Exposures of Veterans : Agent Orange and Beyond What Have We Learned? Exposure Concerns of Veterans – What You Need

1. Exposures of Veterans:Agent Orange and BeyondWhat Have We Learned?Exposure Concerns of Veterans – What You Need to Know Ron Teichman, MD, MPH, FACP, FACOEM Associate Director – Clinical, Education and Risk Communication War Related Illness and Injury Study Center VA New Jersey Health Care System – East Orange, NJ

2. Environmental Exposures of Veterans:Agent Orange and Beyond What Have We Learned?

3. Not much…

4. Not much… • Burning trash • Harsh Weather Conditions • Poor Sanitary Conditions • Pesticides and Insects • Hazardous Weapons Systems • Occupational Chemical Hazards Which war am I talking about?

5. Which one? • Korean War (1950-1953) • Vietnam (1961-1975) • Grenada (1983) • Panama (1989) • First Gulf War/Desert Storm (1990-91)

6. Maybe one of these? • Somalia (1993) • Bosnia (1993-95) • Kosovo (1998-99) • Operation Enduring Freedom/OEF (2001-present) • Operation Iraqi Freedom/OIF (2003-present)

7. Vietnam Conflict • Signature environmental exposure??

8. Vietnam Conflict • Signature environmental exposure?? • Correct – Agent Orange!

9. Vietnam Conflict • Signature environmental exposure?? • Correct – Agent Orange! • Other exposures?

10. Vietnam Conflict • Signature environmental exposure?? • Correct – Agent Orange! • Other exposures? • Napalm • Malaria, insects, insecticides • Burning trash • Poor hygiene and sanitary conditions

11. Vietnam Conflict • Signature environmental exposure?? • Correct – Agent Orange! • At this point it is probably not worth debating who knew what when about the dioxins in these defoliants, or who knew what when about the long term health consequences of exposure

12. Vietnam Conflict • Signature environmental exposure?? • Correct – Agent Orange! • Bottom Line is that the Veterans that were exposed are paying the price with their health and their lives!

13. Vietnam – Agent OrangePresumptively Service Connected Conditions • Acute and Sub-acute Peripheral Neuropathy • AL Amyloid • Chloracne • Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia • Hodgkin’s Disease • Multiple Myeloma • Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma • Porphyria Cutanea Tarda • Soft tissue Sarcoma • Prostate Cancer • Respiratory Track Cancer

14. Vietnam – Agent OrangePresumptively Service Connected Conditions • Diabetes Mellitus-Type II • B Cell Leukemias • Ischemic Heart Disease • Parkinson’s Disease • Next – HTN? • All sequelae thereof!

15. Presumptions Why?

16. 10 Conflicts in 60 years • 20 years ago • Persian Gulf War began • “100 hours war” • Still going on • Legally • Medically

17. Prevalence (%) of exposures common to Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Bosnia-Kosovo

18. Top ten environmental exposures of concern: Gulf War • Protective gear/alarms (82.5%) • Diesel, kerosene, other petrochems (80.6%) • Oil well fire smoke (66.9%) • Local food (64.5%) • Insect bites (63.7%) • Harsh weather (62.5%) • Smoke from burning trash or feces (61.4%) • Within 1 mile of missile warfare (59.9%) • Repellants and pesticides (47.5%) • Paint, solvents (36.5%) From Schneiderman, Lincoln, Wargo, et. al., APHA, 12-14-05

19. Multi-System, Medically Unexplained Symptoms • More possible causes than symptoms • Anthrax vaccine • Bites from insects and rodents • Pesticides and fleas collars • Oil well fires • Multiple vaccinations • Pyridostigmine Bromide • Sarin gas (Nerve agent) • MOPP suits • Etc., etc., etc.

20. OEF/OIF • Total number of US service members deployed to OEF/OIF = 1,700,000 • Total number of US service members separated, i.e., Veterans = 1,016,213 • Received some health care from VA = 454,121; ~ 45% of returnees

21. Percentage of OEF/OIF service members who endorsed Exposure Concerns on PDHA and PDHRA (9/07-10/08) • Active component • Pre-Deployment n=245,378 0.0% • Post-Deployment n=224,511 16.2% • Reassessment n=189,933 21.2% • Reserve component • Pre-Deployment n=85,843 0.0% • Post-Deployment n=75,174 24.9% • Reassessment n=96,886 34.8% • Frequency of exposure concerns rise after 3-6 months MSMR Vol. 15 / No. 7 – Sept. 2008

22. Top five Concerns of Veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq • Sand • Noise • Smoke from trash • Vehicle exhaust • JP8 or other fuel MSMR Vol. 12 / No. 8 – Nov. 2006

23. 30.0 30.0 Reserve Reserve Active Active 25.0 25.0 20.0 20.0 Percent Percent 15.0 15.0 10.0 10.0 5.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 Noise Sand Noise Sand Solvents Solvents JP8 or Fuel JP8 or Fuel DEET on skin DEET on skin Vehicle exhaust Vehicle exhaust Smoke from trash Smoke from oil fire Industrial pollution Industrial pollution Smoke from trash Excessive vibration Smoke from oil fire Excessive vibration Blast / Vehicle accident Pesticide treated uniform Blast / Vehicle accident Pesticide treated uniform Frequency of OEF/OIF service member exposure concern reported on the PDHRA (9/05-8/06) MSMR Vol. 12 / No. 8 – Nov. 2006

24. Top ten environmental exposures of concern: OEF/OIF • Smoke from burning trash or feces (44.6%)-7 • Sand and dust storms (41.5%)-6 • Gasoline, Jet Fuel, Diesel Fuel (21.1%)-2 • Depleted Uranium (19.0%) • Paint, solvents, other petrochems (15.2%)-10 • Oil well fire smoke (14.9%)-3 • Contaminated food and water (14.4%)-4 • Anthrax Vaccine (14.2%) • Multiple Vaccinations (13.9%) [8+9>3] • Vehicular Exhaust (10.3%) Seen at NJ WRIISC, n=612. 1889 concerns, range 0-15

25. Not much… • Burning trash • Harsh Weather Conditions • Poor Sanitary Conditions • Pesticides and Insects • Hazardous Weapons Systems • Occupational Chemical Hazards Which war am I talking about?

