National Institutes of Health Confirms C-123 Veterans Exposure

In her June 2011 letter to C-123 veterans, Dr. Linda Birnbaum stated "According to the narrative [the USAF C-123 test reports] exposure is assumed based on wipe-tests demonstrating high dioxin concentrations in the C-123K's."

Dr. Birnbaum has the credentials to address this issue, as the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health and also Director of the National Toxicology Program. She's also a member of the Institutes of Medicine of the National Academies of Science, the body to which the VA turns for expert advice about military herbicides.

Thus, it is confusing why the VA pretends her official and obviously expert opinion has no merit. Instead, VA ignores her altogether. Keeping their blinders on, the VA also dismisses the expert opinions of Dr. Jeanne Stellman (Columbia University), Dr. Fred Bowman (Oregon Health Sciences University), Dr. Arnold Schecter (University of Texas), Dr. Wayne Dwernychuk (retired chief scientist Hatfield Constants) and every other expert whose agreement has been added to the case of C-123 veterans' exposure.

Similarly, the VA even dismisses without comment the official and expert opinions of Dr. Tom Sinks, Deputy Director of the CDC/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, who concluded after his review of C-123 contamination, "I believe aircrews operating in this, and similar, environments, were exposed to TCDD." TCDD is the toxic element in Agent Orange. When asked for their input, EPA deferred to Dr. Sinks' official opinion, making it three in favor (CDC, NIH, EPA) of the C-123 veterans, vs. only the VA with their predetermined opposition to any new Agent Orange exposure claims....a matter of internal, unofficial policy, you see. Not law.

Every scientist whose opinion has been offered thus far agrees that C-123 veterans were exposed to "military herbicides" - as reads the law. They agree contaminated C-123 aircraft exposed us to military herbicides in both the scientific meaning of "exposure" as well as the 1991 Agent Orange law, about which the VA in the C.F.R.s stated veterans exposed outside Vietnam would be treated the same as those with boots on the ground. Every other federal agency which has looked into the issue agrees with C-123 veterans' exposure. Only the VA insists, contrary to law, science and logic, that contaminated aircraft did not expose the veterans who served aboard these tainted C-123s.

Clearly, VA's Public Health and Compensation Service departments oppose C-123 veterans' justified Agent Orange claims solely as a matter of personal judgment, not of law. Not of science. Not anything which justifies such intransigence.Washington...what the heck is going on?

Air Force Reserve Command Confirms C-123 Agent Orange History

I should have read more carefully the letter from the AFRC historian, Ms. Betty Kennedy, in which she states that the C-123s assigned to the 731st Tactical Airlift Squadron of the 439th Tactical Airlift Wing (later, 439th Airlift Wing) were indeed military herbicide spray airplanes and used as such in Vietnam! (4 Feb note - FOIAs submitted this date for Rickenbacker and Pittsburgh C-123 information).

The end of her first paragraph proves the point for every wing veteran assigned to aircrew, AME, aerial port or maintenance duties on the C-123, saying "The C-123 aircraft in the 731 TAS fleet had been used to disperse chemical defoliants over Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

If the Joint Services Records Research Center requires proof to tell the VA we flew contaminated aircraft, here it is! If VA opposes our claim that these were Agent Orange airplanes, they are doing so only because of policies against us, and certainly not for truth, justice...and the American way! Golly, this gets to be fun sometimes, finding out the various proofs only so that the VA can pretend with some Beltway twist of the facts that we weren't exposed. I have to give them their due: they are persistent, bold and creative.

They have to be, in order to twist history, science, law, justice and common sense as they keep insisting we were not exposed to military herbicides aboard a contaminated airplane!

C-123 Veterans Claims vs. VA Counter-Claims: Who is Ahead?

The Balance of Arguments

Veterans:

- "It is my opinion that (C-123) aircrews operating in this, and similar, environments were exposed to TCDD."

(Dr. Tom Sinks, Deputy Director, CDC/Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry)

- "It is my professional opinion that (veteran name withheld) (and likely, other aircrew veterans who flew these aircraft in the same time period) was exposed to harmful levels of dioxin." 

(Dr. Fred Berman, Oregon Health Sciences University Toxicology Department) 

- "(The C-123 is) heavily contaminated. A danger to public health."

(Dr. Ron Porter, toxicologist, USAF Armstrong Laboratories)

- "In my opinion, it is highly likely that you and other crew members were exposed to the herbicides and to their highly toxic contaminant, 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (dioxin, for short)" 

(Dr. Jeanne Stellman, Professor Emerita, Columbia University School of Public Health)

- In my professional judgment you are at increased risk for illness from the dioxin in Agent Orange because of your exposure to it from your (C-123) military service”

(Dr. Arnold Schecter, Professor, University of Texas School of Public Health)

VA:

- "No conclusive evidence that TCDD exposure causes any adverse health effects."

(VA Compensation Services in claim denial)

- "TCDD is the most toxic of the dioxins, and is classified as a human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency."

(VA Public Health Bulletin )

- “(C-123 veterans’) Claims are decided on an individual basis."

VA Public Health Bulletin (however: 100% of claims denied -  0% approved, but on an "individual" basis, of course!)

- C-123 vets are "Trash-haulers. Freeloaders looking for a tax-free dollar. I have no respect for them but do for combat vets."

(The DoD & USAF consultant on Agent Orange, his 2011 email re: C-123 vets; in 2010 he recommended “quiet, low-visibility” destruction of C-123 fleet to prevent veterans learning of C-123 contamination & crew exposure. Most C-123 veterans are combat veterans of Vietnam, Desert Storm or both)

C-123 Veterans Respond to VA Undersecretary Allison Hickey

Voice of the 74th AES, 731st TAS & 901st OMS

Honorable Allison Hickey
Undersecretary for Benefits

The Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey graciously wrote us about the VA's perspective on C-123 veteran exposure to dioxin. We disagree in many places with General Hickey's letter but much appreciate the attention she has given our situation. We ask for reconsideration in our response to her, posted below:

(continued to page 6...click to read further)