Deputy Director The President's Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program ACTION 806 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Room 1006 Washington, D.C. (202) 254-8270 20525 �COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS Lead Representative: Dr. Geoffrey Carliner Senior Staff Economist Council of Economic Advisers Room 304 Old Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20500 (202) 395-5096 OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET Lead Representative: Mr. Donald W. Moran Associate Director for Human Resources, Veterans & Labor Office of Management and Budget Room 262 Old Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20503 (202) 395-5044 Mr. Bernard H. Martin Deputy Associate Director for Labor, Veterans & Education Division Office of Management and Budget Room 7025 New Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20503 (202) 395-3971 CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT (OBSERVER) Lead Representative: Dr. Michael Gough* Senior Analyst United States Congress Office of Technology Assessment Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 226-2070 -v Ms. Hellen Gelband Analyst Office of Technology Assessment United States Congress Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 226-2070 � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5725 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Membership with transmittal note ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/c1999110c0c189adbe5ff5f065c5e255.pdf 8aced6215bb5fd05ecb34c440963e98d PDF Text Text Rom D Number 05724 D Not Scanned Author Corporate Author Report/Article Title The Domestic Policy Council, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), Status Report, prepared by the Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel comprised of Agent Orange Projects Update, dated December 8 ,1986;, Agent Orange Completed Project Summary, dated April 9,1987; and Background Document, Serum Dioxin Study of Air Force Operation Ranch Hand Veterans Journal/Book Title Yoar 0000 Month/Day Color Number of Images n 9 Dosorlpton Notes Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5724 of 5743 �THE DOMESTIC POLICY COUNCIL Agent Orange Working Group STATUS REPORT Prepared by the AOWG Science Panel (date) �AGENT ORANGE PROJECTS UPDATE AGENCY: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL TITLE: DATE PREPARED: December 8, 1986 Vietnam Experience Study (Morbidity Component) PROJECT I.D. NUMBER: TEST CHEMICAL: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible health effects of the general Vietnam service experience. APPROACH: Data collected from veterans who served in Vietnam during 19661972 are compared with data collected from a similar group of veterans who served during the same years in other countries. FINDINGS/STATUS: PUBLICATIONS: START DATE: Data have been collected from telephone interviews with 15,323 Vietnam-era veterans. Additional data, including clinical and laboratory findings, have been collected during comprehensive medical examinations of 4,474 of the interviewees. These data are presently under analysis by CDC. Scheduled in mid to late 1987. January 1985 (Data Collection) COMPLETION DATE: Ongoing LEVEL OF EFFORT To Date: (Total CDC Project) FTEs Funding 55 $62 million (Obligated Funds) SOURCE OF FUNDING: Projected Total; (Total CD Project) 55 $75 million* Veterans Administration *This figure could change dependent upon the conduct and design of an Agent Orange Exposure Study. NOTE: The funding amount listed under the To Date Section ($62 million) represents the amount of money obligated to date for the entire CDC project, not just the specific component listed in the Title Section on this page. For more information on this or any project in this booklet, contact Dr. Peter E.M. Beach, Executive Secretary of the Domestic Council of the Agent Orange Working Group, Director of Veteran Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary, 202/245-6156. �Agent Orange Completed Project Summary 4/9/87 Agency ! ! CDC Type of Study ! Title ! Dioxin related - Hisscuri dioxin special investigations - seru \ Hunan and Analyti •/adipose tissue partitioning ! cal End Date Comments 86.22 Correlation between human serum and adip ose tissue concentrations of 2,3,7,8-TCD D (to be published) 86.12 Eight publications; JAHA 255:2031, 1985; JAHA 256:2683, 1986 87.02 Funding is for total study, JAHA, Feb 13 , 1987 l l CDC i Dioxin related ! Hunan Health Hissouri dioxin study l 1 CDC ! Hunan - Mortality Vietnam experience study mortality component 1 1 CDC i Human - Reprcduct Vietnam veterans' risks for fathering babies ! ive with birth defects 84.08 JAHA, Aug 17, 1984 DoD ! Other AO - Enviro Fate of TCDD, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T at selected ! nmental and Analy locations contaminated with herbicide Orange ! ticai i ! Other AO - Enviro Herbicide Orange site treatment and environme i nsental and Analy ntal monitoring ! tical 84.10 NATO - HQ AFESC/RDV, Tyndall AFB, FL 79.11 NATO - Haj Ton Doane, Brooks AFB, U 86.03 NATO - Lt Rhodes, Tyndall AFB, FL 79. OE NATO - Capt Stoddart, Tyndall AFB, FL DoD i DoD ! Other AO - Enviro Herbicide Orange soil napping and groundwater ! nmental and Analy survey ! tical 1 DoD ! Other AO - Enviro Residual levels of 2,3,7,8-TCDD near herbicid ! nmental and Anayl e Orange storage and loading areas at Eglin ! tical AFB, FL l i NCI ! Dioxin related - Study of mortality anong pesticide applicator ! Human - Environaie 5 front Florida i ntal and Analytic ! al JNC1 71, 1983 l l NCI ! Dioxin related - Case-control study of soft tissue sarcomas an ! Human - Environme d lynphonas and their relationship to herbici ! ntal and Analytic de applicators in Kansas ! al l JAHA 256, 1986 �BACKGROUND DOCUMENT SERUM DIOXIN STUDY OF AIR FORCE OPERATION RANCH HAND VETERANS The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was assigned responsibility for the design and conduct of the Agent Orange Exposure study in January 1983 by an interagency agreement with the Veterans Administration. submitted a draft research protocol for review. In May 1983, CDC A revised protocol of the studies evaluating the health of Vietnam veterans was approved by OMB in May 1984. Two component studies, the Vietnam Exposure Study and the Selected Cancers Studies, are on schedule. The third component study, the Agent Orange exposure study, was planned to begin in January 1986 and was designed to evaluate the health of an Agent Orange exposed cohort of male, U.S. Vietnam veterans with an unexposed cohort of Vietnam veterans. Beginning in January 1984 an intensive effort was made by the U.S. Army and Joint Services Environmental Support Group, the Science Panel of the Agent Orange Working Group, and the CDC to use military records to separate exposed from unexposed veterans. By June 1986, it was concluded, however, that "any study of ground troops which is dependent upon military records for the ascertainment of exposure to herbicides should not be conducted without additional methods to verify exposure." In order to address this concern, in the summer of 1986 CDC developed a method to measure the level of dioxin in serum In the parts per quadrillion range which enabled the conduct of a feasibility study to validate exposure measures based on military records. �The Air Force has been conducting a study of veterans of Operation Ranch Hand who were given responsiblity for the aerial spraying of Agent Orange herbicides in Vietnam. The Ranch Handers are thought to be the most highly exposed group. The Air Force and CDC are currently collaborating in a study using the serum test for dioxin to determine the range of dioxin measurements in these Ranch Handers. Using serum drawn in 1982 and 1987, this study will be able to estimate the half-life of dioxin in humans and the individuals' variability in its degradation. This is the only population group available in the world upon which to do this study. A protocol involving 200 selected Ranch Hand veterans was developed and approved. Approximately 450 cc of blood was required. These selected veterans were located in nearly all of the 48 contiguous States. In order to conduct this investigation expeditiously it was necessary to identify regional blood drawing facilities convenient to the veterans where quality control of the blood drawing procedures could be assured. The American Red Cross identified four of its best regional blood banks- Atlanta, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Tulsa—for the study. All four centers agreed to participate and supplied the necessary staff and facilities. In collaboration with Mr. Chester Somerville of the American Red Cross Headquarters, the necessary procedures were put in place in 2 weeks and in another 2 weeks the specimen collection was completed on these 200 veterans. The Regional Centers allowed CDC to set up blood drawing procedures and schedules that were convenient to the veterans. The employees of the blood -2- �banks enthusiastically and graciously saw to the excellence of the activity and to the comfort and convenience of the veterans. No veteran needed to take more than 36 hours from his family and his daily routine. For this extraordinary effort, the Air Force and CDC would like to express its appreciation to the American Red Cross and, in particular, to the personnel and administration of the four regional blood banks that enabled the expeditious completion of this study, the results of which are of great importance to U.S. veterans, their families, and the U.S. Government. -3- �Mr. Chester Somerville Director, Blood Operations Support American Red Cross 1730 E Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 DRAFT Dear Mr. Somerville: The President of the United States would like to recognize your efforts and those of the American Red Cross in identifying the four Red Cross Regional Blood Banks who collaborated in the study of serum dioxin in operation Ranch Hand veterans. In 4 weeks, the centers provided facilities and staff to work with the Air Force and the Centers for Disease Control to set up the necessary procedures and complete specimen collection from over 200 veterans from across the country. The men and women in these centers enthusiastically and graciously saw to the excellence of the endeavor and made every effort to accommodate the veterans needs and comforts while ensuring that this investigation be completed in a very short time. The importance of this study to our understanding of the effects of Agent Orange on the U.S. veterans of the Vietnam Conflict cannot be overstated. The results of the study are of great importance to the