26. But wait!

27. Maybe there’s hope!

28. Maybe there’s hope! • The last decade has seen change happening at an increasing rate • Brand new initiatives • Entirely new programs • New ways of doing what we’ve always done

29. Didn’t you say there’s hope? • Integrated Care Initiatives • Exposure monitoring and tracking • Better communications • Medical surveillance

30. The Hope • War Related Illness and Injury Study Center – WRIISC • Post Deployment Integrated Care Initiative – PDICI • Deployment Health Working Group • Medical surveillance program

31. The War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) A National program in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), established in 2001 to address post-deployment health issues from the First Gulf War.

32. About the WRIISC The mission of the WRIISC is to improve the health of Veterans with war related illnesses and injuries through clinical assessments, education, risk communicationand research. A key element of our mission is to provide education to providers on deployment related healthcare issues such as exposures and medically unexplained symptoms.

33. WRIISC Services • Clinical • Education/Risk Communication • Research

34. WRIISC • Unlike most VA programs, we were designed to be flexible to address the needs of post-deployment Veterans • The VA was positively prescient!

35. WRIISC We are able to focus on: • The Past • The Present and • The Future

36. WRIISC • Integrating our Clinical Expertise and Services with our • Research Interests and Findings with our • Educational and Risk Communication Expertise and Services allows for • The maximum positive impact on the Veterans of this country!

37. WRIISC Collaborations • Tri-WRIISC educational programs with EES being held regionally • Tri-WRIISC educational national satellite broadcast in July • Caring for GW1 Veterans VHI being revised with WRIISC collaboration • Caring for Vietnam Veterans VHI being revised with WRIISC collaboration

38. WRIISC Collaborations – continued • EAS Regional Symposiums being held with WRIISC collaboration • DHWG has WRIISC representation • PDICI/Rural Health Initiative Training modules being prepared with WRIISC collaboration • Joint VA/DoD/Academia pulmonary exposure panel with WRIISC representation

39. Post-Deployment Integrated Care Initiative (PDICI) Based on three premises • The health care risks and health care needs of combat Veterans differ from those of non-combat Veterans • The health care needs of combat Veterans are best served by clinicians familiar with the unique health risks of combat. • The health care needs of combat Veterans are best served in a setting utilizing multidisciplinary resources and integrated care.

40. PDICI Mission/Goals Promote the integration of post-combat care services both within VA and between VA/DoD and other community providers into a coherent and maximally effective system of post-combat care and support for our returning combat Veterans and their families

41. PDICI Mission/Goals To take the lessons learned and approaches developed in the area of post-deployment care and apply them to the implementation of contingency plans for effective and immediate post-combat care for Veterans returning from any future deployments and with all Veterans with complex needs

42. DoD/VA Deployment Health Working Group (DHWG) Coordinate efforts to: • increase health surveillance information sharing • track research initiatives on deployment health issues • create joint health risk communication products

43. DHWG General Medical Surveillance • DHWG assisted in planning and presenting at “Evolving Paradigms II: The Journey Home-Making Connections-Overcoming Barriers-Transforming Lives” • DHWG provided guidance on a DoD communications initiative to publish the number of Service members diagnosed with TBI. • Surveillance data on traumatic brain injuries were developed by Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center and Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

44. DHWG Environmental Exposure Surveillance • Data Transfer Agreement between DoD and VA on sharing of environmental health data • US Army scientists provided a detailed presentation in May 2009 on 24 exposure incidents in OEF and OIF • Full-day workshop in 11/09 on DoD and VA responses to environmental exposure incidents in OIF & OEF • VA is working with DoD and the Marine Corps to develop data usable for VA to contact VA eligible personnel who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC.

45. DHWG Research Initiatives on Deployment Health Issues • DHWG has established a system for DoD and VA to report on deployment health research projects.

46. DHWG Risk Communication and Outreach • Coordinate risk communication and outreach to active-duty personnel and Veterans on deployment-related exposures. • Joint risk communication and outreach efforts in 2009-10 • Identification of Veterans who participated in testing of chemical and biological agents in 1942-1975 • Outreach to active-duty and Veterans on smoking cessation

47. DHWG Risk Communication and Outreach - continued • DoD and VA outreach on three environmental exposures • Potential exposure to smoke from burn pits in multiple locations in Iraq and Afghanistan • Qarmat Ali, Iraq • Naval Air Facility at Atsugi, Japan: potential exposure of 17,000 sailors and family members to smokestack emissions from an industrial incinerator (1985-2001) • DoD coordination and comments on VBA Training Letter

48. Developing a Medical Surveillance Program • There are several known exposure “scenarios” in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan where we can utilize medical surveillance to reduce morbidity and mortality • Most of the offending agent(s) can be identified or surmised

49. Developing a Medical Surveillance Program • The questions become: • What can and should we do? • How do we determine if individuals are or will develop health outcomes related to these exposures? • VA has established a pilot medical surveillance program for one of these scenarios

50. Developing A Medical Surveillance Program - What happened at Qarmat Ali • Approximately 600 National Guard troops rotated guard duty at a water treatment facility used for oil extraction at Qarmat Ali, Iraq between April and October 2003 • Entire presentation in just a short while • Remember, this is precedent setting.