罢丑别听Department of Veterans Affairs听has long given Vietnam veterans听听for illness connected to Agent Orange, widely used to defoliate Southeast Asian battlefields during the U.S. war.
Less well known:听The powerful herbicide combination was also routinely used to kill weeds at domestic military bases. Those exposed to the chemicals at the bases are听still waiting for the same benefits听and, in some cases, are hitting a familiar obstacle 鈥� government opacity.
In February, VA听that for the first time would allow compensation for Agent Orange exposure at听17 U.S. bases听in a dozen states where the herbicide was tested, used or stored.
But the list excludes about four dozen bases where听Pat Elder, an activist and director of the environmental advocacy group听Military Poisons, says he鈥檚 documented the use or storage of Agent Orange. Among them is Fort Ord, a former Army base in Monterey County, Calif.听听gathered by Elder and others, including a report by an Army agronomist, a journal article and records related to hazardous material cleanups, establish the use of Agent Orange at the facility.
鈥淚n training areas, such as Fort Ord, where poison oak has been extremely troublesome to military personnel, a well-organized chemical war has been waged against this woody plant pest,鈥� reads听听in the journal听the Military Engineer.
鈥淯ntil Fort Ord is recognized by VA as a presumptive site, it鈥檚 probably going to be a long, difficult struggle to get some kind of compensation,鈥� said听Mike Duris, a veteran who trained at the base and was later diagnosed with prostate cancer.
VA considers prostate cancer a 鈥溾�� for Agent Orange disability compensation, meaning the agency presumes the illness is linked to exposure to the chemical. It acknowledges that those who served in specific locations were likely exposed and their illnesses are tied to military service. The designation expedites affected veterans鈥� disability claims.
Agent Orange is a 50-50 mixture of two chemicals. Herbicides with the same chemical structure, although slightly modified, were widely available in the 1950s and 鈥�60s, sold commercially and used on practically every base in the United States, said听Gerson Smoger, a lawyer who argued before the Supreme Court for Vietnam veterans to have the right to sue Agent Orange manufacturers.
2,4,5-T contains the dioxin TCDD, a known carcinogen linked to a number of听. 罢丑别听Environmental Protection Agency听in the United States in 1979.
VA says it based its proposed rule on information provided by the听Defense Department, and that the听Pentagon鈥檚 review 鈥渇ound no documentation of herbicide use, testing or storage at Fort Ord.鈥�
Patricia Kime contributed reporting.
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