veterans of this country and to its Government. I therefore want to express my appreciation to you and to the American Red Cross for invaluable assistance in this endeavor. Sincerely yours, Houk, CDC-Atlanta, FTS 236-4111, Doc. 3587J �Alfred J. Grindon, M.D. Director, Blood Services - Atlanta Region American Red Cross 1925 Monroe Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30324 DRAFT Dear Dr. Grindon: The President of the United States would like to recognize your efforts in the study of serum dioxin in operation Ranch Hand veterans. In 4 weeks, the Atlanta [Los Angeles, Tulsa, Cleveland] Center provided facilities and staff to work with the Air Force and the Centers for Disease Control to set up the necessary procedures and complete specimen collection from veterans from across the country. The men and women in the Atlanta [Los Angeles, Tulsa, Cleveland] Center enthusiastically and graciously saw to the excellence of the endeavor and made every effort to accommodate the veterans' needs and comforts while ensuring that this investigation be completed in a very short time. The importance of this study to our understanding of the effects of Agent Orange on the U.S. veterans of the Vietnam Conflict cannot be overstated. The results of the study are of great importance to the veterans of this country and to its Government. I therefore want to express my appreciation to the staff of the Atlanta [Los Angeles, Tulsa, Cleveland] Center for invaluable assistance in this endeavor. Sincerely yours, IDENTICAL LETTERS TO ADDRESSEES ON ATTACHED LIST Houk, CDC-Atlanta, GA, FTS 236-4111 Doc. 3588J �Carroll L. Spueling, M.D. Executive Director, Regional Blood Services Los Angeles - Orange County American Red Cross 1130 S. Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, California 90006 Duke 0. Kasprisin, M.D. Chief Medical Officer American Red Cross 10151 E. llth Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74128 Louise J. Keating, M.D. Director, Northern Ohio Red Cross Blood Services 3950 Chester Avenue Cleveland, 6hio 44114 � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5724 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 The Domestic Policy Council, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), Status Report, prepared by the Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel comprised of Agent Orange Projects Update, dated December 8 ,1986;, Agent Orange Completed Project Summary, date ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/9cf7f17df0544fb349ea6811c13eece8.pdf aa6024dc9ae1dca72df3948ba4b6cb55 PDF Text Text �������� 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5723 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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 Slides for Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel Report, Ongoing and Complete Projects ao_seriesVIII 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5722 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988 Title A name given to the resource Letter to Ralph Bledsoe, Executive Secretary, Domestic Policy Council, from Anabel Smith Bowen, Chair Pro Tempore, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Domestic Policy Council, regarding attached Department of Health and Human Services, Fact Sheet about Agen ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/6f2b9e7a268bac95d689c74043562133.pdf fa1c752faf29d755d7a9a176d6acdc08 PDF Text Text Item D Number °5721 D N0t Scanned Author Corporate Author Report/Article Title Memorandum: From John F. Young, Executive Secretary, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel, to All Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel Members, regarding Attached Draft of November 24,1987 Minutes, dated December 8,1987 Journal/Book Title Year Month/Day Color Number of Images D 6 Descrlpton Notes Tuesday, March 26,2002 Page 5721 of 5743 �DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Memorandum Date From December 8, 1987 J°nn F« Young, Ph.D. "Executive Secretary, AOWG Science Panel subject Review of November 24, 1987 Minutes T ° All AOWG Science Panel Members Attached is a draft copy of the minutes from the November 24, 1987 Science Panel meeting. Please review them and return your comments/changes to me by December 18th. We look forward to receiving your comments. John F. Young, Ph.D. JFY:rmh �*** D R A F T * * * MINUTES OF THE MEETING ON NOVEMBER 24, 1987 SCIENCE PANEL OF THE AGENT ORANGE WORKING GROUP > .The Science Panel (SP) met from 9:00 am until 12:30,. pro 1n Room 729G of the HH Humphrey Building 1n Washington, D.C. Dr. Ronald W. Hart, Director of the National Center for Toxlcologlcal Research (NCTR) and Chairman of the AOWG SP, presided. Members and guests present at the meeting are listed on the attached sign-in sheet (Attachment #1). An agenda was distributed and is attached (Attachment #2). OLD BUSINESS: The minutes of the August 6, 1987 SP meeting were approved as circulated. The minutes of the September 14 meeting of the SP were approved as circulated but following a suggested modification by Dr. Vernon Houk (CDC). Dr. Donald Barnes (USEPA) reported on the Las Vegas "Dloxin" meeting. Dr. Barnes had previously circulated to the SP members a trip report which detailed the meetings (Attachment #3); a shortened version was distributed at this meeting (Attachment #4). Dr. Barnes indicated that there was not that much new information presented at the meetings from the viewpoint of the SP. Dr. Houk distributed a fact sheet (Attachment #5) from presentations at the Las Vegas meeting dealing with human tissue levels. He pointed out that the only high levels of TCDD reported were from Ranch Handers (see paragraph 4, Massachusetts study). Dr. Barnes reported that NATO's Dioxins & Related Chemicals document had been released. It contained summaries on over 300 projects and also contained numerous summary charts. Dr. Hart requested that copies be forwarded to all SP members. Dr. Barnes did pass out a copy of a review of the NATO document which contained a summary and some charts (Attachment #6). Dr. Barnes then reported on the USEPA1s National Dioxin Study report. He distributed a press release on the document (Attachment #7) and copies of some slides that had been prepared (Attachment #8). Again, Dr. Hart requested that copies of the complete report be forwarded to each SP member. Dr. Houk asked if the results of the soil sample analyses from Ft. A P Hill (?) had been included in the document; Dr. Barnes did not think that that data had been included.1 Dr. Houk also pointed out the discrepancy in the use of the term 'whole fish vs. eatable:fish tissue; these terms are often used interchangeably which is in error. VA PUBLICATIONS: Dr. Larry Hobson, VA, reported that the review of the current dioxin literature, Volumes IX and X, were available and have been distributed to members of the SP. A lay summary was also distributed with the full report. An additional book was distributed by the VA entitled "Human Exposure to Phenoxy Herbicides"; Dr. Houk commented on the usefulness of the summation at the end of this book. VA's PMR STUDY: The VA's Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards reviewed the PMR manuscript and provided similar review results as the SP and OTA (Attachment #9). Dr. Han Kang, VA, pointed out that this committee indicated that it was premature to make any VA policy changes based on this study. Dr. Houk inquired if any additional information had been obtained on �**** D R A F T **** Page 2 - AOWG Science Panel, November 24, 1987 •the smoking status of the participants of this study; Dr. Kang Indicated that he had requested this Information but had not received anything yet. Several people pointed out that individual smoking records probably would not be available, but service records as a whole might shed some light on this question. Dr. Houk pointed out that the Marines as a group were different .than other Vietnam veterans 1n that prior to 1965 only one unit had been sent to-Vietnam, but after 1965 all Marines went to Vietnam; I.e., If you joined the Marines you were going to Vietnam. Dr. Marilyn Fingerhut, NIOSH, questioned the division of AO exposure to the various regions in Vietnam; which region really was the most heavily sprayed? Dr. Houk and Dr. Kang disagreed as to the extent and statements 1n the PMR manuscript concerning linking AO exposure with the PMR results. Dr. Kang indicated that the Journal of Occupational Medicine had accepted the PMR study for publication with changes; the extent of modification of the manuscript that the SP reviewed'was not delineated by Dr. Kang. Dr. Kang indicated that the offending language had been modified. A second manuscript based on the original PMR study and additional data as suggested by the SP and other reviews is being compiled. Dr. Kang indicated that this second document would be reviewed by the SP before being submitted to a journal. Dr. Houk indicated that the lung data should be eliminated from the study altogether. Dr. Hart indicated his unhappiness of the submission of the PMR study to a journal without re-review by the SP as the VA had indicated would be done. RANCH HAND PUBLICATIONS: Col. William Wolfe, USAF, reported that several manuscripts were being prepared based on the initial Ranch Hand reports. The full 1100 page report is in the Army process of being released. The approximately 50 page summary of this report was distributed to the SP members last month (Attachment #10); about 300 copies have been released. A manuscript based on the baseline data and a review of the literature has been sent to Dr. Miller and his committee for their review. Additional manuscripts will be ready shortly as the full 1100 report was correlated by chapters with the idea toward future publications. There are two additional publications that the CDC is taking the lead on which one deals with the TCDD serum levels of the Ranch Handers and the other is the half-life study. Dr. Houk suggested that at some time in the future all of the manuscripts should be compiled under a single cover for convenience. Dr. Hart indicated that the compilation would be very useful and used the NCTR ED01 study as a good example where this had been done. CDC's AO EXPOSURE STUDY: Dr. Peter Beach, Executive Secretary for the AOWG Domestic Policy Council (DPC), stated that at the last AOWG meeting the AO Exposure Study had been recommended to be canceled based on the CDC report. Mr. Newman sent a letter to Mr. Meese and then later sent a letter to the Congress; there has been no response from Congress yet. Dr. Houk indicated that the contracts were in the process of being terminated; RTI has