U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is reintroducing a bill that expands health research for veterans and their families.
The proposed bill would expand research on toxic-exposed veterans and the birth defects among their descendants. Blumenthal joined advocates in West Haven on Monday in support of the Molly R. Loomis Research for Descendants of Toxic Exposed Veterans Act.
The bill is named after Molly Loomis, the daughter of a veteran, who developed spina bifida related to her father’s exposure to Agent Orange. The chemical is a herbicide that the U.S. military used during the Vietnam War to remove dense vegetation. Loomis said her father passed away in 2013 from cancer.
“It never made sense that neither my health conditions nor my dad’s. We had no family history of either and no exposure that we were aware of,” Loomis said. “So to learn that my birth defect was linked to my father's exposure was just mind-blowing.”
Loomis said the PACT Act taught her about the potential health connection. It’s a law that was passed in 2022 that expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. Loomis said there should be legislation to support medical research on the descendants of veterans.
“We need to do better with all the subsequent generations. It's the true cost of war, but it's not an aspect of war that we tend to remember or look at,” Loomis said.
While there may be research on veterans' health, Blumenthal said there is little research on the genetic effects on veterans' descendants. More research might show the link between the health challenges veteran descendants have and their parents’ or grandparents’ exposure to toxic chemicals. Blumenthal said it's a failing that needs to be corrected.
“Toxic exposure is one of the hidden invisible killers of veterans years after they come home but it also affects their offspring,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal said some veterans have been exposed to toxins and chemicals either during their military service or in training. He said those who experience the exposure are more likely to develop medical conditions like cancers, heart conditions, and chronic lung ailments. The bill supports government-led studies into the effects of toxic exposure on descendants of veterans. Blumenthal said if passed, the research would be the first of its kind.
