Parkinson's Disease And Tce Exposure

[donna68]

How many post Vietnam veterans are out there dealing with Parkinson’s disease or symptoms similar to Parkinson’s? Facts are: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurologic disorders. It affects roughly 1.5 million Americans. The Veterans Health Administration treats an estimated 40,000 veterans with PD each year.

Recent studies link Parkinson’s to TCE which is a chemical that was common on military bases. Multiple military bases are on the EPA and ATSDR list.

Parkinson's Disease Risk Greater in Those Exposed to Common Chemical, Trichloroethylene, Study ShowsScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2011) — A University of Kentucky faculty member is a contributing author on a new study demonstrating a connection between a common solvent chemical and Parkinson's disease. Dr. Franca Cambi of the UK Kentucky Neuroscience Institute collaborated with researchers from across the U.S. on a paper recently published in the Annals of Neurology.

Occupational or environmental exposure to TCE, PERC and CCI₄ is common due to the extensive use of the chemicals in dry-cleaning solutions, adhesives, paints, and carpet cleaners. Despite the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banning the use of TCE as a general anesthetic, skin disinfectant, and coffee decaffeinating agent in 1977, it is still widely used today as a degreasing agent. In the U.S., millions of pounds of TCE are still released into the environment each year and it is the most common organic contaminant found in ground water, detected in up to 30 percent of drinking water supplies in the country.

While prior research has indicated a link between TCE exposure and Parkinson's disease, the current findings are the first to report a statistically significant association -- a more than six-fold increased risk. Researchers also found that exposure to PERC and CCI₄ tended toward significant risk of developing the disease.

Also note that the ATSDR has identified three completed exposure pathways for (Mc Clellean AFB) on-site military and civilian populations: past exposure via ingestion of TCE-contaminated water from the base's water production wells; inhalation of ambient air (past, current, and future) contaminated with TCE, PCE, 1,1-DCE, MC, benzene, and mercury; and ingestion of PCB-contaminated surface soil (past, current, and future).

On-site residents, civilian and military personnel, and off-site residents living west on the base have been exposed to TCE in groundwater and ambient air. On- and off-site exposure at McClellan Air Force Base resulted from long-term (more than a year) ingestion of contaminated water from base and private residential wells. Other domestic uses of water (e.g., cooking and bathing) resulted in residents inhaling TCE volatilized from the contaminated water and dermal absorption of TCE from the contaminated water. Limited air monitoring data indicate that on- and off-site military and civilian populations near OU B and OU D were also exposed to TCE by the inhalation route.

TCE exposure also causes cancer, so please spread the word and check the EPA and ATSDR site for bases you may have been to.

[retiredat44]

MY claim deals with chemical exposure,, there are no doubts about my exposure, there are no doubts about my neuro diseases,, the only problem is the VA refuses to connect the dots... my in service (SMR's) cleary state, by doctors, that I suffered froma nd was treated for these conditions on active duty and I continue to suffer with worsening conditions...

I am in the appeal stages..

I will update as it slowly progress through the appeals stages..

Since I am not a GW or Vietnam vet, there is no automatic win...

I have the proof, (they have what I have, they have all my records at the VA, they treat me for my conditions...)..

I know there are others out there in my shoes who suffer greatly, and have to go through denials and appeals..

I know that many have won their claims with less evidence..

My first claims started 20 years ago..

I was already rated for some problems from chmical exposure, but was only awarded 50% in the 1990's, I have many more issues and am going for the full 100% that they denied me all these years.

MY exposure was extensive I was soaked in chemicals daily, clothing, skin, and all.. and it's in my records..

So,

there you go... one more person who is being fought to the death...

Edited February 15, 2012 by retiredat44

[rdawg]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18157908

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=173&tid=30

http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-ehp-19.pdf

http://www.national-toxic-encephalopathy-foundation.org/solvent.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1532938/pdf/envhper00524-0067.pdf

http://www.thepi.org/index.php?src=news&refno=14&category=News%20Articles

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1061276/?page=3

http://journals.lww.com/joem/pages/results.aspx?k=tce&Scope=AllIssues&txtKeywords=tce

[donna68]

retiredat44, sorry to hear you are going through so much. I wish you success in your journey. Exposure claims for non-Vietnam and non-Gulf War veterans is definitly not clear cut. I am in similar shoes, I served from 86 to 90, got out before the GW, was in the reserves from 90-98, but was not sent over to the gulf, though I was prepared (vaccinations...), I have been dealing with neurological symptoms for many years (not in service) but did not get diagnosed with PD until 43. I dont fit the risk factors for PD except for one, TCE exposure. I submitted a claim and dont expect to win, but I though that it wouldnt hurt to put in a claim because TCE exposure just may become an Agent Orange like case one day. I also have an appeal pending from 2008 for DDD of the back and neck that incurred on active duty orders as a reservist. My case is in LA.