already indicated that there would be no penalties, but the Lovelace cancellation penalty will be approximately $1.5 million. Dr. Houk indicated that about �**** ., DRAFT **** Page 3 - AOWG Science Panel, November 24, 1987 i ,$19 million will be returned to Congress; he is going to recommend that this money be returned to the VA with about $2.5 milTion being requested for the completion of the Ranch Hand serum TCDD analysis study (specifically, approximately $300,000 for blood draws and $2 million for analysis). Ms. Hellen Gelband, OTA, asked if any public information release was going to be forthcoming about the cancellation of this study; Dr. Beach indicated that 'there were no plans for additional information release other than what already had been done by the CDC. Or-; Larry Hobson stated that the Congress had ordered the VA to do these studies and it was up to the VA to recommend the cancellation of this study. In order to do that, the VA needed to receive a written report from the CDC with all of the pertinent data. Dr. Houk felt that the data had already been presented to the VA at the various briefings and SP meeting in August. However, Dr. Hobson indicated that the formal report was still needed. Dr. Houk said that a formal report with all of the data recommending cancellation of the study would be sent to the VA as soon as possible. Col. Wolfe and others asked what needed to be done to get the excess money rerouted to finish the Ranch Hand serum TCDD analysis. It would appear that a few letters need to be written among the principles (DoD, CDC, VA) indicating the needs. Dr. Hobson indicated that a letter from the DoD to the VA would be in order. Dr. Carl Keller, NIEHS, stated that the AOWG DPC would be the proper group to approach Congress for the reapportionment of these funds to the VA. Dr. Hart indicated that this request would be part of his report to the DPC this afternoon. DoD's MOVIE REQUEST: Col. George Stebbing, DoD, indicated that he had told MGM to go elsewhere for its ships and he hasn't heard anything back. SP POLICY - PRIOR REVIEW OF PUBLICATIONS: Dr. Hart suggested that in order to avoid surprises, he was recommending that the Agencies voluntarily submit their relevant draft manuscripts for review to the SP Chairman and one other SP member of the individual Agency's choice prior to submission to a journal with sufficient time to have some meaningful input. This would be a voluntary submission with each Agency determining which manuscripts should benefit from this additional review. This suggestion was received with mixed reviews. Dr. Houk stated that he would not do it as they had a very good review system already in place and saw no need for additional reviews. Dr. Hobson wondered why the VA was the only Agency that had to submit their manuscripts for prior review? Dr. Barnes inquired about the focus of these reviews! How about Dioxin related articles? Dr. Hart again emphasized that this was an Agency's choice and if the manuscript later drew heat, the Agency and investigators would just have to defend their actions. Col. Wolfe stated that the policy fit very nicely with what they were already doing. Dr. Beach indicated that manuscript review was what Dr. Miller's committee was set up for, but they did not have time to do the review of all studies. Ms. Gelband felt that the manuscripts should be reviewed for policy concerns and that the SP members generally had a good over-all view of the AO issues. Dr. Jerome �**** D R A F T **** Page 4 - AOWG Science Panel, November 24, 1987 A Bricker, DoD, supported the suggested review policy*. Col. Wolfe suggested that we need to be careful of mixing policy and 'science reviews. Dr. Hobson felt that scientist could and should raise policy issues but probably should not be involved in setting policy. Dr. Kang asked what was the difference In this policy statement and what the SP already was doing? Dr. Hart indicated that basically there was no difference and that this was mainly to formalize -the SP position. Dr. Keller felt that the SP should mainly review science, but on occasion the scientist can best see potential policy Issues. Dr. Keller added that the SP has no mandate to review manuscripts, but only to do whatever the AOWG DPC requests the SP to do. The SP is an advisory group to the AOWG DPC. Dr. Houk stated that all protocols should come before the SP for review; the results can but do not have to come before the SP. Dr. Hart asked for a vote on this policy issue: there were 7 for and 3 against; those against were Drs. Kang, Keller, and Barnes. AIR FORCE HEALTH STUDY SUMMARY (RANCH HAND): The approximately 50 page summary was distributed to the SP members prior to this meeting (Attachment #10). There were many accolades for Col. Wolfe. Dr. Hobson complimented Col. Wolfe and his colleagues on an excellent study and report. Dr. Houk stated that the Ranch Handers were a good group to work with. Col. Wolfe indicated that the participation was up from years past and the study was currently ahead of schedule. Dr. Houk suggested that in future reports they may wish to highlight what had been found in the past and then indicate the current status. Dr. Keller stated that all AO Vietnam issues lie with the Ranch Hand study and the main dioxin exposure is the NIOSH worker study. Should we not be trying to get more