Document JNjpGjnKRXmd7EKzgmroboLq2

F yJ: ><?(3 C 07.286 jjuc : t)n B ish o p f^onssnto ,-- Monsanto Company 8 0 0 N. Lindbergh B oula vard St. Louia, M isso u ri 63167 Phon: 014) 6 9 4-100 0 April 6, 1983 . . department or urDic.sc a ENVIRO N M EN Ta l HEALTH Editor New England Journal of Medicine 10 S hattuck S treet B oston, M assachusetts 02115 To the editor: The recent le tte r by La Vecchio et al on Agent O range and b irth defects rep o rted th a t, in a group of v eteran s who called an organization that solicits calls about medical problems in Vietnam veteran s' children, th ere was a high p ercen t who described th eir children as "not normal". [1] Few epidemiologists would credit such "evidence". F u rth e r, in calling for a systematic study of the problem, the authors appear to be unaware of work already done and in p ro g ress. There has been one published study of the reproductive experience of the wives of workers exposed to chlorinated dioxins, including 2,3,7,8 TCDD, and one study of birth defects in the children of A ustralian Vietnam veterans [2,3]. Neither study has found any association between exposure and any of several measures of reproductive failure, including congenital malformations. In addition, a study similar to the Australian one is to be carried out by the C enters for Disease C ontrol, while both CDC and the Air Force are conducting more com prehensive long term studies th at will C07*87 *V April 6, 1983 To the Editor Page 2 address reproductive problems as p a rt of more comprehensive investigations. No one can question the desirability of fu rth e r studies of the concerns expressed by Vietnam v e te ra n s. What must be questioned is the failure of these authors to quote the work that has been done and is in p ro g ress, and their presentation of a predictably biased study as if it were the only data in a scientific vacuum. William R. Gaffey, Ph.D . Monsanto Company CONFIDE__N_TIA. L, 1. La Vecchio FA, Pashayan HM, Singer W. Agent O range and b irth defects. NEJM 1983; 308:720. 2. Townsend JC , Bodner KM, Van Peenen PF, et al. Survey of reproductive events of wives of employees exposed to chlorinated dioxins. Am. J. Epid. 1982; 115:695-713. 3. Armstrong B. Australians rep o rt no link between service in Vietnam and b irth defects among offsp rin g . Epidemiology Monitor, March 1983. C