About Reports

IOM reports provide objective and straightforward advice to decision makers and the public. This site includes IOM reports published after 1998. All reports from the IOM and the National Academies, including those published before 1998, are available from the National Academies Press.

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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2008 Released: July 24, 2009

  From 1962 to 1971, US military sprayed herbicides over Vietnam. Because of continuing uncertainty about the long-term health effects of the sprayed herbicides on Vietnam veterans, Congress passed the Agent Orange Act of 1991. The legislation directed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to request the Institute of Medicine to perform a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam. Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2008 is the eighth report in this series.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2006 Released: July 27, 2007

  Because of continuing uncertainty about the long-term health effects of the sprayed herbicides on Vietnam veterans, Congress passed the Agent Orange Act of 1991. The legislation directed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to request the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to perform a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam. Mandated updates to the original study were to be conducted every 2 years for 10 years. Veterans and Agent Orange, Update 2006 is the seventh report in this series.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2004 Released: March 3, 2005

  Agent Orange and other herbicides were used as defoliants in the Vietnam War. Under a Congressional mandate, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies conducted a comprehensive review of the scientific literature to determine whether Vietnam veterans may be experiencing health effects associated with exposure to those herbicides or chemicals contaminating them. IOM's study has been updated every two years, and Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2004 is the latest report in that series.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Length of Presumptive Period for Association Between Exposure and Respiratory Cancer Released: March 1, 2004

  In 1991, because of continuing uncertainty about the long-term health effects on Vietnam veterans who where exposed to herbicides during their service in Vietnam (mixtures of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), picloram, and cacodylic acid), Congress passed legislation that directed the secretary of veterans affairs to ask the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to perform a comprehensive evaluation of scientific and medical information regarding the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange, other herbicides used in Vietnam, and the various chemical components of those herbicides, including TCDD.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2002 Released: January 16, 2003

  This report, Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2002, is the fourth in a series examining the impact of chemical defoliants, including Agent Orange, and their contaminants on human health. In previous updates on the health risk to veterans posed by exposure to Agent Orange and other chemicals used in Vietnam, all forms of leukemia were considered collectively when examining research on links between exposure to herbicides and the risk for cancer.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Herbicide/Dioxin Exposure and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in the Children of Vietnam Veterans Released: February 27, 2002

  A new review by an IOM committee has found inadequate or insufficient evidence to determine if an association exists between exposure to the herbicides used in Vietnam or their contaminants and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in the children of Vietnam veterans.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 Released: April 19, 2001

  This report is the third comprehensive review and evaluation of the newly published scientific evidence regarding associations between health outcomes and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Herbicide/Dioxin Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes Released: October 11, 2000

  In 1999, in response to a request from the Department of Veterans Affairs, IOM called together a committee to conduct an interim review of the scientific evidence regarding one of the conditions addressed in the Veterans and Agent Orange series of reports: Type 2 diabetes.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 1998 Released: December 16, 1999

  This is the second updated review and evaluation of published scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam.
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  Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 1996. Summary and Research Highlights Released: April 18, 1997

  This IOM report presents the first updated review and evaluation of the newly published scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam.