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Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2004
TABLE ES-1 Summary of Findings in Occupational, Environmental, and Veterans’ Studies Regarding the Association Between Specific Health Outcomes and Exposure to Herbicidesa
Sufficient Evidence of an Association
Evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a positive association. That is, a positive association has been observed between herbicides and the outcome in studies in which chance, bias, and confounding could be ruled out with reasonable confidence. For example, if several small studies that are free from bias and confounding show an association that is consistent in magnitude and direction, there may be sufficient evidence of an association. There is sufficient evidence of an association between exposure to herbicides and the following health outcomes:
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Soft-tissue sarcoma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Hodgkin’s disease
Chloracne
Limited or Suggestive Evidence of an Association
Evidence is suggestive of an association between herbicides and the outcome but is limited because chance, bias, and confounding could not be ruled out with confidence. For example, at least one high-quality study shows a positive association, but the results of other studies are inconsistent. There is limited or suggestive evidence of an association between exposure to herbicides and the following health outcomes:
Respiratory cancer (lung and bronchus, larynx, and trachea)
Inadequate or Insufficient Evidence to Determine Whether an Association Exists
The available studies are of insufficient quality, consistency, or statistical power to permit a conclusion regarding the presence or absence of an association. For example, studies fail to control for confounding, have inadequate exposure assessment, or fail to address latency. There is inadequate or insufficient evidence to determine whether an association exists between exposure to herbicides and the following health outcomes:
Hepatobiliary cancer
Oral, nasal, and pharyngeal cancer
Bone and joint cancer
Skin cancers (melanoma, basal cell, and squamous cell)
Breast cancer
Female reproductive cancer (cervix, uterus, ovary)
Testicular cancer
Urinary bladder cancer
Renal cancer
Leukemia (other than CLL)
Abnormal sperm characteristics and infertility
Spontaneous abortion
Neonatal or infant death and stillbirth in offspring of exposed individuals
