Approximately 3 million Americans served in the armed forces in Vietnam during the 1960s and early 1970s, the time of the Vietnam War. During that time, the military applied large amounts of defoliant mixtures, including so-called Agent Orange, with resultant exposure of some troops. To this day, three decades after US forces withdrew from Vietnam, questions remain about the lasting health consequences, including cancer risk, of those exposures among veterans. As the veteran population ages, and as epidemiologic studies continue, further evidence continues to emerge. Most recently, in early 2003, a new conclusion was reached: that Agent Orange exposure is associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia among.
