Why are Vietnam veterans concerned about peripheral neuropathy? Does Agent Orange/dioxin cause it?
Some Vietnam veterans have been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and others have expressed concern about developing this condition. Some scientific literature has linked peripheral neuropathy to exposure to dioxin, which was contained in Agent Orange. On May 23, 1991, the Veterans’ Advisory Committee on Environmental Hazards considered the relationship between exposure to dioxin and the development of this condition. The Committee concluded that there is a “significant statistical association” between peripheral neuropathy and exposure to dioxin. The Committee qualified this opinion, stating that the association could be said to exist in the absence of exposure to chemical substances known to cause this disorder. Committee members indicated that other risk factors that must be considered are age and whether the individual suffers from other known causes of peripheral neuropathy such as diabetes, alcoholism, or Guillain-Barre syndrome. The Committee also advised that the disorder mu
