U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has urged the federal government to recognize four conditions linked with the toxic chemicals in Agent Orange.
Recent studies have connected it to diseases that affect the bladder, thyroid, heartand nervous system.
Schumer says recognition would allow more Vietnam War veterans to qualify for disability benefits.
“There are 80,000 veterans on Long Island and New York City alone who would be subject to this. We are here to say we need this done now, right away, because people are dying.”
Agent Orange is a powerful herbicide used in the Vietnam War to kill forests and crops.
Scientists have linked the chemical to several health concerns. Many health issues don’t appear until years or decades later.