Novo estudo médico liga Agente Laranja à problemas de saúde em veteranos do Vietnam (em inglês)
2006-11-14
Vietnam veterans who sprayed the herbicides like Agent Orange
decades ago in Vietnam are at an increased risk of developing heart disease,
diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic breathing problems, a new study
shows. Agent Orange, a weed killer containing dioxin, was widely used during
the Vietnam War, Dr. Han K. Kang of the Department of Veterans Affairs in
Washington, DC and colleagues note in the American Journal of Industrial
Medicine. Overall, two thirds of the herbicides used during the conflict
contained dioxin.
To understand the long-term effects of exposure to the chemicals, Kang and
his team compared 1,499 members of the US Army Chemical Corps to 1,428 vets
who had worked in chemical operations jobs but did not serve in Vietnam. The
Chemical Corps members had been responsible for spraying herbicide around
base camp perimeters, as well as aerial spraying of the chemicals from
helicopters. Study participants were surveyed by telephone in 1999 and
2000.
Tests of a subset of the study participants, including 795 Vietnam vets and
102 non-Vietnam vets, showed the Vietnam vets had higher levels of dioxin in
their blood. The researchers analyzed the effects of Vietnam service and
herbicide exposure separately, and found that hepatitis was the only health
problem linked to serving in Vietnam per se.
However, exposure to herbicides among Vietnam veterans conferred a 50
percent increased risk of diabetes, a 52 percent greater heart disease risk,
a 32 percent increased risk of hypertension and a 60 percent greater
likelihood of having a chronic respiratory problem such as emphysema or
asthma.
An increased cancer risk also was seen among the Chemical Corps members, but
this was not significant from a statistical standpoint. "Almost three
decades after Vietnam service," the researchers conclude, "US Army veterans
who were occupationally exposed to phenoxyherbicide in Vietnam experienced
significantly higher risks of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and
non-malignant lung diseases than other veterans who were not exposed to
herbicides."
SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, November 2006.
(Planet Ark, 10/11/2006)
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/38907/story.htm