Agent Orange & Tongue Cancer

The lack of a general association between exposure and disease does not rule out that there may be direct proof of causation.

Paul Orlandi, who served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, died in 2007 from cancer of the tongue. Four years after his death, his wife received word from the military that Agent Orange directly linked to his death. Learn more by visiting: Veterans Today

(WASHINGTON DC) - We run into this problem with base of the tongue cancer cases. The VA always takes the position that because general causation can't be shown, direct evidence can never exist.

What the VA doesn't understand is that the lack of general causation means nothing if there is a lack of contributing factors and a complete medical history.

Here's the way I look at it. If a vet argues the existence of direct evidence relying upon an epidemiological analysis, he loses.

If it is coupled with an analysis of contributing factors and a review of his medical condition, he wins.

Likewise, the lack of a general association between exposure and disease does not rule out that there may be direct proof of causation.