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Study links heart disease, Agent Orange toxin

Scientists studying dioxin exposure in humans — including Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange — have found a correlation between the chemicals and the death rates of heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

The research, presented in Environmental Health Perspectives, shows that there are “consistent and significant dose-related associations” with heart disease and modest associations with cardiovascular disease.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Environmental Protection Agency said they realized that most dioxin studies had centered on cancer rates, but no one had produced a review of research about cardiovascular disease.

“Future studies in both animals and humans should assess whether cardiovascular effects are present at environmentally relevant doses,” the authors wrote.

Environmental Health Perspectives’ editor, Hugh Tilson, said the report is of interest because cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in many countries, and dioxin exposure can be prevented.