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Public Health

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Chemicals

Veterans' exposure to the chemicals listed below potentially could be linked to certain health problems, depending on a number of other factors.

Helicopter spraying herbicidesAgent Orange or
Other Herbicides
Herbicides used during the Vietnam era to destroy foliage and crops

Smoke rising from a burn pitBurn Pits
Open-air pit waste disposal at military sites

Smoke of sulfur fireSulfur Fire (Al Mishraq, Iraq)
Sulfur plant burned almost a month in June 2003; large amounts of sulfur dioxide released into the air

Julian C. Smith Hall at Camp LejeuneCamp Lejeune Water Supplies
Tap water contaminated by industrial chemicals at Marine Corps Base Camp in the 1950s to 1980s

Chemical bottlesIndustrial Solvents
Usually liquid, used to dissolve, degrease, clean, strip paint, etc.

Spraying pesticidesPesticides (Gulf War)
Substances used to repel or destroy pests such as insects and pathogens

Side of tank in IraqDepleted Uranium
Uranium used in military tank armor and some bullets

Boots in dustChromium (Qarmat Ali)
Hexavalent chromium in sodium dichromate dust; water treatment plant in 2003

Man labeling PCB-containing transformersPCBs
Polychlorinated biphenyl used as coolant and insulating fluid

Man spraying foam from a hose.PFAS
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in products, including fire-fighting foams 

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