publicity out of these positive efforts? VIETNAM VETERANS AND 'AGENT ORANGE1: A MORPHOLOGY STUDY: Dr. Nelson Irey of the Air Force Institute of Pathology made a presentation of his data of the above title. His basic conclusion was that there were no differences found between the Vietnam veterans and controls. Dr. Kang asked about the distribution of cases; Dr. Irey indicated that they varied from 3-4 to about 100 from individual hospitals with 3-4 cases each coming from about 25-30% of the hospitals. Dr. Keller indicated that there was a selection bias that could not be dealt with and no real statement can be said either on the positive or negative side. Several suggestions were made to try to decrease or eliminate the selection bias; most had been tried by co-author Dr. Walter Foster, AFIP, but had not been successful. Dr. Hart suggested that all references to AO exposure should be eliminated from the manuscript. The manuscript supplied to the SP prior to the meeting by Col. Stebbing and the reviews of the manuscript by Col. Wolfe, Dr. Houk, and Dr. Dave Gaylor, NCTR, are included as part of these minutes (Attachment #11). VA's JNCI MANUSCRIPT - JNCI 79(4):693-699, 1987: Nearly all reviewers agreed that the references to AO in the abstract and concluding paragraph were Inappropriate. The requested written reviews by Drs. Gaylor, Kodell, Chen and Young (NCTR), Dr. Houk (CDC), Col. Stebbing (DoD), Col. Wolfe (USAF), Dr. Keller (NIEHS), Dr. Fingerhut (NIEHS), and Dr. Barnes (USEPA), the summary prepared by Dr. John Young (NCTR), and the journal article all are included �**** D R A F T **** Page 5 - AOWG Science Panel, November 24, 1987 & as part of these minutes (Attachment #12). Dr. Kel.ler inquired as to the purpose of Dr. Hart's requested review of this already published article. Dr. Hart indicated that this was done in anticipation of a Congressional Inquiry; Dr. Houk predicted that the inquiry would come. There was some discussion concerning AO exposure surrogates; Col. Wolfe stated that all surrogates have problems, but the best surrogate appears to be the serum TCDD 'level. There was also a great deal of talk about a letter-to-the-editor indicating that the AO exposure indexes used were inappropriate. Dr. Kang indicated again that until he sees the CDC Validation data, he is not convinced about the exposure surrogates. (NOTE: Dr. Kang and all SP members reviewed the Validation study at the August 6, 1987 SP meeting.) Several persons indicated that even though this manuscript was submitted and accepted for publication prior to the completion of the CDC Validation study, changes concerning the exposure indexes could have been made to the galleys or even as a footnote. Dr. Hobson suggested that in future articles dealing with this subject, references to past articles should be made that point out the errors in AO exposure indexes based on the newer data. Dr. Hart called for a vote on the issue of the SP sending a letter-to-the-editor concerning the AO exposure surrogates; the motion failed with only Dr. Houk voting for the motion. FEMALE VIETNAM VETERAN STUDY: Dr. Hobson stated that the Women's protocol that was reviewed at the September 14th SP meeting was being reworked by the contractor. The contractor had contacted several Vietnam Women's groups. The reworked protocol will come back to the SP for review. Dr. Houk reported on the Atlanta discussion of October 14 (Attachment #13). The discussion centered mainly on stress. Another concern was the inexperience of many of the nurses (six months vs. older inductees). Dr. Hobson stated that the OTA had recommended looking into civilian controls; this may be impossible to accomplish. CONGRESSIONAL REQUEST TO REVIEW - JNCI 78(5):899-910, 1987: Since the meeting had gone too long, Dr. Hart requested written comments on this study. The Congressional request, article, and comments by Dr. Houk are included as part of these minutes (Attachment #14). ., The meeting was adjourned at 12:30 pm. Prepared by John F. Young, Ph.D. Executive Secretary AOWG Science Panel Approved by Ronald W. Hart, Ph.D. Chairman AOWG Science Panel � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5721 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987 Title A name given to the resource Memorandum: From John F. Young, Executive Secretary, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel, to All Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) Science Panel Members, regarding Attached Draft of November 24, 1987 Minutes, dated December 8 ,1987 ao_seriesVIII https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/files/original/71193818b353da7a371d0c303c9f8076.pdf 908b69207d2242a091b3d7047e365dae PDF Text Text Item D Number 05719 ' NotScannfld Author Corporate Author Report/Article TltlB Memorandum: From Robert W. Miller, Chairman, Advisory Committee, Ranch Hand Study, to Don M. Newman, Chairman, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), regarding Report of Visit to Review the Ranch Hand Study, dated November 9 ,1987 Journal/Book Title Year 1987 Month/Day Color O Number of Images 4 Descriptor Notes Tuesday, March 26, 2002 Page 5719 of 5743 �DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute Memorandum Date N'ovember 9, 1987 From Robert W. Miller, M.D. Chairman, Advisory Committee, Ranch Hand Study Subject Report of visit