The author of a report that found New Zealand troops in Vietnam were not significantly exposed to Agent Orange yesterday told of her reluctance to become involved again in a controversial subject.
Deborah McLeod, of Otago University's Wellington School of Medicine, appeared before Parliament's health committee, which is conducting an inquiryinto the health effects of Agent Orange.
Dr McLeod led a three-strong team which reviewed research and interpreted it in a New Zealand context before concluding there had been "very limited potential" for soldiers to be exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
"There is no evidence that exposure to chemicals in Vietnam has affected the health of the children of New Zealand Vietnam veterans," the report said.
Dr McLeod vigorously defended those findings to the select committee, saying her team had reviewed all available international research.
Asked if the negative reaction to such studies was so strong that no one wanted to pick up the ongoing work that needed to be done, and whether that would have a long-term detrimental effect on the health of veterans and their children, Dr McLeod said it "absolutely" would.
"I certainly would think very seriously about being involved in any controversial topic because of the amount of additional time - unfunded time - that we have had to spend on this project and, in particular, the abusive and offensive manner in which debate has been carried out on this topic," she said.
The most recent report, conducted by retired colonel Raymond Seymour at the request of the Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson, said New Zealand troops came into contact with the defoliants Agent Orange, Agent White and Agent Blue at least 356 times.
The story so far
* Many New Zealand veterans have claimed they were sprayed with toxic Agent Orange in Vietnam.
* Deborah McLeod of Otago University's Wellington School of Medicine initially concluded Anzac forces "generally served in Phuoc Tuy province, where there was no serial spraying".
* In December a Defence Force report found the province was sprayed with 1.8 million litres of agents Orange, White and Blue.
