Bill Text: NJ AJR57 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares October of every year "Agent Orange Awareness Month"; encourages increased awareness about potential negative health effects of exposure on Vietnam veterans.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2012-09-24 - Approved P.L.2012, JR-3. [AJR57 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-AJR57-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CLEOPATRA G. TUCKER
District 28 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Declares October of every year "Agent Orange Awareness Month"; encourages increased awareness about potential negative health effects of exposure on Vietnam veterans.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Joint Resolution declaring October of every year as "Agent Orange Awareness Month" and encouraging increased awareness about potential negative health effects of exposure on Vietnam veterans.
Whereas, Our Vietnam veterans valiantly served our country in what was a difficult, unconventional war; thousands gave their lives, and thousands of others were wounded and injured in battle; and
Whereas, In the years after the war, it has been disturbing to find that many of these wounds and injuries were caused by the indiscriminate use of chemicals as weapons of war by the United States military in the heavily forested areas of Vietnam; and
Whereas, Between 1961 and 1971, the United States military sprayed more than 19 million gallons of 15 different herbicides in South Vietnam and surrounding areas with the purpose of killing the plants, crops and forests that provided food and cover for enemy troops; and
Whereas, One of the most common herbicides used was "Agent Orange" which, named after the color of the stripe on its storage drums, was a mixture containing dioxin, a chemical associated in laboratory studies with certain skin diseases and an increased risk of both certain types of cancer and reproductive and developmental defects; and
Whereas, Today, it is well known that Agent Orange is scientifically associated with a number of negative health effects on thousands of exposed Vietnam veterans, including chloracne, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcomas, peripheral neuropathy, Hodgkin's disease, porphyria cutanea tarda, diabetes, multiple myeloma, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and spina bifida and other birth defects in the children of Vietnam veterans; and
Whereas, It is estimated that 2.6 million personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam and adjacent waters, and the Department of Veterans Affairs makes the presumption that all veterans who served in Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange; and
Whereas, Given the presumed exposure, and the many negative health effects that have been linked to service in the Vietnam war, it is essential that we raise awareness about this issue in our communities and that all Vietnam veterans who have not already done so seek proper health screening; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly and Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey hereby declares October of every year as "Agent Orange Awareness Month," encourages all citizens and residents of this State to increase their awareness about the negative health effects associated with exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam war, and especially urges all Vietnam veterans to seek proper medical screening.
2. The Governor is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the public officials and all citizens and residents of New Jersey to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.
3. A duly authenticated copy of this joint resolution shall be transmitted to the New Jersey chapters of the Vietnam Veterans of America and to the Order of the Silver Rose.
4. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This joint resolution declares October of every year as "Agent Orange Awareness Month" in order to raise awareness about the negative health effects suffered by many Vietnam veterans in association with their exposure to herbicides during their years of service in Vietnam. This joint resolution also urges all Vietnam veterans to seek proper medical examination and screening.
From 1961 to 1971, the United States used a variety of herbicides as weapons of war in Vietnam with the purpose of killing the plants and forests that provided either food or cover for enemy troops. More than 19 million gallons of 15 different chemical mixtures were sprayed, and three of the most common were named "Agent White," "Agent Blue" and "Agent Orange," after the color of the stripes on their storage drums. Of these three mixtures, however, Agent Orange was the most commonly used from 1965 to 1970.
In the years following the war, concerns arose about the potential negative health effects of exposure to these herbicides on U.S. troops, especially after it was revealed that an ingredient in the Agent Orange mixture was dioxin. Based on laboratory studies and on the health effects seen on workers exposed to dioxin, an association had been found between this chemical and certain skin diseases, increased risk of certain cancers, and reproductive and birth defects.
It is well recognized today that a number of conditions suffered by thousands of Vietnam veterans are service related, and in fact associated with exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides. Some of these conditions are chloracne, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcomas, peripheral neuropathy, Hodgkin's disease, porphyria cutanea tarda, diabetes, multiple myeloma, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and spina bifida and other birth defects in the children of Vietnam veterans.
Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs makes the presumption that all of the approximately 2.6 million personnel who served within the borders of South Vietnam and adjacent waters were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides. Given these circumstances, it is important to increase awareness of the negative health effects of exposure to this herbicide in Vietnam, and to encourage all Vietnam veterans to seek the proper medical screening provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
