Hank Erb and George Claxton are among the thousands of Vietnam veterans who were exposed to dioxin in the form of Dow Chemical’s Agent Orange herbicide. They comment on a recent research review by National Academy of Sciences strongly linking veterans exposed to Agent Orange with cases of spina bifida in their children. Claxton says that this study is particularly significant in light of Dow’s long-standing refusal to accept any connection between Agent Orange exposure and birth defects. Claxton has suffered from a number of neurological problems and immune system disorders, but has yet to be compensated by the Veteran’s Association. Likewise, the VA has not yet acknowledged Hank Erb’s exposure to Agent Orange, despite being found by the Texas Health Department to be one of the ten worst exposure cases of all veterans in Texas. Both men observe a pattern of denial by the US government when it comes to the health of Vietnam veterans, as well as soldiers of other wars suffering from Gulf War Syndrome, radiation exposure, etc. They blame the chemical industry for supplying the government with misinformation regarding the health hazards associated with their products.