Re: Statistics - Agent Orange

[Tuan V Nguyen <t.nguyen@garvan.unsw.edu.au>]

Dear Judith and friends,

	I certainly realise the diplomatic (and may be 
political) sensitivity of the Agent Orange issue. As you can 
guess, my interest in this issue is purely from a scientific 
perspective - I am not a politician :)

	I said "scientific" because in Australia, the Agent 
Orange has been a subject of intensive investigation (both 
clinical and epidemiological nature) in the past, and the 
results were rather equivocal. I myself feel that those 
studies had suffered from various problems of study design 
and interpretation. Besides, in the US, there have been 
numerous studies by many scientists and doctors, including my 
colleagues, and the results are, to me, more reliable. 
Because I am neither an expert nor work on this area, what I 
WISH to do is to learn more about it and then hopefully to 
use my epidemiological skills to approach the issue. 

	Nevertheless, judging from your words, I can even feel 
"hot", and hence agree with you to hold off the discussion of 
this topic for the time being.

	Thank you for your information and advice.


	Tuan V Nguyen


>Dear Tuan and VNSA members
>
>    Please understand that the Agent Orange issue is a complex and sensitive
>issue at this time.
>
>  I have just returned from Vietnam yesterday and sincerely wish that you
>could hold off at this time from doing anything or organizing to gather data 
>or do research or even literature reviews or form a group on this issue.
>
>    If you wish further information, please telephone to me and I will 
>explain  
>
>         Dr. Judith L. Ladinsky
>         US Committee for Scientific Cooperation with Vietnam