Bill Promotes Research into Medical Issues of Descendants of Toxic-Exposed Veterans

A bipartisan bill in the US Senate would expand research into birth defects of descendants of veterans exposed to toxic substances, according to Sen. Jon Tester (D, Montana), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who introduced the proposed legislation with US Senator Marco Rubio (R, Florida).

The Molly R. Loomis Research for Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act is named after the daughter of a US Navy veteran exposed to Agent Orange while serving on the USS Ogden during the Vietnam War. Loomis, whose father died in 2013 from bladder cancer related to Agent Orange exposure, lives with spina bifida.

“When we send our fighting men and women off to war, we tell them we’re going to take care of them if they come home changed,” said Senator Tester. “The same goes for their loved ones, especially those who are now battling health conditions connected to their parents’ toxic exposure during their military service.”

The proposed legislation would establish a multiagency task force to conduct research on the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions of descendants of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The Toxic Exposure Research Working Group, established under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, would authorize the research.

Although some research has been conducted into the health consequences of generational exposure to toxins and chemicals, government-led, comprehensive studies investigating the effects of toxic exposure on descendants of toxic-exposed veterans are lacking. The Molly R. Loomis Research for Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act, enabled by the PACT Act, would commission such research.

The bill is supported by the Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Vietnam Veterans of America.

“Our veterans, their children, and their grandchildren have waited far too long for answers to their health conditions believed to be a result of military toxic exposures,” said Jack McManus, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America. “When enacted, this important research will provide the much-needed science regarding the generational legacy of toxicants.”

Reference

Tester leads bipartisan effort to expand research for descendants of toxic-exposed veterans. News release. Jon Tester, US Senator for Montana; March 14, 2024. Accessed April 9, 2024. https://www.tester.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tester-leads-bipartisan-effort-to-expand-research-for-descendants-of-toxic-exposed-veterans/