to review the Ranch Hand Study To Don M. Newman Chairman, Agent Orange Working Group A site visit was made on September 9, 1987 to the headquarters of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) in McLean, Virginia, to review an 1163-page report on the second cycle of medical examinations of Air Force Ranch Hand personnel. SAIC is under contract to prepare the report based on medical examinations conducted at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, under a separate contract. In attendance, as shown in Appendix A, were 5 non-government members of the Advisory Committee, its chairman, executive secretary, and a consultant in statistics from the National Cancer Institute, the 2 principal investigators and 2 members of their staff from Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, and the 4 SAIC staff members involved in the data analysis and preparation of the report. Cancer, chloracne and porphyria The meeting began at 9 a.m. with an overview by Dr. William H. Wolfe of the recent clinical studies. Cooperation was excellent: 93% partipated, 1016 Ranch Hands and 1293 in the comparison group. The forms of cancer previously associated with exposure to dioxin did not occur excessively. There has been one soft-tissue sarcoma and one lymphoma in each group. Personal histories of basal cell skin cancer continued to be more frequent among the Ranch Hands than the comparisons (relative risk = 1.56), but there was no difference between the groups in the interval since the first cycle of examinations. Other known effects of dioxin, chloracne and porphyria cutanea tarda, were not seen. TCDD: blood levels and half-life The most dramatic finding concerned new data on the body burdens and the halflife of dioxin, based on 30 blood samples obtained recently as compared with samples that had been stored since 1982 on some of the same men. The average halflife was 7.1 years (range = 3-30 years). In this pilot study the average body burdens of dioxin among a sample of 22 comparison subjects was 5.6 ppt (range = 3-9 ppt), as compared with 53.6 ppt (range = 3-314 ppt) for the sample of 51 Ranch Hands believed to have been heavily exposed. Serum dioxin levels under 10 ppt were found for all of the comparison sample and for 30% of the Ranch Hands. These results show that the Ranch Hand group was exposed about 20 years ago to substantial levels of dioxin, as compared with ground troops, whose levels were the same as for the military that did not serve in Vietnam. �The next step is to complete the preliminary study of bloods from 150 Ranch Hands and from 50 comparison subjects. The results of this collaboration with CDC will be published in two parts. The Air Force will have senior authorship for one which will describe the TCDD blood levels in the two groups. CDC will have senior authorship for the other which will describe the half-life. After that, the TCDD blood levels will be determined for all Ranch Hands and an equal number from the comparison'group (about 1000 each). The health effects can then be analyzed with respect to current body burden. The Committee stressed the importance of also analyzing the data according to the old exposure criteria, so comparisons can be made from one examination cycle to the next. Also, the 15 Ranch Hands with body burdens of dioxin that fell in the normal range (under 10 ppt) should not be regarded as non-exposed. They may be fast metabolizers of dioxin, and no longer have an increased body burden. An explanation for the low levels should be sought through a case-control study of these men as compared with the majority who had high levels after similar exposures. (NIOSH has since found that in a small sample of workers at two factories in New Jersey, the dioxin blood levels averaged 110 ppt; ie, twice as high as the average for the sample of heavily exposed Ranch Hands.) There was considerable discussion about determining the TCDD levels for all 1000 men in the comparison group rather than a representative sample. About half of the committee members were in favor of the whole group (at $1000/specimen), and the remainder were neutral. By-product research No differences attributable to dioxin exposure were found with respect to abnormalities of other organ systems or in the battery of psychological tests. Although the immunological test-results show no differences attributable to dioxin exposure, it was pointed out, as at previous meetings, that by-product research on the relationship of immunological perturbations to alcohol and/or tobacco use or to diabetes mellitus would be of great interest. Also, the normal values for the Ranch Hands and their comparison group could be compared against those from the Scripps Clinic. Attention to outlying laboratory values was once again urged, particularly with repect to familial occurrence and implications for prevention; eg, high blood cholesterol levels. Also, as the interval histories reveal the occurrence of illnesses, the previous medical examinations can be evaluated to see how well they predicted the illnesses. Bi rth defects The study of birth defects is a bit ahead of schedule. Review was to be made of the medical records of children under age 18 years whose parents reported them to have no anomalies, and 626 whose parents reported anomalies. Of 3275 reviewed to date, 448 (13.7%) have