{"id":62913,"date":"2019-11-14T22:27:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T22:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/11\/14\/va-to-launch-research-initiative-on-toxic-exposures\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:59:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:59:49","slug":"va-to-launch-research-initiative-on-toxic-exposures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2019\/11\/14\/va-to-launch-research-initiative-on-toxic-exposures\/","title":{"rendered":"VA to launch research initiative on toxic exposures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Department of Veterans Affairs will launch a major research initiative in fiscal 2021 on military environmental exposures and their connection to diseases in veterans and their offspring, the VA\u2019s chief of research development said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VA researchers have been speaking with veterans about the environmental toxins they think encountered on the battlefield and aboard military bases, Rachel Ramoni told attendees at an event in Washington on prostate cancer in veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, VA is in the planning stages for \u201cmajor investment in toxic exposures\u201d that will \u201ccut across all research at the VA,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Veterans], for good reason, have been irritated with us as an organization because we have not done a lot of work \u2014 especially clinical work on \u2014 military exposures. \u2026 A) I have apologized to them, and B) I have committed that in FY21, we are going to make major investments in toxic exposures,\u201d Ramoni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t