[retiredat44]

My skin was soaked with TCE, as I had to clean eiuipment with it, and the nightmare was the doctors had already removed me from contact with chemicals from when I worked wiith fuels, jet fuel, leaded gas, diesel, I became sick the doctors odered my permantant removal, for me, from further contact with chemicals, they put me back in a job with trichloroethelyne, I was soaked in it, and I got sick again... limbs swollen large... bleeding,, heacahes,,

btw, these symptoms lasted 2 years.. in service,, not to mention 2 hospitizations for illness including gastritis and pnumonia, and also suffered from tremors and shaking..

swollen limbs, skin breaking open and bleeeding, headaches,,, severe pain, crying..... it was almost 5 years of chemical contact.. and illness..

after waitng 2 years to tell them at the dro hearing, what they refused to read in my smr's, and I also ended up paying for an IMO ($1,600) from a toxicolgist doctor, va records include long hospitalizations, treatment for pancreas disease (necrotizing pancreatitis) (the doctors continue to tell me the only way a person gets what I have is from drinking, and chemical exposure for the pancreas to become diseased..,, but I didn't drink alcohol, (well only a few beers, on a weekend, and that was more than 25 years ago.), neurolgical diseases, thrombosis, spinal disease, eye disease... and the list continues.. The pancreas is dying, and they are unable to repair it and they have threatened to remove it if I get one more infection..

on active duty, I never had a drinking problems and wasn't a drinker, so if they think they can blame alcohol, good luck, because I never once was into drinking liquor... the only other way to develope pancreas disease is from chemicals.. I saw plenty of people busted for being alkies and being sent to couseling for drinking problems...

the tried to say my tremors are inherited,, the VA gave me a DNA test for neuro disease,, it came back negative.... the neurolgist cotnues to find another label, so far the last label in my records at the VA Hospital, include neurology, giving me a dignosis of a form of muscular dystrophy, called myotonic dytstrophy, for which I take cloneazepam and Inderal.. I spent one year in a wheel chair unable to move by myself,, but went through physcial therapy to learn to walk again.. my left knee has missing and worn cartalidge between the kneecap and bones... and just had a c&p for that, that was diagnosed on active duty 30 years ago.. the doctors told me a long time ago, they cant fix it... besides, my leggs are swollen from thrombosis and the pancreas disease.

I was very close to death in 2008, they had me ina hospital bed without a drop fo food for 6 months, my lungs had big problems and they had to run long needles in bewteen my ribsd to suck water out of the area around my lungs.. the x-ray machines kept showing a growing mass, and the doctor contuned to ask what hazerdous materails I worked with... becase the only way a person could get the symptoms I had was from chemicals... these are all in my medical records.... they just refused to read my records and I had to explain stuff at the dro hearing.. I had to tell them they had exverything in the va records... they just never bothered to read my medical records.. I had at least one xray a day for several months, including x-rays, cat scans,, and more. I have to get x-rays and cat scans every few months. Also, sonograms.. my pancreas has a whole bunch of cysts growing on it, ful of liquid.. if they break open and leak I have a good chance of dying.. I had that happen already at least 2x.. and it caused so much agony my belly was very swollen and I had to have a morphine pump with dilaudid. After one of the cysts grew to 5 inches, and the 2 surgeries failed... the splenic vein and portal veins closed causing another hospitalization for blood pressure drop to 60 over 40......

I gained 20 lbs of water weight in 2 days because of the sepsis, and took dieretics to pee 20 lbs off in 2 days.. my skin was getting ready to break open from stretching, the outer layers shed all over the place..... and the under layers were raw and red when the out layers of my skins stretched and cracked open...

I finally was back to 130 lbs... when I first reported into the hospital for my pancreas operation) my normal non fat weight, was about 185 lbs..)

