Overview
Agent Orange is a herbicide that was prominently used in the Vietnam War as an exfoliant. Although the herbicide in Agent Orange does not cause any health problems, some of the other chemicals that it contains can be very dangerous. In recent years a variety of diseases have been linked to Agent Orange exposure.
Agent Orange Exposure
Agent Orange poisoning, according to the American Diabetes Association, is not actually a result of the active ingredient in Agent Orange. Instead, the health problems that are associated with Agent Orange are a result of a contaminant which was often found with the herbicide, called dioxin. Dioxin and chemically related compounds can cause a variety of diseases well after the patient has been exposed.
Absorption and Toxicology
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are absorbed through the skin, the World Health Organization explains. Once these chemicals have gotten into the skin, they becomes stored in fat cells, which causes them to remain in the body for an extended period of time. Dioxins are also very chemically stable and the World Health Organization estimates that they have a half life of seven to 11 years in the human body, which means that it takes between seven and 11 years for half of any amount of dioxin in the human body to decompose.
Exposure
Exposure to high levels of dioxin for a short period of time, according to the World Health Organization, can lead to liver damage and skin problems, such as acne and darkening of the skin. Long-term exposure, on the other hand, can cause problems with the immune, reproductive and endocrine systems. In addition, dioxin is classified as a carcinogen.
Dioxin-Related Cancers
A number of types of cancer have been linked to Agent Orange exposure, according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. These include several different kinds of leukemia and lymphomas, include chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Agent Orange exposure can also increase the risk of a patient developing prostate and lung cancer as well as soft tissue cancers known as sarcomas.
Other Conditions
The American Diabetes Association notes that there appears to be a link between Agent Orange exposure and type 2 diabetes. The Veteran’s Administration also notes that Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease. Dioxin exposure has also been linked to peripheral neuropathy, a disease in which nerves throughout the body are damaged.
About this Author
Adam Cloe has been published in various scientific journals. He is an M.D./Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago. He has a Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry from Boston University, where he won an award for excellence in undergraduate science writing.