birth defects. The Committee pointed out that this proportion was far above that of major anomalies reported in other studies. The definition of a birth defect in the Ranch Hand study apparently includes many minor anomalies, such as birth marks. The classification of birth defects used by CDC should be evaluated for its use in the Ranch Hand study. Checking the records will be completed by November 1988. Analysis of the results and the writing of the report are expected to be completed by August 1990. �The third round of medical examinations, which began in May 1987, will be analyzed during the same interval. The fourth round of examinations is scheduled to begin in June 1992. Publication plans A 52-page manuscript prepared as a report on the initial examinations made in 1983 is near completion and will be sent soon to the Advisory Committee for review. The 1163-page report of the second cycle examinations is ready for publication as a book. A summary report will be prepared for the open literature. The Committee stressed again the importance of publications in the open literature, because scientists at large will not have access to in-house Air Force publications where the reports have appeared to date. Peer review for publication in journals, preferably those with wide audiences, will further strengthen the credibility of the publications. Statistical analyses in the future Some concern was expressed about the criteria for determining and reporting statistical interactions. In particular, loosening the stringent P-value criteria from P=0.05 to P=0.01 would allow readers to evaluate better the various factors under study. The statisticians replied that they would consider this change for future reports. The Advisory Committee, which included five seasoned university-based scientists who are not given to hyperbole, were impressed by the performance of the Air Force investigators and their three contractors. Recommendations 1. First and foremost, there is an urgent need to publish in widely read peer-reviewed medical journals to assure dissemination of the study results with the imprimatur of peer review. 2. A report on dioxin (TCDD) levels now being determined from blood samples of 150 Ranch Hands and 50 controls should be the first of these publications. 3. For quality control a small sample of the 200 men should be retested to learn if both results are in close agreement. 4. The body-burdens of TCDD, now being determined for each study participant, should be the basis for analyzing effects in relation to exposure. 5. The body-burdens of TCDD should be studied for their correlation with the previously used Air Force Exposure Index. 6. In the next analysis, the Exposure Index should also be used to allow comparisons with the results of the first two examinations. 7. Men with histories of heavy exposure should not be regarded as misclassified. They may instead be fast metabolizers. If so, the study should show if they are more or less susceptible to TCDD abnormalities, should any be found. Perhaps a simple test of metabolic clearance rates can be made. �8. A case-control study of these men as compared with others having high TCDD blood levels may explain the difference; eg, dissimilar body weight. 9. An attempt should be made to create a composite health profile to determine the frequency of medical abnormalities per person. 10. Consideration should be given to classifying birth defects as CDC does, which in addition to other benefits will allow easier comparison with CDC's findings. 11. The P-value criteria should be changed in future reports to P=0.01 instead of P=0.05. 12. By-product studies should be undertaken for the valuable new information that may be gained: a. Immunologic findings should be studied in relation to tobacco and/or alcohol use, and to diabetes mellitus. b. Persons with reproducible outlying laboratory values (eg, high cholesterol levels) should be studied in detail to determine the cause, and advice given on prevention, early detection of disease and the desirability of family studies. c. Consider a study to relate new illnesses to the findings on past medical examinations as a measure of their predictive value. d. As suggested before, consider having a graduate student in history prepare an account of the Ranch Hand Study, as a dissertation topic. e. Consider having a medical and/or statistical Fellow undertake a by-product study as part of his/her science education, involving perhaps a collaboration between the University of California in San Diego, the Scripps Clinic and the Air Force. 13. Postpone the next major reanalysis of mortality until TCOD levels are available for the 2000-member Ranch Hand group under study. Robert W. Miller, M.D., for the Advisory Committee � 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. 202 Folder The folder containing the original item. 5719 Series The series number of the original item. Series VIII Subseries II 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/. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987 Title A name given to the resource Memorandum: From Robert W. Miller, Chairman, Advisory Committee, Ranch Hand Study, to Don M. Newman, Chairman, Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG), regarding Report of Visit to Review the Ranch Hand Study, dated November 9 ,1987 ao_seriesVIII