I also have glaucoma and catracts..., the already operated on one eye...

I don't have teeth, they had to be pulled many years ago, the intestinal disease turned them into melting shards of razor sharp enamal cutting through my mouth, tongue, lips, with blood everywhere, and pices falling out, day and night the VA refused to help , the just turned me away every time I begged them to stop the agony... I had to drive 100 miles to a dental school which charged me $1,000 to pull the pieces (of my once beautiful, white, straight, teeth), out of my mouth, jaw and gums...

when people say they were exposed to chmicals, I was soaked in the chmicals and I was soaked in the chmicals by my command, and my superiors knew damned well the doctors had put in my records I was alergic to petroleum chemicals, yet, my command forced me into working with the chemicals (petroleum chemicals) in the newly asigned job that was suppose to remove me from chemical exposure.

as you can see, the VA is fighting me to my death, I have a really high chance of cancer (look up necrotizing pancreatits and the complications I have, with the psuedocyts growing around my pancreas), and dying sooner than later, and the va knows they can drag their feet until I die..

retiredat44, sorry to hear you are going through so much. I wish you success in your journey. Exposure claims for non-Vietnam and non-Gulf War veterans is definitly not clear cut. I am in similar shoes, I served from 86 to 90, got out before the GW, was in the reserves from 90-98, but was not sent over to the gulf, though I was prepared (vaccinations...), I have been dealing with neurological symptoms for many years (not in service) but did not get diagnosed with PD until 43. I dont fit the risk factors for PD except for one, TCE exposure. I submitted a claim and dont expect to win, but I though that it wouldnt hurt to put in a claim because TCE exposure just may become an Agent Orange like case one day. I also have an appeal pending from 2008 for DDD of the back and neck that incurred on active duty orders as a reservist. My case is in LA.

[donna68]

retiredat44,

Again, sorry for your suffering. I am aware that many jet mechanics and other mechanics were soaked in TCE solvents prior to the government pulling it from the shelves in the early 80's, and many folks that were exposed in extreme cases served in Vietnam so if they got sick, they can now connect it to Agent Orange, but unfortunately folks like you have to work harder at connecting it to service.

R U sure VBA had all of your SMR's? What is the status of your case now? Appeals in the San Diego RO are 2 plus years behind, so basically they are just getting to appeals from February 2010 or older. My appeal is from 2008, sitting in LA.

As far as TCE, I was never soaked in it, since I served from 1986, after it was pulled from the shelves. My exposure is from the various dump sites on the EPA list, and 3 of the bases I was stationed at, before the clean up took place. Mc Clellan AFB being the worst site on the current list, aside from Camp Lejune.

Have you written your congressman to get your case listed as a congressional priority?

[retiredat44]

I believe, and have heard that involving your congressman may actually slow things down, and also maybe one should wait until it gets at least well into appeals. I am just awaiting a decision from the dro hearing.. I am afraid that trying to get my conressman into it may cause problems,, I am really afraid of the va screwing me even more, call me paranoid, but they can make your life hell if you bring in outsidee influences... The congress amn will probably say wit your turn.. I did write to my representative (2x) at the American Legion, asking them to ask the va to speed up my claim on hardship, that go nowhere...

I never heard a word back..

I am afarid that asking my congressman to ask them to speed it up is not going to help... I have had so many bad experiences with government offices that I am just afraid to ask..

what if the VA decides to screw with me for getting my congressman into this? Or my name is shuffled to the bottom?

retiredat44,

Again, sorry for your suffering. I am aware that many jet mechanics and other mechanics were soaked in TCE solvents prior to the government pulling it from the shelves in the early 80's, and

many folks that were exposed in extreme cases served in Vietnam so if they got sick, they can now connect it to Agent Orange, but unfortunately folks like you have to work harder at connecting it to service.

R U sure VBA had all of your SMR's? What is the status of your case now? Appeals in the San Diego RO are 2 plus years behind, so basically they are just getting to appeals from February 2010 or older. My appeal is from 2008, sitting in LA.

As far as TCE, I was never soaked in it, since I served from 1986, after it was pulled from the shelves. My exposure is from the various dump sites on the EPA list, and 3 of the bases I was stationed at, before the clean up took place. Mc Clellan AFB being the worst site on the current list, aside from Camp Lejune.

Have you written your congressman to get your case listed as a congressional priority?