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\ o o Comihan hetUdde linked to caQcer Eipoaifc to a conuaoa btrbkide sig't* iMaattf bicfcaMt the rU of non- HodfUali lymphoiM (NHLX according loa National Cancer Instltula report The broMHeif plant Ullet a phenoeyher- bicide called Zd-dkhlorophencHjfBcetlc acid (24 D), ta one of the active ingre* dienta in Agent Orange, wed during the Vielnaniiinc Swedieh reaearcbera reported in 1979 and BSIaaaociationt between phenony herbicide uae and not only NHL but aiao two other cancera, aofl-tiaaue aarcona and Hodgkinb diaaaae In the car rent atudy headed by Sheila K. Hoar and re port^ In the Sept 5 Jourmal or tns AanncAif MnlcAL AssoaAnoN. only the NHLcobaecdonwaa found. . Hoar and hefcolleagueatradted^own all caaea of the three cancera diagnmed between^ and 1982 in vrhite Kanaaa own, andtpieetloned the patienu or their aur vtvora ahout occopatioti and ex- poaorc to herbiddea. lib further check theherbidde informalfcin, the reaenreh- era Interviewed local pexMde lup- pliera. I When the rea earc hera compared the herhidde expoauic among the cancer paiioim and among agenmiatihed trhilg men from the general Kanaas population, they found that the Incidence^ NHL, but not of the other two cancera,* inaeaaed with incfoaaed expoaure to 24-a The more expo^ to thal particular herbiddi they fou^ the irealer thf riak •the Incidence of ^HL among farm- era cxpoaed20dayadr more fwyearwaii afat timea that of the general population, vrhile thoae who uaed it aix toilO dqra per yearwefcatLStimeitlieria^Thegreat- eat danger waa to people vrho had han dled the chemical extmiaively people who mtamd or applied H were at eight timea the riak. The atudy did not ahow any increaaed riak among backyard gardenera. can! aay they're at riak.* notea Hoax Iwt thereb reaaon for cautioo and concern. I think when we know anything to car- dnogcnkwehaveioconaiderthatevena low doae nmy be hmardoua.* The r^ort haa aparbed concern in the federal govemmenL Loto Roaai of the En vironmental Protection Agency «»ho monHora the age^b 24-D program, aaya. •^'re going to review the entire . atudy Wb fed that the concluaiona in the report are wdl-founded. Itb of otavioua c oncern.* la the meantime, ahe recom- menda that fanaera and backyard gar denera follow labd inatructiona care fully wnor protect ive clothing and handle 24-0 with caution. The report to evidently being taken ae- . Mawf offhewookcondnuadonA 7^4 SCIENCE NEWS Volume 130 September 13, 1986 Narnnofm^mkeontUnmdtnmp. 187 • rioualy by the peatidde Induatry aa welL ' Representaiivea of a 13<ompany Ujk force of 2.4-0 producera metvdth the re searchers late last «reek to discuss the study: David Oietx. a spokesperson ter the task force, says, *Wb're going to clearly pay attention to the finding.* Because of questions regarding ex posure levels and other aspeett of the previous atudy by Swedish reaearchera. the task force disputed those findings. But the current study aaya Oleix, to more credible The news tani alt hid: fiSirST ing to Oletx • the overall incidence of NHLamongfarraers who wore protoct lvo equipment «ma not as greatly devaled. "That for us to interesting and probably good." he says. But further analj^s of the amount of 24-0 uae b, the protective equipment wearers could show an expo sure-related risk. Hoar says. The study to also of relevance to peo ple exposed to Agent Orange, aa her bicide sprayed during the Vietnam «»ar in vdial was then South Vietnam. 24-0 «»as one of the hvo active Ingredients used in the .herbicide: the other was 2AS-lri- chidrophcnol (245-Tl Operation Ranch Hand, a study of L200 Vletiiim vefSamT cof^ted by the U.S Air Force, did not I the study to re says Hoax Ac> corging to a Veterans Administration spokesperson, the Vk plans on reviewing thecurrent study lodetermine if Vietnam veterans exposed to the herbicide in the course of duty and who develop NHL are due service-related disability benefits. Animal studies have shown that Cham- teal contaminants called dioxins, pro duced during the manufacture of 2AST: are toxic as vrnll as csrcfnogittic Ra- saarch on the health affects on Agsnl Orange has locussd on one particular 245ToootaminaaL wHh relalhmly lillla Arnold Schectex whoae studtos havt shown measuiable levels of dkadns in lha fat tiamie of people in industrallaed countries (SN:7/0/8S^A26X says that the new study ought to focus attention on vrhat componM in the 24-0 herbicide to causing problems. *WbVe written olL perhaps erroneously 24-D l* he says. *The key question.* aqys Schsetex a professor of preventive medidne at the State Untocfsity of New Mark in BinghHU- ton. *to: Is the problem in 24-0 or la a conlamioaal724-Ohaaolhardianinsthat have been considered feas toxic than tht nmebcanoundin smoue and ash from munidpal and industrial inefamfesaJLir a ifey menptmi UUdygrca^ lu • Kansas farmers, then we must give much ' more serious consideration to their toxfe ‘ health effects.* -‘JiSiBmntr