
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 29, 1990                   TAG: 9003290260
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Short

DIOXIN STUDY MAY SUPPORT VETERANS

Occupational exposure to dioxin, a contaminant in Agent Orange and some once-widely used herbicides, appears to increase individuals' risk of certain cancers, a new Swedish study shows.

The latest evidence of dioxin's possible role in some soft-tissue cancers, published in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, may add weight to Vietnam veterans' claims that the chemical caused cancers and other health problems among military personnel exposed to Agent Orange, which was used to defoliate Southeast Asian jungles during the war.

The study coincides with the expected release this week of a national Centers for Disease Control study that could help determine whether Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange suffered cancer and other ailments as a result - and deserve compensation.

The Swedish scientists found that individuals exposed to dioxin-contaminated chemicals had more than twice as many soft-tissue cancers as those not exposed - a "statistically significant" finding.

The CDC's Selected Cancers Study, which agency officials expect to release today, also looked at the incidence of soft-tissue cancers. The five-year study is designed to determine whether Vietnam veterans are at higher risk of developing soft-tissue sarcoma, lymphoma and nasal, nasopharyngeal and liver cancer.

by CNB