Korea's Vietnam Veterans' Agent Orange Exposure Study Released 9/5/2014

International Journal of Epidemiology, 09/05/2014  Clinical Article:

Yi SW, et al. – Agent Orange (AO) was a mixture of phenoxy herbicides, containing several dioxin impurities including 2,3,7,8–tetrachlorodibenzo–p–dioxin (TCDD). In this study, the authors aim was to identify the assoc . iations between the AO exposure and mortality in Korean Vietnam veterans. This study suggests that AO/TCDD exposure may account for mortality from various diseases even several decades after exposure

Note: in 2013 Dr Mark Garzotto, a physician researcher at the Portland VA Hospital and Oregon Health Sciences University, published research in the journal Cancer showing that Agent Orange-exposed veterans (assuming Agent Orange to be the source) had twice the rate of highly aggressive prostate cancers. Dr. Garzotto was my treating physician at the Portland VA hospital and he associated my own cancer wtth C-123 exposures

Comments from a VA Agent Orange consultant:The difficulty for the Koreans is that 350,000 men served over a seven year period in II Corps and their philosophy was to work closely with the Vietnamese (probably more successful than either other nation in Vietnamization). The use of defoliants and crop denial efforts were strongly rejected by the Koreans in their tactical area of responsibility in II Corps. 
Thus, there was only limited use of tactical herbicides, some sprayed by the Korean Chemical Corps, but most of the little amount sprayed was by our Chemical Corps or in some cases RANCH HAND. The analytical studies for TCDD were essential the same for Korean veterans who had served in Vietnam, as for Korean veterans who served the homeland. The present study uses the criteria of our IOM and their acceptance of  the same associated diseases.  Such Mortality studies do not establish cause and effect, hence, their statement "suggests" that AO/TCDD exposure may account for mortality from various associated diseases.