USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -After returning home, Vietnam veterans began to suspect their ill health or the instances of their wives having miscarriages or children born with birth defects might be related to Agent Orange and the other toxic herbicides to which they had been exposed in Vietnam.

Detailed explanation-2: -Spina bifida (except spina bifida occulta), a defect in the developing fetus that results in incomplete closing of the spine, is associated with Veterans’ exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during qualifying service in Vietnam or Korea.

Detailed explanation-3: -Spina bifida is a spinal cord birth defect. A baby develops spina bifida while still in the womb. In some cases, a parent’s past contact with specific chemicals causes this birth defect.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the report, which was published in 1969, Bionetics researchers stated that Agent Orange contained a contaminant called 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), a dioxin that caused increased rates of stillbirths and birth defects in pregnant rats exposed to it.

Detailed explanation-5: -Common Birth Defects Caused by Agent Orange Common birth defects include Spina bifida, Cleft lip, Congenital heart defects, limb defects such as missing or malformed fingers or toes, neural tube defects that cause problems to the brain or spinal cord, hernias, down syndrome, and other chromosomal disorders.