Comparison of Serum Levels of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin with Indirect Estimates of Agent Orange Exposure among Vietnam Veterans

摘要

The report tests the validity of several indirect methods for estimating the exposure of ground troops to Agent Orange in Vietnam during 1966-69. The study identified a sample of U.S. Army Vietnam veterans of that era and asked them to have blood drawn so that the level of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p- dioxin (TCDD) in serum could be measured. These veterans were selected from among those who served in 65 combat battalions in III Corps, a heavily sprayed part of Vietnam around Saigon. The men selected had all served only one tour in Vietnam and had been discharged with a pay grade of E1-E5, after having spent, on the average, over 300 days in Vietnam. The sample was chosen after the veterans had been stratified on likelihood of exposure (time and space proximity to recorded sprays) according to military records. For comparison, a sample of non-Vietnam U.S. Army veterans of the same era was also examined. The results show no meaningful association between TCDD levels and indirect estimate of Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, with or without adjustment for other characteristics of the veterans, including age, race, body mass index, and self-reported civilian occupational and home herbicide exposure.