Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange-Contaminated C-123 Aircraft (2015)

Committee to Evaluate the Potential Exposure to
Agent Orange/TCDD Residue and
Level of Risk of Adverse Health Effects for
Aircrew of Post-Vietnam C-123 Aircraft

Board on the Health of Select Populations

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. VA241-P-2024 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-30890-8
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Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2015. Post-Vietnam Dioxin Exposure in Agent Orange–Contaminated C-123 Aircraft. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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COMMITTEE TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE/TCDD RESIDUE AND LEVEL OF RISK OF ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS FOR AIRCREW OF POST-VIETNAM C-123 AIRCRAFT

ROBERT F. HERRICK (Chair), Harvard School of Public Health

ROBERT CANALES, University of Arizona

KENNY S. CRUMP, Independent Consultant

MELISSA GONZALES, University of New Mexico

JOHN C. KISSEL, University of Washington

LINDA A. MCCAULEY, Emory University

CLIFFORD P. WEISEL, Rutgers University

IOM Staff

MARY BURR PAXTON, Co-study Director, Senior Program Officer

JENNIFER A. COHEN, Co-study Director, Program Officer

HEATHER L. CHIARELLO, Research Associate

FREDERICK J. ERDTMANN, Director, Board on the Health of Select Populations

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Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Kristine M. Gebbie, Flinders University of South Australia. Appointed by the National Research and the

Institute of Medicine, she was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Acknowledgments

This report was greatly enhanced by the participants of the workshop that was held as part of this study. The committee would like to acknowledge the efforts of those who gave presentations and who provided materials to the committee during the course of the study’s information-gathering period: Wesley Carter (C-123 Veterans Association), Jeffrey Driver (RiskScience.net), Patrick Finley (Sandia National Laboratories), Harry Heist II (Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover, Delaware), Peter Kahn (AESOP, Rutgers University), Peter Lurker (Germantown Consultants, LLC), Thomas McKone (University of California, Berkeley), William Nazaroff (University of California, Berkeley), Brian Nicklas (National Air and Space Museum Archives), Thomas Sinks (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry), Jeanne Stellman (Columbia University), and Alvin Young (A.L. Young Consulting, Inc.). The information that was provided helped to set the stage for fruitful discussions in the closed session that followed. The committee greatly appreciates the contribution of Roberta Wedge (Institute of Medicine) in providing experienced, but fresh eyes to the report. The committee would also like to acknowledge and thank Chensheng (Alex) Lu (Harvard School of Public Health) for his participation as a committee member before resigning in September 2014.

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Contents

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Summary

1 Introduction

2 TCDD: Physicochemical Properties and Health Guidelines

3 Air Force Use of the C-123 Provider: Background and Sampling Data

4 Evaluation of Assessments of Possible Exposure of Air Force Reservists from Service in Operation Ranch Hand C-123s

5 Summary of Findings

References

Appendixes

A Public Agendas from Committee Meetings

B History and Sampling of C-123s in the United States After Spraying Herbicides in Vietnam

C Committee Biographies

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Acronyms and Abbreviations

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